Beautiful!!

Waking up early....Ken woke up at 3am this morning with ideas for how to do a pipe project they have been working on. Breakfast is fun, lots of laughter, then lots of activity. We will be removing a CT Scanner...I remember when it was the only thing on the hospital deck, there were not even any walls, but the new one seems to be held up in customs. Lube oil purifiers are being removed and replaced, Galley coolers are being rebuilt, hospital flooring is all being replaced, deckheads are coming down and piping replaced....and that's only the things I can think of off the top of my head. And then dinner and a 6 mile walk into town and along the beachfront. It really is beautiful. Loving it!!

Back in the Canary Islands!!

Well, our last update was in 2009. Now that was a long time ago! Now it is 2013 and we are back on board for the annual technical 7 weeks maintenance time. And...we love it. Very busy days and lots of fun projects, like removing CT Scanners and pumps and lots of other greasy projects!!
Ken is overseeing this time in the shipyard and I am doing what needs to be done including taking photos of various projects going on.
We are catching up with old friends, making new ones, re-learning how to do laundry in community, enjoying breakfasts with lots of people and lots of laughter, taking 6 mile walks each evening, and falling into bed each night. Very satisfactory.

News from the Berrys

Adopting a Ward

For a period of time now I have adopted a ward. B Ward, the VVF women. They are on board for up to 2 weeks, sometimes more. Hanging around, dozing, carrying their urine bags up and down the hallways. In adopting the ward I go down almost daily to make pompoms, name signs, decorate boxes, and paint fingernails. You know, pretty useless stuff, but fun and though I am daily nervous about it, I am always glad I have done it. The women's faces light up and call out, "Mama!"

Here is photo of a few of them after their "Dress Ceremony", before they leave the ship to go home. Very special women!!

Together Again

This summer the 6 grandchildren are getting together. It is a real houseful when they all get together!!

Grateful For Her Underpants

Yes, she is grateful for her underpants. And she is not afraid to say it. She has been leaking urine constantly for the last 5 years. She last saw her husband when he left her at the hospital and said he was going to get the money to get her released from the hospital. He never returned. I would imagine it would be hard to find a person more grateful. She told her story and then sat down and then jumped up and interupted and explained she has not been able to underpants for 5 years.

Yesterday I went down to the dress ceremony for these 4 women. 1 had had this problem for 20 years. 1 still has a husband. That is unusual. The ceremony was translated from English to French and then into 2 or 3 local languages. I was at a church service on the ward on Sunday and I know there was almost simultaneous translation into 7 languages. A bit hard to stay focused but very interesting.

The entire ward clapped for these women, laughed for these women and nodded. The other 25 understood all they had been through. They have been through it as well. One woman in the ward during the ceremony would not look. She has had the surgery but is not dry. A patient I visited had had 7 surgeries before she was dry. One of our doctors went up country, brought back, I think, 20 women. They were going to stay in a hotel on the way down to the ship but no one would take them because they smelled bad. So he stayed with them in the bus as they slept. No room in the inn for them, either!

Africa Mercy in Benin

Thought you might like to see where we are docked.