Shine Your Light Wed: Mercy Ships

Mercy Ships is an organization that I remember dreaming about serving with back when I was still a teenager.  I used to pore over literature I'd gotten from them, thinking that someday I might volunteer with them.  In fact, one of the ladies in my church had actually returned from serving as a nurse, and her story is what got me interested in the first place.   Mercy Ships actually started back in 1978, when a couple, Don and Deyon Stephens, had a dream of serving the poor around the world, via a hospital ship.  The Anastasis, transformed from a passenger ship into a hospital ship, became the first hospital ship and would be used for 30 years.  When the Anastasis was retired in 2007, the Africa Mercy became the new hospital ship.  The volunteer crew is dedicated to bringing hope and healing to the forgotten poor.  Don serves as the President of Mercy Ships, while his wife, Deyon, a registered nurse, oversees the Ship's Watchmen program and is the Director of Training.  You might have heard Don on the radio for a daily broadcast called the Mercy Minute.  

Ships that have been used in the service of Mercy Ships but have since been retired or sold include the Anastasis, the Caribbean Mercy, and the Good Samaritan/Island Mercy.  The Africa Mercy is the world's largest charity hospital at 499 foot 16, 572 GRT.  The ship includes 6 state-of-the-art operating rooms, an intensive care unit, and patient beds enough for 78 patients.  It has a berth capacity for 484, and volunteers from over 30 nations currently serve on this ship.

Mercy Ships is involved in helping people with various medical issues.  We sometimes take for granted the medical care we receive here in the United States for seemingly non-serious issues, but in developing countries, these smaller problems can lead into huge problems for patients who cannot get the care they need.  That's where Mercy Ships comes in. They perform free surgeries and provide care for patients suffering with tumors, cleft lip/palate, deformities, congenital abnormalities, burns and leprosy, corneal growths and crossed eyes, blindness, injuries, etc.  

In Africa, they perform surgeries on women who have experience birth injuries, or "fistulas."  Often times, these women die in childbirth because of the obstruction to labor, and if they survive, the child may not.  After birth, they suffer from incontinence, which can lead to rejection by their husbands and villages, without the necessary surgical intervention they need to fix the problem.  Surgical teams with Mercy Ships are able to help these patients recover their lives back, celebrating with them afterwards with a special dress ceremony.  

Mercy Ships also helps to provide dental care to patients.  Not only does Mercy Ships provide medical care, but they seek to help the communities they minister to by providing training to national doctors/nurses, providing medical supplies where they are needed, help to renovate or construct medical facilities, provide community health education (as in hygiene, first aid, prevention of HIV/AIDS, etc.), work with agencies in different communities to help provide agricultural education, help in training people to provide clean water/sanitation, and leadership training.

Mercy Ships has mobilized a disaster response team to Haiti, and there are opportunities to serve there.  

They not only have their own teams on the ground in Haiti through Mercy Teams, but they also are working together with other organizations who are there, as well.  You can actually read more about their Haiti relief efforts on the Mercy Ships Blog.  

Mercy Ships believes in bringing hope and healing to developing nations all around the world.  Its crew takes care of patients, no matter what race, religion, etc.  They seek to give hurting people hope and help them in their time of need.  There are actually three ways that you can get involved.  First of all, you can volunteer.  You don't have to be a medical professional to volunteer.  They accept both medical and non-medical individuals who want to serve.  They need people to help run the ship, to keep the ship clean, to cook, etc.  You can volunteer short-term, or you can serve long-term.  Short-term volunteers can volunteer for a period of 2 weeks to 2 years and are usually involved in service or in specialized medical/technical fields.  Long-term crew usually serve for 2 years to start out and serve in roles that are more ongoing and that require the volunteer to gain more training.  It's up to the volunteer to raise his/her own funds to pay for crew fees, insurance, etc.  The ability of Mercy Ships to be staffed by volunteers really helps, in that funds that are donated can be used more efficiently for the work at hand.  Right now, there are positions open, including Hospital Care Provider, Pediatric Ward Nurse, IT Support Specialists, Ophthalmic Tech, Fourth Engineer, Medical/Lab Technician, Plumber, ICU Nurse, Scheduler/Unit Secretary, Videographer, Finance Officer, Academy Teacher for Grade 2, and many more.

