1. New country
We made it to Guinea!! It's rainy season, and arrival day was no exception. But everyone was having a great time :)
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| I love the colors in the port!! |
(Side note: At a certain point did Google how to pronounce "Guinean" so that I don't accidentally say "Ghanaian".)
2. New coworkers
Some of the people with whom I work the most closely... On one of the only days the sun actually came out! (note the squinting, haha) The bow of the Ship is behind us, and where we are standing, there is now a tent, so I'm glad we nabbed a cool team photo while the space was free!
More to the point, what you may not see in this photo is the wealth of godly wisdom, hard-earned perspective, and Christ-like character that this group wields. They are leaders from almost every area of the Ship. I feel privileged to work as closely as I do with each of them.
3. New patients
In the countries where Mercy Ships partners with the government to provide surgeries, the need always outstrips our capacity to help. In Guinea, there are .097 physicians for every 1,000 people (according the the CIA World Factbook; compared to 2.57/1,000 in the US). Most people have never been to see a doctor.
To identify the patients, Mercy Ships put the word out about the types of conditions we treat, and about a pre-screening being held on August 20 at a site called Palais du Peuple (the "People's Palace). Long story short, more than 6,000 people passed through the gates that day, including caregivers and guardians that had accompanied their loved ones. Out of those, approximately 4,980 were potential patients, and at the end of the day, about 1,100 were picked for a secondary evaluation later in the week.
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| Pre-screening day at Palais du Peuple (Photo: Shawn Thompson) |
I came along to the screening as a translator for the Media Liaisons (my previous job!), as local media outlets showed up to cover the pre-screening. But in between media teams, there was always a place to help. It was quite a relief to sit down for lunch!
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| Translating while a media team interviewed the Hospital Director, Nate (Photo: Shawn Thompson) |
4. New Culture
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| The troop that performed at our Arrival Ceremony! (Photo: Lara Arkinstall) |
This is Mercy Ships' fourth visit to Guinea, where approximately 85% if the population is Muslim. We have Muslim patients, Muslim Day Crew, and Muslim partners in the surrounding area. And--I will probably write this multiple times--Guineans are such lovely people! I remember being completely dumbfounded by their kindness while I was helping direct patients at the front of the line for pre-screening. After literally waiting in line all day under the sun and rain, screening candidates and their families were asking me how I was doing. I was floored, and that is just one example.
Discovering this new country is a reminder of the diversity of West Africa. It has made me grateful for the quality time I've gotten to spend in each country where I've lived, because if I were making only cursory visits in each place, at the end I would feel like I hadn't been anywhere.
5. New app
Here are a few bonus photos from the month:
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| Handing out name tags for the Partner's Reception with the communications team! |
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| Touring the new HOPE Center with some of the Ship Directors. Jeremy is the photo-bomber, and I told him, "Jokes on you! I'll post this on the internet!" :D |
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| Praying at the screening site before pre-screening. |
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| The sunset from deck 8. We could get used to this! |
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| Warrie Blackburn, the Ship's Managing Director, with Djene Kaba Conde, First Lady of Guinea. (Photo: Shawn Thompson) |
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