| 21st
December, 2005
Long-term volunteers serving with Mercy Ships, John
and Lee-Anne Borrow, of Sydney, work on board the hospital
ship Anastasis with their five-month-old son, Timmy.
So, what is life onboard like for such a family, one of a
number of such families living onboard and seeking to follow
the example of Jesus in bringing hope and healing to the world’s
poor?
John serves as 2nd officer, a member of the ship’s deck
department, while Lee-Anne works as personal assistant to
the operations director as well as being a mother to Timmy.
John writes:
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VOLUNTEERING
MERCY: Australians John and Lee-Anne Borrow with son
Timmy work on board the hospital ship Anastasis.
“Every
day I ponder the world of need that is just beyond
the end of the ship’s gangway. There is enough
work here for another 10 hospital ships. It is a huge
challenge," says John.
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Friday
"I am on duty. The rest of the deck department are not
needed onboard while the ship is in port, and away building
an orphanage just out of town. There are about 60 children
in this place, run by a remarkable woman known as ‘Mama
Victoria’. Each Friday we have been building a new roof
on the church, and putting up concrete walls for some new
dormitories. The children are so happy, even though they have
nothing.”
Saturday
"The
interim head of the new Liberian government has come just
come aboard. The government is trying to re-build this nation
after 14 years of civil war. The capital has no electricity
and no running water. We need to talk about obtaining more
fresh water for the ship, as we can’t run the operating
theatres without water.”
Monday
"Dental
teams and community health teams are heading away from the
ship to work in the community. Others of the 400 plus volunteer
crew are away on educational, building, agricultural and development
projects.”
Wednesday
"My job each week includes involvement as part of the
patient transfer team helping to move patients from the operating
theatres to the ward for recovery. It’s always my favourite
day of the week, getting involved in the aim of Mercy Ships
to bring hope and healing to the poor. Many of the patients
we carry weigh less than a small child, and appear so fragile
with drips connected and covered in surgical dressings. Yet
these people are so trusting of us, and so hopeful of the
new lives being given through life-changing surgery. We pray
for each patient and for their recovery, and it’s amazing
to see the transformation in lives as we watch the patients
later walking around the deck.”
Saturday
“It’s Saturday, and today I am looking after Timmy,
while Lee-Anne is out spending time with children in another
orphanage. After a long civil war, there are so many orphans
in this country.”
For more about Mercy Ships, visit www.mercyships.org
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