The Underdog

As I type here, I see a mosquito flying around my computer monitor. I always wonder if this one carries malaria and am glad to take anti-malaria drugs daily! This little bugger has eluded me, and I am on alert, awaiting for its sneaky attack.


The Mercy Ships field service in Guinea is almost over.  509 Surgeries are finished, the patients on the ward have slowly been discharged to home. Dental team has left behind a dental school for the people of this country. The Nutritional Agricultural Program has harvested and sold fresh and canned produce for the participants. Cleft lips have been repaired. Bowed legs have been straightened. Take a look at the website mercyships.org to see more.

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Aminata after surgery.

With the end of the field service, I said teary goodbyes today to those dedicated Day Crew on the Medical Capacity Building team.  Most live in Guinea and come to the ship or team every day to work alongside the volunteers on the ship. As we plan to leave this country in about two weeks, the last day for over 250 faithful servants in all departments came to an end.

Me & Pierre

One young Day Crew volunteer, Pierre, shared how Mercy Ships has changed his life.  He said at previous *jobs*  "no one got to know you nor cared about you."  With Mercy Ships it was different. He felt heard, cared for and not disregarded by this large, mostly white, organization. Impassioned, Pierre exclaimed praises to God as he pounded his chest with an open hand saying loudly, "But I am human, I am human!" over and over thankful that he mattered and was recognized.  It was reminiscent of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement in the US when men carried signs saying "I am a man."





Who did Jesus spend most of His time with? The outcast, the marginalized, the bullied, the underdog.  If Pierre felt the presence of Jesus while serving on the ship, then one of the core values of Mercy Ships was obtained, to love and serve others, even the other volunteers, the Day Crew.

“and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great."”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭9:48