If you can't go and volunteer with Mercy Ships, there are other ways to get involved.  For example, your church can become an Anchor Church, meaning that they are partnering with Mercy Ships.  With this, your church will have an Anchor Church webpage, where the congregation can keep up with what is going on.  They will also have more opportunities to serve, meaning they could adopt a patient, assemble patient admission kits, adopt a crew member or "Ship kid," have opportunity for a missions trip, etc.

There are also Mercy Team opportunities available for people who want to go on a missions trip.  Currently, there are opportunities in West Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and the United States.

Of course, you can also make a financial contribution to the work of Mercy Ships.  You might even get your place of work involved.  Mercy Ships has many corporate partners, including Starbucks.  You can give a gift towards the work of Mercy Ships, you can support a crew member, or you can even order from the gift catalog.  You can also help the Haiti earthquake victims.  

You can follow Mercy Ships via Facebook and Twitter.  You can also view more photos on Flickr. You can watch many videos from Mercy Ships on Youtube, videos including a tour of the Africa Mercy.

(Photos & Logo used with permission of Mercy Ships.)

I Found a Treasure

I found a treasure today....I didn't even know I had it.  Well, I knew I had it, but I had no idea what it contained or the immense pleasure it would bring me in actually looking through it.  I recently got into one of my Grandma Atkins' old cookbooks, and it had a ton of her recipes in it.  Well, I dug out the recipe box I'd kept from her, and I could not believe my eyes when I started looking through the recipes.  

I wanted to cry, I miss her so much.  As I went through, I noticed she had names on several of the recipes; some of these recipes were from people I'd known growing up, who are now gone.  They were my grandma and grandpa's close friends, like Miss Esther, Stella, Ann, etc.  I just wanted to cry because I was so excited to have found this treasure.  

I mentioned sharing my grandma's recipes on here, as she was a phenomenal cook, and she loved it just from what I can remember and from what I can tell by what she has saved in this box and throughout the cookbook.  My grandma loved, loved, loved chocolate (a trait I inherited), and there are tons of recipes for different kinds of chocolate cake (I still haven't found her Mississippi Mud Cake recipe, though).  So, inspired by the movie Julie & Julia, I'm going to take it to a deeper, more personal level, and I'm going to try one or two of these recipes every week.  I will then share that recipe on here with you, so that you can try it out for yourself and your family.  I'm so excited about this.  This is a treasure I will never let go of....I just can't describe the memories that come flooding back from this.  I could kick myself for not keeping all of her recipes she'd ripped out of magazines or written down.  When we lived in our old house, we had a mouse get into them all, and instead of keeping some of them, I felt I had to get rid of them.  I know....I am kicking myself today.  But to find this, well, it just gives me joy, and it's almost as if I can feel my grandma here with me.  Stay tuned, as we made some extra good cookies from the recipe box today and some homemade veggie stew last night; I'll be sharing.:)

Love,

TOS Crew: AAS Beehive Reader 1

We've been using All About Spelling for Jacob's spelling program this year, and we received the Beehive Reader 1, by Marie Rippel with Renee LaTulippe, to review.

Based on phonics, this reader is a nice addition to the All About Spelling program, especially for beginning readers.  Beautifully illustrated with black and white photos and decorative pages, it draws the reader into the stories even more, so it's not just great practice with phonics; it's a fun way to read beginner level stories, as well.  It is filled with pages of 1-2 sentence paragraphs, the sentences themselves being shorter.  Different sounds the child might be working on in his spelling lessons are incorporated into story form.  Phonograms, short vowel sounds, initial and final blends, the C and K sounds, consonant teams, etc., are all put into story form for your child to practice reading and using all together.  Each story varies between 10-20 pages in length, but again, the sentences on each page are shorter, so that the child isn't overwhelmed with all of the words on the page but rather can focus on practicing the sounds in everyday language, as he reads.  Here are the stories that this reader includes:

• At the Pond
• The Nap
• At Camp
• The Pet Duck
• The Bat and King Sam
• Frank Shrank!
• Cobweb the Cat
• Ten Wishes
• Fast Fun
• Off We Go!

 

For Jacob, this reader was quite below his reading level; when I asked him to read close to 40 pages of it, for example, it only took him maybe 5-10 minutes, if that.  So, it was quite easy for him, as he's in Level 2 of the All About Spelling program right now.  It is perfect for beginning readers, though, and I plan to use it with Jaden when the time gets closer.  I might even suggest using the pictures in the book to look at with your children and do a bit of picture narration with them; or they could make up their own stories based on the pictures.  This book could be versatile in that way.  You can purchase the Beehive Reader 1 for $19.95 from All About Spelling. 

