Presidental visit.

It is once again late into the evening as I sit down to write you about the days happenings. I would like to ask you a favor when reading my blog. I am usually very tired when I am writing, but there are so many stories here that have to be told, I don't want to wait a day or they will be lost in the recesses of my mind forever. They are important stories the MUST be told. With this in mind, please be kind when reading my blog and forgive the mis-spelled words. Most of the time you can make out the gist of my meaning.

With that said, let me move on with today's news.

This is the second President I have had the honor to film. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf once again graced Mercy Ships and the M/V Africa Mercy with a visit. I knew a little bit of what to expect after my adventure in Tanzania in September so I was not as anxious as I was then. As with anything technical with regards to ministry something major almost always happens and this was no exception.

Earlier in the day I had spent 45-minutes doing a sound check to make sure I could get sound from the sound board to my camera. It took that long because there was a mix-up in how the cables were plugged into the board, but it was all sorted out.

I taped the mic cable down so no one would trip over it, placed my tripod in its place and went about the rest of my day. The President was set to arrive at 2pm.

When the big moment arrived, I was on the gangway and just like in Tanzania another press person joined me. Now the thing with gangways is the they are moving all the time. Today was particularly bad because there was a steady wind which made the ship sway from side to side. Add a person on the gangway and the movement intensifies.

With the other photographer adding extra movement to my camera, I went down to the dock and recorded the President greeting Don and Dayon Stephens, the founders of Mercy Ships and they all proceeded up to the reception area on the ship where a few chosen crew members of African descent waited to greet the President.

We all proceeded up to the "International Lounge" where the President would speak. This is where the heart-stopping moment occurred. When I plugged in my line from the sound board...NOTHING.

Thank goodness the President was not speaking first. Christian, the sound guy on duty, ran to get assistance and when the other gentleman came up it took him about 10 minutes to sort out the problem.

Well,,, as you can all well imagine, I was not a happy camper. The International Office wanted all of the Presidential speech and I thought I was going to have to rely on my on camera microphone.

But, as God's grace happened upon all of us that day, the problem was resolved and I was able to record all of Don's speech as well as the Presidents.

I am at the top of the gangway. Click on the photo to open it full size.

Filming the President's arrival.


The communications team.
It is nice to be on an all female team since I am the only female
on the team I work with back home.
Me, Esther and Debra.

She left the ship and all returned to normal.

Returning to yesterdays sad entry, I have some happy news to report. If you recall Mark, he is the doctor I met on the last leg of my journey here. I spoke to him today and I asked him if he happened to have seen Abraham. After telling me he had seen a lot of Abrahams, I mentioned the blue star on his nose. That joggled his memory and he did remember examining him.

When I told him that I had heard he had not been accepted, he had a perplexed look on his face and corrected me by informing me that there was no plastic surgeon there to do a proper examination and that more than likely Abraham will return for a follow-up appointment when the proper surgeon arrives. This would be within a month or so.

Suddenly the sorrow that had clouded my day had blown away and I had hope for this little boy. I must warn you now, if you are reading my blog with a child present, I do have a photo of Abraham posted for you to see the darling little boy. His physical appearance is not pretty. It is hard to look at. So, please do not scroll down if you do not want you child to see his photo.

Later in the afternoon, Stephanie approached me. She was the nurse who drew a lot of the patients blood. (I hope I remembered your name correct. If not, find me and correct me. --She reads my blog.) She told me that she remembered drawing his blood and reiterated what Mark had told me. Once again, my joy soared!!

I have found out that Abraham was burned when hot oil spilled on him. He spent several months in a hospital through another charitable organization. They tried to repair his eyes, but as you probably know, burn patients can require 30+ surgeries just to resume normal function of their damaged tissue.

I am including some other photos of some of the people who were at the screening. I believe all of them I am showing here made it through the screening process and they will receive treatment on the M/V Africa Mercy. Please keep them in your prayers. They still have a long journey ahead of them.

Here are the photos. AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, PREVIEW THE PHOTOS FIRST!!! I'll start with some photos of me working. Okay, this first one is of me goofing off while Chad is trying to work. He put all the before photos in a template so that when the patients come for their surgery, the doctors will see the photos.

