A Walk to the Dumpster

This morning I took my trash out.

That may not sound big but on the way to the dumpster I have to pass probably 30 people, some coming to have their eyes checked and patches off from the previous day’s eye surgeries and some are carers who have helped them get here. And it is no small thing to come for early appointments. There are long long lines of people waiting for taxis. tThey have been up for hours to get here for 8am. Then I stopped to practise a little, very little French, with a couple from the Congo who are crew and work in Agriculture and Community health. Then, as I came back from the dumpster, I saw a very excited man having his picture taken with the eye surgeon. He is so pleased that he can see. And in the background, there was a young woman, looking no more than 20 but probably older. Feeling her way along the gangway, obviously she could not see as she was feeling along with her feet and guided on board by one of our day workers from the area. She will come away with sight in one eye. Isn’t that amazing? Waiting by the gangway to be admitted was a young man with an ear that sticks out about 3 to 4 inches. His life will be changed. I stopped to talk with another day worker who is our security person at that aft gangway. His name is Sam and he is a local pastor with a family and he is a most gracious man. We are so blessed to have him there. As I came up the gangway I passed Arthur, an older gentleman from the area who works with our vehicles and also Marcel, our other Agriculture person. He was heading out for the day. I walked down to the hospital deck. To weigh myself as I am trying to lose some of this excess weight, and went by the patients waiting for their eye surgeries. This morning there is an 11 year old girl who has cataracts on both eyes. She has never seen. Never seen. Can you imagine that? We do not know at this point if she will see but we will find out. And I saw all this just because I chose to take my trash out early this morning.

I know I have said it before, but it is such a privilege to be here. It makes me cry.

Long Day's Journey

One of things I love to do on board is to take a group of the crew out to see the Community Development sites. I call it seeing the "sites" not seeing the sights. But there are a lot of those along the way. Most of the crew do not have the opportunity to see where the wells are being dug, where our construction teams are working and where the agriculture team is. So, we head off around 10:30 in the morning and have a very bumpy, sometimes very muddy hour long drive out to Tenegar. The first place we stop is at the Clinic our team is building. the president of Liberia has asked us to rebuild this clinic. It was destroyed during the war. I mean destroyed. No roof, nothing but the walls and trees growing inside when we saw it. It is now beautiful. We have 2 people there and 17 local men who work every day on it. In a country with 80% unemployment this is a blessing for them and for us.

Then we walk over to the Agriculture site and see the amazing plaintain farm and compost heaps and lettuce, etc. It is a community farm and sometimes there are 50 people working and learning. Our agriculture man took his 3 year old daughter one day. I saw her standing in reception ready to go with her shovel under one arm and her dolly under another. She had a blast, her mother told me. Then we stop under the Palava hut for our sandwiches.

Last time we were then visited by about 15 children on their way home from school. It was a bit uncomfortable and so now I have at least put a supply of juicy fruit gum in my backpack so I have something to offer them.

From there we head out to see where our Community Health teams are at work. You can see the church where they meet. The area consists of 11 villages and the villages chose 3 from their village to meet 2 afternoons a week to learn about water, health, malaria, etc. and then these students will teach their own village. Check out the neat Church bell. I had no idea why that rusty propane tank was hanging in the tree! A bit farthur up the road a new well was being dug. The villagers and instructed and encouraged and helped to dig about a 40 foot well. Then we supply the cement, and pump and supplies and the learn how to cap it off and to maintain it. By that time it is time to head back which we do, visiting the Dental team that has set up in a local hospital. The hospitals are in a bad way and struggling to improve. We have met wonderful people who are wanting the best for their country but it is a battle. Our Dental team heads out after breakfast each day and spends long hours on their feet, seeing things they would never see in their countries.


It is a great day and one that blesses me every time I go out!

Floating Blood Bank

Today I gave blood.

On the ship we are rather like a floating blood bank. It is truly unique. If you wish to be a blood donor, you can sign up, have your blood tested and if it is O.K., you can choose to be available. So I knew this month I was rather 'on call'. Yesterday I found out they would need me today possibly, so I stayed on board. This morning, when a certain patient went in for his surgery, I was called. we do not have a way to store it, so pretty much it went from me to him. A young man in his 20's named Jacob.

When else can you do something so important by doing nothing except lie there?

Truly amazing!!

Three in a Bed!