To read more reviews, visit the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

(Disclosure: I was provided this book, free of charge, by All About Spelling, in association with the TOS Homeschool Crew.)

Time Out Tuesdays: Link Up Your Giveaways

It's Tuesday and time to take a few moments out of your day to check out some great blog posts.  This week I decided to focus on arts and crafts, along with a few Valentine's Day recipes.  Be sure to link up your giveaways below, and have a wonderful day!

Bakerella has a mouth watering recipe for a Big Love Butterscotch Cookie on her site.

4 Crazy Kings has 3 great looking crafts to try.  You can try making her Candy Flower Pots; she also has a very cute looking Painted Paper Doilies craft; lastly, I love her I Heart Bean Bags.

The Fifth Street Palace has a delicious looking recipe for Valentines Jam Jams (Cookies).  Yum!

Clever Priebes shows you how to make a Valentines box (so cute!) on her Box Made with Love.

The Creative Side of Me has another delicious looking recipe for Pomegranate Sorbet and Pomegranate Lemonade Spritzer.

Art Projects for Kids has a Valentine Heart Painting that would be fun to do with the littles.

The Crafty Crow has very cute Valentine Card Ideas for Kids.

Now it's your turn to link up your giveaways!

First: Financial Purity by Jessica V. Psalidas

Financial Purity by jessica V. Psalidas is a book not only about how to handle finances but how to handle them the way God would have us handle them.  It's about more than finances, though; it's honestly about how we live our everyday lives.  Do we live under the Holy Spirit's direction, or do we live off our own whims and ideas?  When I first started reading this book, I thought it was a bit repetitive and redundant, but it does have many wonderful ideas and thoughts.  It doesn't go into really vast detail to where it confuses you; it's more about the everyday, common sense ways in which we can handle our finances.  Here's a look at the topics covered in this book, just to give you an idea:

• Develop a Vision
• Organization and Planning
• Tithing Purely
• Prayer
• Vices that Steal our Money
• Debt and Budgeting
• Your Credit Report and Score
• Saving Money
• Teaching Children About Money
• Why Have a Will?
• Your Financial Purity Porfolio

I like that it's written from a Christian perspective and that it covers things in a spiritual sense, not just in a worldly financial sense.  The chapter that covered why you should have a will was something that spoke to me, as I've been really thinking over this very thing for a couple of years now.  It's something to secure our children's future, in case that, God forbid, something should happen to us as parents.  That's not something I want to think about, but I also don't want to think about my children being broken up and separated because we weren't prepared.  It's a very scary thing.  Jessica explains how you can get a will and how the process works.  

You can purchase this book from Amazon for $15.95. To read more reviews, visit First Wild Card Tours.

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Jessica V. Psalidas

and the book:

Financial Purity

Infinity Publishing (June 8, 2009)

***Special thanks to Paula Krapf of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jessica V. Psalidas is the authority on purity and spiritual growth. She has impacted the lives of many and continues to do so through her bestselling books like Everlasting Purity (which also won the 2008 Christian Choice Book Award). Jessica is requested by all walks of life for coaching and the teaching on spiritual growth and purity.

Jessica is a cum laude graduate of the Inter-American University in Puerto Rico with a degree in Business. She also has completed studies such as Faith Foundations at the Institute for Christian Living with Charles Stanley and The Way of the Master at The School of Biblical Evangelism. Fueled with a passion to continue to study the Word of God and to serve the Lord, Jessica continues to have a daily commitment to learn as much as she can. Jessica also serves the Lord by helping younger women understand the importance of purity and how to apply it in their everyday life.

Jessica is a successful entrepreneur and President of two companies. A much sought after writer and coach, Jessica has over 17 years of experience working in the sales and business world and lives to reach out to people to impact their lives.

Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $15.95
Paperback: 263 pages
Publisher: Infinity Publishing (June 8, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0741453169
ISBN-13: 978-0741453167

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

This book will provide an in-depth look at what we spend our money on, why we should stay away from certain things that waste our money, and why we need to have a vision about money. I think money – the use and management of it – is very important in our lives. Once you develop a vision, you will have a clear idea of what you want in life and what action you will need to take in order to get there.