In the following images I am filming Don Stephens for updates to shown to sponsors.

Don speaks with patients in line.

I believe this little girls name is Nancy. She had a tumor growing on the side of her face. If it is not cancer and the doctors are able to remove it, she will be spared a future consisting of living with a deformed face and being an outcast to society.

I would like to thank Megan Petock for these wonderful photos. She is an amazing woman who has been helping out in the communications department by offering her photography and writing skills as well as being one of the wonderful nurses who will care for the patients. Thanks Megan!!! You are a star!!!

And now for the photo of beautiful Abraham. If you look closely you will see the little blue star Ali, one of the nurses here, helped placed on his nose. You can read more about her interactions with Abraham on her blog at: http://alirae.net/blog/

Wednesday is our first admissions day. I will once again be in the heat of battle, literally it's stinkin' hot here!! I will be filming the patients as they go through the process to begin collecting footage to tell their stories.

On Thursday there is a strong possibility I will be filming my first surgery. I do not think I will have any problems, but you never know. Please keep that in your prayers a well. I do not want to be drug out of the O.R. after collapsing in a heap.

One last photo for you to look at. Look into his eyes. What do they say to you?



Thanks for reading my mini novel. Please write me and let me know what you would like to know about my time here in wonderful Liberia. I look forward to sharing with you.

Love,
Kimberly

Here comes the rain!

I want to first thank you for all your prayers!!! I had sent specific requests to a few people and I those requests were met completely!!!

This morning started out EARLY!!! I woke up at 4:55am to get ready for the day. I was trying not to think of what I was going to be seeing today, but looked forward to giving my smile away freely.

It was still dark and very humid as about 70+ people descended the gangway to pile into numerous vehicles that would form a convey down the dark streets of Monrovia. I thought for sure the water vapors in the air had conspired against us. I was sweating already as I walked to my assigned Land Rover.

The one-hour 15 minute drive to the Samuel K Doe Football Stadium was relatively quite, except for praying for the day and the occasional grunt when we hit a crater of a pothole. The roads are dark and pedestrians are like darkened lighthouses in the middle of the road. It's a bit like playing the old game of skittles. Okay, I'm giving away how old I am. Skittles is a game where you spin a peg and try to get it to go through openings and enter different rooms of the game board. The people are the pegs and instead of trying to score points by going into rooms, they are simply trying to stay alive by dodging cars that cannot see them until they are almost directly in front of them.

It was still dark when we arrived, but the sun was starting to shine. The colors were still a deep purple but even in this low light we could see hundreds of people already standing in a very long line.

We pulled up and spilled out of the vehicles. I was still nervous about what I was going to see. A couple of us walked over to the front of the line and much to my relief, there were no huge facial tumors that I could see and just as I started to quietly breath a sigh of relief, the people in the line started to sing an African song. I don't know if it was a worship song, I'm thinking it was. With the lyrics of a song I did not know sung in a foreign tune, the tears started to form. I pinched them back though. The day had just begun and I was not going to let myself break-down so early. I hadn't even gotten my camera out yet!

The communications department headed into the stadium to get set up. The department is responsible for the before and after photos that I have been showing you. While the rest of my team set up their station, I grabbed the video camera and headed out to the line.

There was a fence surrounding the stadium and it was this fence that was where the first screening took place. The line had now become a long snake of people waiting to find out if their would even step foot inside the gray metal fence.

I started to film the hundreds of people. Most of them watching my every move. I had a large, fancy video camera with a shoulder harness that made the whole apparatus appear that much surreal to them. No one turned away. But it was as I went from the overall scene to the individuals that I started to notice things. A neck three-times larger than it should be. People walking on the tops of their feet. I mean, their feet turned completely around. An older gentleman wheeling through the line in a homemade wheelchair.

Even with all these scenes before me I did not break down. I had a job to do and I was focused on that.

I moved to the front of the line and started following people as they moved from being outsiders to being escorted inside the fence to a waiting area that consisted of white plastic chairs placed in rows outside of the stadium. There were probably 300 of the 500 rented chairs sitting under the over-hang. It did not take long for them to be filled up.

As the day progressed, I continued to film people with no real one on one contact with them. That is until I saw Abraham. He is a little boy of probably three or four-years old. His entire face had been burned and both hands were but mere remembrances of what they once were.