Three nights ago at around 4 in the morning a mother of a young patient went into labor and a baby girl was born. Despite a little pressure to name her baby Mercy, she is called Nancy and she is beautiful. She weighed in at around 4 pounds 9 ounces.

Now there are 3 people in the bed!

Garmeh

This is Garmeh.

She is an amazing woman. She has been on board at least three times for the VVF female surgery that we do. Vesico Vaginal Fistula surgery. For 27 years she has been leaking urine continually. Today she is dry. Her problem was due to obstructed labor, when she was in labor for days and days. Her baby was born dead. During those 27 years, she also spent one entire year in the local hospital. I cannot tell you the hazards of that alone. She thought she was the only one with that problem.

Garmeh found out we were doing surgeries for women just like her when she brought her uncle to the ship for a cataract surgery and that very same day, we were screening women for the VVF surgery. A coincidence? I do not think so.

Recently on PBS, Nova showed a documentary about women just like Garmeh, called A Walk to Beautiful. You can find our more about that at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/beautiful/program.html

I believe you may be able to watch it online.

I had the privilege to be part of the team that took Garmeh home. Her home is blue, the only painted home in the village. And she has flowers growing around it which is very, very rare. It seemed a shining light to me.

Scissor, bags and Madame President.....

Today I was reading a book and found this great description of fabric. It could just as well have been written about the great fabric I see here in Liberia.

“…the patterns were loud or subtle, anything could be on them: patterns of fashionable shoes, perhaps, or a mobile phone print – this was very popular, as were sky scrapers, electric irons, kettles and radios. Flowers, animals and trees were rare – the preference was abstraction or abstract impressions of modern things. Like lawn mowers. Then there were travelogue prints – Sacré Coeur patterns, Saint Peters, the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, Arc de Triomphe…There were the special celebration prints; you could tie the Pope’s face round yourself, or (in Liberia, the President) or you could have a run of cloth specially made celebrating your grandfather’s seventieth birthday or funeral, or your son’s graduation, or praising your candidate for local office.” From a book on Benin titled Show Me the Magic by Annie Caulfield

I have seen here electric fans with cords, here in a country with no electricity. Lipsticks, Madame President, Cups of coffee, coffee tables with lamps, Jesus saying Come to me…, Mary saying she is the Immaculate Conception. Sometimes I think I should not drive in this country as I am fascinated by all the fabric that I see. I do enjoy it.

Ken's Mom

STRATHAM — Marjorie Edith Cleary Berry, 91, died Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008, at Exeter Hospital.

She was born in 1917 in Dorchester, Mass., the daughter of Charles W. Cleary and Gertrude (Brayden) Cleary. She grew up in Wollaston, Mass., and graduated from Bridgewater Teachers College in 1938. After moving to Stratham to teach, she met and married Robert S. Berry in 1941.

She is survived by four children, William S. Berry of Bristol, R.I.; Gertrude B. Guth of Wallingford, Conn.; Kenneth R. Berry of Mercy Ships, now serving in Africa; and Donald B. Berry of West Springfield, Mass. There are 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her husband, Robert S. Berry, and a daughter, Kathy Laurin.

The Berry family would like to extend its appreciation to the staff at the Exeter Hospital and Exeter Health Care, who took exceptional care of Marjorie, and to the community of Langdon Place, where she made her home.

WE REMEMBER: "Marge" was a past member of the Stratham School Board, a trustee of the Exeter Hospital and a member of the Board of the Rockingham Co. Community Action and Head Start Program. She was instrumental in bringing child and family services to the Seacoast region, serving on its board for some years.

As a communicant of Christ Church in Exeter, Marge served in many capacities. She taught Sunday school, served on vestry and altar guild, and was the first woman lay minister. On the Diocesan level, she was involved in leadership training, was an Episcopal Church Women officer, and was the first woman to be elected to the Standing Committee for the State of New Hampshire. She was also one of the first women elected as deputy to the General Convention.

SERVICES: There will be no calling hours. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at Christ Church, 43 Pine St., Exeter. A luncheon at the church will follow the service. Burial will be in the Exeter Cemetery, Exeter. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Christ Church Memorial Fund, 43 Pine St., Exeter, NH 03833, or to Mercy Ships, P.O. Box 2020, Lindale, Texas 75771. Brewitt Funeral Home, Exeter, is handling arrangements. To sign an online guest book, visit http://www.brewittfuneralhome.com/