Paul’s Update Nov 2003
-
Mercy Ships / Marine
Operations:
Who
ever thought I would be spending a summer in the South of Spain? That is
the kind of thing you hear about in the movies. Well it just so happens
that Cádiz, Spain is a well known ship building port, and that is where we
put our ship in for dry-dock last summer. Actually I found out two very
interesting facts about Cádiz;
Columbus set sail
to find America from there,
and the apostle Paul walked through the gates to this city, now how is
that for re-living history? Two years ago I was in the Dominican Republic
with the Caribbean Mercy, and we docked in the city where Columbus
first landed after that long voyage across the Atlantic, talk about seeing
both sides of the story. While we have to put our ships in dry-dock every
year to maintain them, I could not think of a better place to do it. This
was the beginning of my summer adventure; I spent four months on the
M/V Anastasis, during the Mercy Ships European Public Relations tour.
The tour took us from Spain to Holland, England, and Germany. In Germany
we loaded five containers plus many more
items in preparation
for outreach. I left from Germany to return home just in time to watch my
little sister get married. Meanwhile the ship continued on its way to
Sierra Leone with a pit stop in Gibraltar for fuel. I have to say in my
six years with Mercy Ships that this was one of the most memorable summers
ever. It is always fun to make good friends from all over the world, and
this summer I was privileg
ed
again to work with and meet many people from many different countries and
cultures. As Marine Operations Project Manager, my two main projects this
summer on the ship were: to improve security by installing video
surveillance cameras to watch the outer decks at night and to over see the
project of expanding the hospital ward including relocating the pharmacy.
Now that does not sound like a lot, but on a ship you are confined by the
outer hull and the bulkheads, but with all that said, we were able to add
a doctors office and exam room as well as eleven new beds in the ward and
an additional toilet.
Before I went
to the M/V Anastasis this summer I made a trip down to Houston to
get my paperwork in order for the Coast Guard, this allowed me to sail on
the ship as an Ordinary Seaman. This is an entry level position
but more or less qualifies me for standing watches on the Bridge while the
ship is under way. While I was standing watches I managed to obtain
enough time at the helm to get my steering certificate, which means I can
officially steer the ship, and yes I really enjoyed that. I am currently
studying for my Able Body Seaman certificate and hope to obtain it in the
near future.
One of the things I learned
this summer is that there is a lot of hurt in the world, and while large
NGO’s like Mercy Ships strive to make a difference, it is still barely
noticeable. However I have come to the conclusion that sometimes it is
just about making a difference one person at a time. How many times have
you walked past that person in the hall and never said hello, good morning
or hey how about that ballgame! I guess I am trying to say, how can you
help people if you do not even know they are hurting. Well this summer I
had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time with the outreach team
from the ship. This is the team that goes out to the churches and other
speaking engagements during the PR tour. I was privileged to meet many
pastors, worship leaders, and just plain ole people in the local
churches. As the outre
ach
team (known as Wobble Worship) lead worship and preach in churches, I saw
a whole community of people that were encouraged and lifted up, some even
given a fresh look on life, you know how it can be when you are stuck in a
job and the economy is bad and it is the same day in and day out routine,
but God used Wobble to blow a breath of fresh air into a community that I
am sure will remember us many years to come. My most memorable time
working with the team was at a local school where we had the opportunity
to share some time with the local kinds and tell them about the work we do
and about the less fortunate children in the world and what Mercy Ships
does to help them.
What’s next for me?
Well, I am back in Texas now for a few weeks, and I am planning the
security upgrades for the M/V
Caribbean Mercy.
It is a whole new game in the security
business these days and Mercy Ships is taking it very seriously. In the
next few months I will be installing video surveillance cameras on the
ship as well as some other security devices. The plan also calls for
securing the accommodation area doors with a locking system and a positive
ID check at the gangway. While these things may cause some problems at
first, the crew can rest at night knowing they are pretty well protected.
If you have a few minutes please drop me
a line and let me know what’s going on in your life, I know I am not
always the best at keeping up with everybody, especially with all the work
to be done, but I think it is important so I will strive to communicate
more often this coming year, but that means I want to hear from you too!
I want to thank
those who contributed financially to me this last year; know that your
blessing is received and is enabling me to continue the ministry work that
I am doing with Mercy Ships and that you too are involved in changing the
lives of thousands of people each year!