He didn't cry or complain. He was quite content playing with his blue balloon that one of the staff had given him. The palms of his hands were no longer flat, but were round with what little remained of his fingers and thumbs. In addition to the balloon, a blue shiny star was firmly attached to the tip of his nose. This was really the only point on his face that still looked somewhat normal.

His eyelids had been burned away and it was a challenge for him to blink. He was very attentive to what was going on around him and didn't mind me filming him. He became one child I followed because I was really praying that the medical team could assist him, at least let him blink.

I would find Abraham at various stages of the process. He was always pleasant. Never fussing for his mother. His mother had a tremendous smile and it was easy to see that he had her personality.

I had gotten busy towards the end of the day and had lost track of Abraham and his mother. When most of the other stations had closed down, I started asking each of our three photographers who were taking the before and after photos if they had taken his photo. One by one they said they had not. This frightened me. This could only mean one thing, he had not been accepted.

On the drive back I had put Abraham out of my thoughts. I was exhausted and just wanted a shower.

When I was in my office capturing the days footage, Debra came in. She broke the news to me that it was official that he had not been accepted. I lost it.

All the tears I had not cried during the day came flooding out. They are re-appearing as I write this update for you. When Debra told me I was capturing that tape where I had filmed him at various stations. It only tore at my heart more.

I don't know why he was not accepted. I have gotten to know some of the medical personnel on board and their hearts are with the people here. They would have done something for them if they could. As I told you in an earlier post, I am glad that I do not have to make those decisions.

So, as I told you, I am a changed person. My time filming Abraham has changed me. The time trying to coax a smile from a little girl has changed me. Seeing and older man who has lived his life with a cleft pallet has changed me. A little girl who is going to have to lose her leg to save her life has changed me. Countless men and women with growths on their necks has changed me.

I must close for now. I am exhausted and need to go to bed but I wanted to jot down a few of my thoughts while they were still raw and fresh.

There are photos for me to upload, but that will have to wait till the latter part of the week. Please keep praying for us. We need your support in this area.

And I know I do not need to state this, but please pray for little Abraham and his mother especially. He was the one that finally made my tears fall like rain.

Love,
Kimberly

And God saw that it was good.

I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for tomorrow. The person writing this post is not going to exist tomorrow. The people I meet and film are going to change me forever. Tomorrow is a day I have been waiting for for eight years. That is how long I have wanted to serve with Mercy Ships.

I woke up this morning, late I might add, and as I tried to mentally prepare myself for tomorrow the book of Genesis came to my mind. In the first chapter one phrase is repeated, "And God saw that it was good". The word "saw" is repeated seven times.

Tomorrow I want to remember this when I am looking at people who are outcasts of their society. God sees them! He saw them when he knit them together in there mother's womb. He sees their struggles and calls them to Himself. I want to see them the way He does.

If you look at the before and after photos of patients who have had their lives transformed all you have to do is look into their eyes. For example, take a look at Malik,


In his after photo, there is now hope, life and joy in his eyes. Malik saw that he mattered to people he had never met before. Malik had that tumor growing on his jaw for forty years. I can't erase what these people have gone through, but I am part of the team who can help to give him a new future.

There are a lot of emotions and thoughts wrestling in my mind right now about tomorrow. Will I have to excuse myself from the line or the assessment stations to go into the back room to have a quick cry before going back out there? I can almost guarantee that will happen. How will this change me? I have no idea, but I hope I will have more compassion for people and realize how truly blessed I am.

I'm going to change the direction of this blog now. Let's talk about ship life, shall we?

Community!! That's what it's all about. I live in a cabin with two other ladies. We have one bunk that is not occupied at this time, which is nice. The cabin is about 150 sq. feet. We have a couch, private bathroom and even a "kitchen" sink. Luxury!!

Now, I'm sure some of you, okay, MOST of you are shaking your head saying, "How do they do it?" Especially since all of you know I am not the neatest person around. It's a little hard to be 'really' messy when you don't have much to be messy with. But regarding the size of the cabin, we aren't in there very much.
My bed with the photo of me with my nieces and nephew.

Our "kitchen" sink.
The couch.

