VIDEO: It looked like a boot on Tene’s leg – but it wasn’t. When she was still in the womb, a band of tissue wrapped around her leg. As Tene grew, so did the swelling. They couldn’t find anyone with the surgical skills who would help them, and her mother despaired.
But thanks to friends like you, free surgery on the Mercy Ship turned Tene’s clunky gait into the happy skip of a typical three-year-old. Watch Tene’s inspiring story now
VIDEO: Aicha’s mother believed that someday, someway, help would come. Her huge-hearted hope that her daughter’s sight would be restored was fulfilled. Shadows turn to light when Aicha received a free operation on the Mercy Ship, and her future was changed forever.
VIDEO: Gamai suffered a tragically common injury as a toddler in Guinea; she stumbled into the family cooking pot and was severely burned. Without medical care her wounds scarred over, immobilising her hands and arms. Her mum feared the future was hopeless – but God heard her prayers
Gamai’s unfurled future from Mercy Ships New Zealand on Vimeo.
VIDEO: See for yourself what happened during the 10 months this vessel of hope was docked in Guinea, West Africa
Adama’s sight finally flickered out while she was still pregnant with her twins. Cataracts in both her eyes had stolen her sight. She despaired of ever seeing her babies – then hope arrived on her horizon. Watch as Adama sees here babies for the first time here
VIDEO: ‘What’s wrong with my mouth?’ Mafoudiya would ask her Mum. At two she was just beginning to understand the cruel words thrown at her. Mafoudiya had the world’s most common defect; a cleft lip. But in Guinea, West Africa there was no chance for help … until mercy came to town.
When Milo Falsing was a child in Denmark he would travel on an interisland ferry to visit his grandparents. After he learned the Dronning Ingrid was to be decommissioned he wrote a letter to the ferry company asking for one last trip. Recently Captain Milo took the helm of that very ship, renamed Africa Mercy, and here’s the amazing Mercy Ships journey of both man and vessel.
When a ferry became a Mercy Ship from Mercy Ships New Zealand on Vimeo.
The real Esther from Mercy Ships New Zealand on Vimeo.
VIDEO: Most people didn’t know the real Esther. They only looked as far as her leg. At school, she was teased. In public, she was shamed. Esther’s grandmother searched the country for a solution to rickets—a vitamin deficiency that caused her daughter’s legs to soften and bend incorrectly under pressure. One windswept leg was robbing Esther of the joys of childhood while threatening her future. Time was running out
VIDEO: This mother carried a burden of shame and ridicule for 25 years, until the tumour weighed 3.5kg. But it because unbearable when her daughter developed a similar lump on her face.
Valerie and Edith, a double burden from Mercy Ships New Zealand on Vimeo.
There are children on the Mercy Ship? How does that even work? A fascinating glimpse into the Mercy Ships Academy – the onboard school for crew member’s children. Read the article here on Education Central
More information about teaching roles with Mercy Ships here