Saturday May 16

Apologies to all of you following my blog with avid interest. But the was good reason why I couldn't write last week. All the computer system was down for pretty well the whole weekend of civilised hours!

So much to catch up with. Two weeks ago I was invited by Anne, one of our translators to her daughters 10th birthday party. Anne lives in Cotonou during the week but her home is Abomey, a 3 hour drive from the ship. Inviting several of us we st off at 10.30am collecting people along the way. A 14 seater taxi had been organised and there was plenty of room for the 10 of us who went. The group included 3 of our day volunteers, one bringing her 2 children aged 6 and 3. Apart from the usual stops for petrol, which was poured into the fuel tank through an old T-shirt to filter it, from a very large glass flagon and food we made the trip in a little over 4 hours. Roadworks cause as much mayhem in Benin as they do at home. Anne was a superb hostess and looked stunning in her outfit. Esther her daughter was also a very good hostess as we were given cold drinks and plied with some amazing tasting food. After we had eaten we all went to visit the old palace in Abomey. It was an interesting visit and we glad to have the translators with us as the guide spoke in French. In Abomey the local dialect is Fon but is a more pure form than that spoken in Cotonou (according to our Beninoir friends).

Several of the group had decided to stay in Abomey overnight and with the experience of others on the ship had booked into a pleasant guest house for the night. having opted to return the same day with one other crew member the remainder of us set off home. About half an hour from Abomey the driver pulled over with braking problems. So we had to find alternative ways home. Stopping a taxi to drive us all to Cotonou proved a challenge, not least of which because the taxi driver of our 14 seater felt he had been insufficiently paid by us. Agreeing a price for the complete return trip before leaving Cotonou the translator who had organised the taxi paid only what she though was right. the vehicle she had booked was supposed to be in much better condition and she had been annoyed when she saw the vehicle in the first place. we did manage to hail a taxi but there was space for only one person so we gave that to the lady with 2 young children. About ten minutes later another vehicle stopped that would take the remaining 4 of us. Nina agreed a price with the driver and we all got in the car. Our first taxi driver still feeling sore about the amount we had paid him and seeing us about to leave decides that he wants yet more money and leans inside the vehicle, removes the ignition key and tries to move away quickly. He's soon stopped as by now quite a crowd has gathered. After much discussion and a little more money he finally allows us to go but part of his decision was the fact that 2 of the passengers (Linda and I) were with Mercyships. We did make it back to the ship quite safely but it was certainly an interesting time!

So on with the weeks work. The ship has an unconventional blood bank. There are no facilities to store blood. For patients to receive blood the crew members are called upon to donate at the time it is required. This means the patients receive whole blood. All crew members who give blood are volunteers, there is no coercion although a small campaign was run recently to encourage more donors. Filling in a form, checking basic levels of health and having a blood sample taken are the only requirements before being placed on a list. When I was asked to give blood I was working but as donation is seen as a priority there is never any question about being able having the time off. A ship has limited space and so often an area becomes multi-functional. For blood donation the ICU is used.

The photo shows me relaxing, with my coffee cup in hand since I was halfway through my once daily Starbucks americano and I was not going to waste it! The process is not so different to home as the blood is weighed and 500 grams of my blood was soon in a bag. What was very different however was seeing it being checked and given to a patient who was lying in a bed in one of the isolation ICU beds within 3 minutes of being donated. No need for a blood warmer. The woman to whom it was transfused would later have a below knee amputation but was actually too ill to have surgery that day. She came to the OR the following day.

Saturday May 2

Not sure that I've had a birthday this week, more a celebration of life. I've had the song sung to me so many times, had so many treats and specila events happen that I certainly won't forget this one in a hurry. It started Sunday evening the 26th with a phone call link to my home church at Gorsley near Ross on Wye at the beginning of their evening service..

Monday evening I attend Toastmasters and their too they remembered it was my birthday. tuesday at work as we met at the board for our meeting oin the OR corridor I was sung too again - I had made cake for them too. wednesday evening is the eye team small group and we shared we brownies and ice cream in honour of my birthday. Friday 33 of us went out for a meal to the local Lebanese again everyone sung to me. I've had quite a few cards and some lovely presents. I've been very spoilt and will look with fondness recalling this particular birthday.

Meanwhile there has been work to do and I have continued in my role as anaesthetic nurse for another week. I really enjoy the change and working with different people. I have spent most of my time in the orthopaedic room as that's where most of the children are and have worked again with the same anaesthetist. this always makeslife easier as we begin to work very much together as a team. The surgeons have great fun and taken the english banter well. It's amazing how certain always come back and find myself just slipping in roles that I have had before.

On Wednesday we had a little lad who was about 3 who was to have his club feet corrected. As I carried him up the corridor I was aware that his breathing was not all it should be - his chest was rattling beneath my arms! Alerting the anaesthetist to this she listened and decided that he really needed a chest xray and antibiotics for 24 hours before we should operate. At home we would give a full course of antibiotics and have the child back 3 weeks later. This option wasn't available for this little boy as the paediatric surgeon was leaving at the end of the week. By giving him 24 hours we were able at least to start the process and give a better chance. he had his surgery on Thursday to correct his club feet. as the plastering was finished the surgeon put the lads 2 feet together and stated the lad had "happy feet" meaning they were pointing in the direction they should be normally not all bent round as they were. Perhaps the most important thing though which took place each time I was in the orthopaedic room this week was the way each member of the team took it in terms to pray before we started surgery. Our prayer for this little boy was that he would grow up strong and loving tha Lord. One day hopefully he will be told about his operating on a big ship and about the people who cared for him and why.

Our community meeting on Thursday evening is always an important time on the ship and this week I had been asked to be MC for the meeting. The international lounge seats around 300 and was pretty full. The service is also shown by video link to cabins. Having had due notice I was prepared for the meeting and spoken with the main speaker, who had had some devastating news about himself just 24 hours earlier. he still wanted to speak and so I was left wondering how I should set the tone for the meeting. In fact I decided to go with the way I fely Father had led me including the short reading which was not a bible reading but one about a chinese woman who had a cracked pot that she filled each day from the river and used to water the seeds she planted. The cracked pot felt ashamed because it couldn't carry its full quota of water like the second complete pot. She reassured the pot that she had known about its flaw and explained how she had used its "flaw" to water the seeds that flourished into beautiful flowers which she used to grace her home with beauty. we all have flaws but God is able to use our flaws too to help other people. The speaker used the verses from Jeremaih ch18 v1 - 6 to illustrate his points.

....and so life continues