So, we live in cramped quarters, all the crew eat their meals together, we have community meetings (with AWESOME worship) and we PAY to serve. What a life!!!

The ship is our home, work place and recreational place. It's nice to get out and enjoy fresh, very HUMID air and be relational with each other. The kids on the ship have their bikes and when they are not trying to get their toys back from the adults who are playing with them, they ride up and down the dock. It is quite a joy to be part of. I took these photos the other evening. I must have been outside for about 3 hours just enjoying people's company and getting to know folks. People don't live most of their lives behind closed doors in their cabins. They live it in community with the rest of the crew. I like it!
I was hoping to capture her first tooth coming out, but it remained stubborn and didn't pop out.

Lindsey and Alison, two nurses, racing on kiddie toys.

I don't know if he ever caught anything.

Please keep all of us in your prayers on Monday. By the time most of you read this, we will be half-way through our day.

I would enjoy finding out what you would like to hear from Monrovia, Liberia. I would love to help you understand more of what the mission of Mercy Ships is. I still have a little over two weeks left. Can you believe the time is going by so quickly? You are part of my team and want you to feel as though you are here as well. Write me, let me know.

Love,
Kimberly

Site reckie.(Checking out the site we will be filming at.)

Today I went into town with most of the communication department to take a look at the facilities we will be working in for the Medical Assessment day next week. I had prepared myself to be out in the heat and humidity all day filming the happenings. I brought my hat, Deb has sunscreen I was going to be using and I had a cloth all set to wipe my brow to stop the sweat from running into my eyes as I film people as they find out if their life will soon be changed when they receive their appointment card for surgery on the M/V Africa Mercy.

Ha, the Lord brought me on this trip when the Medical Assessment day is going to be held indoors in three air-conditioned rooms.

When we arrived at the stadium where we will be seeing people, we were escorted to the managers office. It was a very nice office and we were greeted with a smile and invited to sit. After the formalities we were taken to the rooms where we would be working that very long day. The room was a bit warm, but I was very comfortable. There was a 6-foot tall AirCon (Air Conditioning) unit sitting in the corner but not turned on.

We walked out onto the football/track field, that is football as in soccer. I could not help but think that the fields look much bigger on TV. This was a normal size field, perhaps one my nieces would play on. I remember walking around the stadium in Sydney, Australia before the 2000 Olympics and that field was HUGE. It's like comparing apples to oranges I guess.

We found the rooms and walked around finding all the electrical plugs for our equipment, Deb looked at how she was going to hang the white sheet to have people stand against when she and Esther take the before shots and when we returned to the managers office it was immediately noticeable that while we were being shown around, he had turned on the AirCon just for us.

I am always amazed at people's hospitality towards foreigners when I travel around my "beloved Africa". Most of the time they do not have much to give, but what they do have, they give freely.

We finished our business and returned to the ship. As we drove out the gate, a man on the passenger side pointed to a man approaching the drivers side. The man walked up and told us he was here for the assessment day and told us his problem. Unfortunately, the problem he described was one that the ship could not assist him with.

Earlier in the day at one of the briefings we were told to expect this when we were in town. It didn't matter if we were part of the medical crew or not. The people just wanted help.

We also found out that there are only about 140 doctors in all of Liberia. There is a population here of about 6 million people. Do that math if you really want to be frightened. For dentists it is even worse. There are only 2 dentists in the country.

On the way back I was trying to take all the mental photos I could. There are moments that will always remain vivid in my memories. Africa lives its life on the streets. Unlike first-world countries where we do most of our business behind closed door, you can see everything on the street of Africa.

For example, we passed three girls as they stood around a tub of water. It looked like it was laundry day. One girl had other things on her mind. Instead of washing the clothes, she was giving her doll a bath. She was smiling from ear to ear as she combed her naked, white "Barbie" doll. I don't recall what was going on behind her or the two other girls with her; I only remember her beaming face and the action of combing the dolls thinning hair. So much life in the girls eyes, so much hope, so much potential and so loved by God.

Once again it is late into the evening as I write to you about some of the stories taking place here in Liberia. I look forward to telling a lot more in the weeks to come.

Love,
Kimberly

"Keep your hands and feet inside the car"

The ship is getting geared up for next week. Departments are starting to buzz with energy with the anticipation of receiving patients. As for me, I am simply trying to keep my excitement in check. I have no idea of what to expect. Am I prepared for what I am going to see, hear, smell and experience? I would like to think I am, but I have a strong suspicion that I am not.


Medical personnel had an open house down on the ward. Like most medical people, they had a lot of fun showing non-medical crew their work place. The following are some photos of that night.

A crew member has her artery checked with the ultra-sound machine. Results: her arteries looked good.

The following two photos are crew members trying their hands at suturing.

Danielle (far right) is my room-mate.

These are x-rays of a real patient treated on the ship. The name of the patient remained anonymous.

Balloon animals were also on the ward.

Putting in a breathing tube.

The kids of crew members were welcome to try things.

Facial tumors make up a large number of the surgeries done on the ship. Here Debra (R) doesn't do such a good job making sure the patient has enough oxygen.

Even with the blunder, the patient's tumor was removed.
Even Donkey got in on the fun.

Liberian Sunset.

Okay, now that I have entertained you with photos, let me tell you a bit of what is happening right now. Not on the ship, but in my head. Scary thought, huh?

I'm sure you have read the following story, but please take the time and read it all the way through before continuing with my writing.

The Starfish Story
Original Story by: Loren Eisley

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"

The boy replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die."

"Son," the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make a difference!"

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.

Then smiling at the man, he said..."I made a difference for that one."

A lot of the crew from M/V Africa Mercy will be walking on the beach next week. There will be THOUSANDS of people before us, stranded in a sorrowful life; living as outcasts, left alone to fend for themselves. Some are very close to death. They cannot save themselves. The water is out of reach for them.

One of the things I am shielded from in my job is that I will not be making the medical decisions as to who will be brought to the water and given the opportunity to live again. I am very thankful for that. At the same moment I am very thankful that I will have the opportunity to record what takes place during these moment.

There are thousands of people in Liberia who need someone to come along the beach and throw them back into the life giving water. The medical staff do not only perform physical transformations, but the Gospel is given to them as well. They receive the love of Christ and for many, for the first time in their lives someone else was willingly gave sacrificially for them. This opens their hearts to know that Jesus sacrificed the ultimate for them, He died and rose again to restore each of us back to the Father.

I am sitting in the front car of a roller coaster that is about to start the climb up the first big hill. Next week is when the ride starts. I am filled with both excitement and butterflies. You are about to take the journey with me. All I can say is "Hold on". I am praying that not only are the patients going to be changed, but you and I will be changed as well.

I appreciate each and every one of you. Your words of encouragement have touched me over these past couple of days. Thank you.

Love,
Kimberly

I have arrived!!

I keep saying, "I can't believe I am here! I just can't believe I am on the M/V Africa Mercy!!" However, I have photos so it must be real.

This is my friend Deb. She is the one behind all the wonderful photos of me out in the field. You are going to see some great shots of me and that is all due to this amazing woman of God using her gifts and talents serving Him.

My friend Deb is a Canadian and it is so funny to see Canadians seek each other out on the ship. Deb introduced me to this gentleman (I can't for the life of me remember his name) as he was sitting at the end of the dock during sunset.

This is on one of the cargo containers.

So, the trip over... It was, well, loooong. I'm kind of hate to say this, but I am so used to the long hauls it takes to arrive on the continent where my heart resides that the 35 to 40 hour travel "day" is well worth the price.

The Lord was faithful in that I have never had a weather delay in all my travels. NEVER!! I was due to fly from Phoenix to Chicago and thought my streak might end with this trip. After having me wait for 10 years to come join the ship, the Lord held back the weather in Chicago and my departure was not delayed by one minute.

When I boarded the plane in Chicago, I was looking at all the passengers trying to figure out who might be going with me all the way to Liberia, but was not brave enough to approach anyone. Good thing, since all of my guesses were wrong!!

Once I arrived in Brussels I knew all 36 of us would be on the same flight. I had started communicating with a gal who was arriving the same day I was and was had seen photos of each other. When I recognized her I joined her and three others who were on the same flight from New York.

My concerns about a flight delay faded as soon as I left Chicago only to be met by a 1 1/2 hour delay in Brussels. Oh well, more time to become acquainted with the other crew.

Once we started forming a little group of people who were joining the ship, I would every once in a while walk up and down the waiting area asking people if they were with Mercy Ships. ( was much braver knowing I would be successful). This little act brought together about 17 of us. The first question asked of each new person joining our little, but fast growing huddle, was "What are you going to be doing on the ship?"

I was one of only a couple of people who are not medical personnel. We have Sarah who is the ships hair stylist. Then there is Val who is here only for a couple of weeks to serve in the ships boutique and me, the videographer.

Most were nurses and we had one married couple who are both doctors.

If you were to look at the group as a whole, it was a rag tag bunch of people who share one thing, the call to serve!

The following are some shots taken by Ali (peds nurse), Mark (Doctor) and myself in the Brussels airport as we patiently, sort of, waiting for our delayed flight.

Taken by Ali.

Ali's shot too.

Me taking Ali's photo and she's taking mine.

Taken by Mark.

Mark is in the foreground. Can't remember the other gal's names.

So, we finally arrive in Monrovia. I was like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning. I was so excited at being able to see Deb again, but just like that little kid, I had to wait. It took quite a long time for us to be processed and get our bags but when we did and I saw her, it was like the past 2 1/2 years had never passed between us.

She was one of the drivers and we made sure I was in her vehicle. The other staff member who came with her willingly gave up her "shotgun" seat for me to sit up in front and be able to chat all the way to the ship, about a 2 hour drive.

It was Africa we were driving through. Even though it was dark, "Africa is Africa". It doesn't really matter where you go on this HUGE continent, you know you are in Africa. A feeling that makes my heart flutter! Almost like arriving back in the arms of a loved one. I cannot describe what this continent has over me, but it does.

We drove past the stadium where the intake appointments will be made next week. It's a new stadium newly rebuilt with the funds of another country, China, I think, but could be wrong. The old stadium was a place of refuge for people during the 14-year civil war.

Reminders of the recently ended war could be seen, especially as we drove across the only remaining bridge. The lamp posts that line both sides of the bridge no longer provide light and it is a wonder how they are still standing. They are simply riddled with holes.

This bridge was a strong hold of the rebels. A lot of death took place on this bridge and it is a sobering moment as we drive across and try NOT to picture the horrific scenes that took place here and recent as four years ago.

As we approach the ship, my heart almost stands still. "Pinch me. This has to be a dream". But as I climb the gangplank it begins to sink in and my eyes fill with tears.

For all my co-workers, I know this last image of me is quite a shock since every time I spoke with one of you I appeared to have it all together!! Yeah, right!!!

Our travel day was not over yet. Although it was after 11:30pm, we still had registration 'stuff' we had to do. Deb showed me my new office and I kept talk with her until 2 in the morning. I felt bad that I had kept her awake so long, especially when she finally called me this morning at noon and had just woken up.

We spent today in the communications office and she was going over projects that I already had on my plate. I have my first edit due on Tuesday and a lot of shooting already scheduled. As usual, I am hitting the ground running.

It is 2 AM again and here I am writing my blog. I tried to go to bed early, due to exhaustion and a raging headache, but when I woke up, I could not get my mind off wanting to write my blog and let you all know I had arrived safely.

A couple of things I would ask you to keep in prayer:

• Health. There is a lot to do and no time to be out of action.
• Wisdom. Allow me to film those moments that will glorify God and reflect Jesus back to the people.
• Patience. As all of you know, this is an area in my life where I need the most work. And as you all know, I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my work and story telling. I need to allow myself to become adjusted to the new way of everything. With only four short weeks, I really need to relax and enjoy my time here.
• The Patients!!! We only have one day where we will be assessing patients and scheduling them for surgery. The entire outreach calendar will be filled from this one day. The outreach ends November 30 so you can imagine how many people will be there for the initial review.

I am sure there are more prayer needs, but my energy is waining fast and I am going to hit the hay again.

Thank you so much for taking part in my journey. I cannot promise that my blogs will be short. Goodness, I only arrived and look how long this one turned out to be.

Please email me at my personal email address as I cannot currently access my work email address.

Love,
Kimberly