What is your financial purity portfolio? Many people have heard of a financial portfolio, but what is a financial purity portfolio, and why is it different? As we discover the answer to that question we will examine money in a different light, in a simple way that allows us to be clear about the use and management of our money. We will go beyond what we have in savings and investments and look into some of our day to day spending habits and frequent purchases, as well as why we save, why we tithe, why we should have a will, and what can happen when we spend our money on wasteful vices. Most importantly, in this book I will encourage everyone to develop a financial vision for themselves and their family.


Having a vision gives you clarity as to what you want and what you need to do to get there. It gives purpose and focus to your money management and to the outlook you have concerning your money. Many people that I talk to about money have a grim view of it because they do not have enough of it on hand at any given time or they do not earn enough of it. I encourage you to have a positive, realistic outlook and attitude toward money for your own financial welfare. It does you no good to be irritated or upset about your financial status right now, because with a great attitude and determination, you can change your situation.


Developing a vision for your finances is the first step in building your financial purity portfolio. Utilizing and managing your money purely and cleanly, meaning spending your money on necessary and wholesome things, is one of the most important steps in developing your financial purity portfolio.


Some people may think it is hard to focus on developing a vision due to their own difficult financial situation or, as some call it, the “financial crisis” we are experiencing in the U.S. at the time of this writing. If this describes you, please be encouraged! I would like to share with you some steps that I have implemented in my life to remain joyful and hopeful during any trying situation that comes along.


Everyone seems to be in a state of panic over the financial situation in the U.S. economy, and it both saddens and frustrates me at the same time. We are, to a certain extent, part of the reason why our country is the way it is. When our morale goes down, so does everything else. We are gripped by fear over temporary difficulties that will soon pass. This country has experienced many challenging situations before, and we have always gotten through them. We will get through this too. We need to remain positive, encouraged, and stimulated to find new and exciting ways to spur our economic growth. We need to be stronger in prayer, which will keep our morale high. If we all lifted our spirits up higher and kept a positive attitude, we would experience a change for the better. Nothing good will come out of us being depressed, upset, angry, or fearful. These emotions will not get us ahead but rather will only hold us back. Stay in prayer and remain hopeful in God.


Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7


Have I not commanded? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9


This is not the first time we have ever gone through a financial situation (or “crisis” as some may call it) in this nation. We will survive, and we will get through this. Do not corrupt your mind with negative thoughts such as, “Oh, no … the world is falling apart!” Thinking this way will cause much devastation to your otherwise positive mindset, and it will keep your fears very much alive. On the contrary, you will be amazed at what can happen to your morale and your spirits when you remain positive, jovial, and at peace about the situation. Because this is not the first time our country has experienced something like this, I know the situation will get better soon. We will get better. I believe that by changing our outlook, adjusting our lifestyles, and remaining positive, we will do a great service those around us and to ourselves. Stay in prayer, remain spiritually strong, and most importantly, remain happy.

Daybook for Monday, February 8, 2010

FOR TODAY... from Mel's Daybook

Outside my window...I think it's snowing; we're supposed to get 2-5 inches now, I guess.

I am thinking...that I don't feel very good this morning and am fighting going back to bed.

I am thankful for...my choir; singing with them just lifts me up every single Sunday.

I am wearing...jammies and robe.

I am remembering...how much fun it was being able to sit down and scrapbook yesterday.

I am going... possibly to take Jacob to Tae Kwon Do this afternoon; it depends on the weather.

I am currently reading...finishing up Financial Purity by Jessica Psalidas.

I am hoping... to finish up Levi's Will this week for Bethany House.

On my mind... Dan, as today is his birthday!:)

Noticing that...I put way too much on my To Do list today.

Pondering these words... "How Great is Our God, and all will see how great, how great, is our God."

From the kitchen...tonight, homemade veggie stew/bread and  Jello strawberry cheesecake (requested by Dan for his birthday); I'm trying to get as close to my grandma's version of the stew as I can; I found an old recipe for it in one of her favorite cookbooks.  I think I might start blogging about some of her recipes....of course, having tried them myself with pics of each.:)  I was inspired by the movie Julie and Julia.:)  Only, maybe I'll just try one a week.

Around the house... have to clean today, but we're taking the day off school; we are having a small planned break, which is sorta nice to help break up the long months of January/February.  Jacob's thrilled.

One of my favorite things~ is still definitely snow.

From my picture journal... (Happy Birthday, my Dan....)

For more Daybook, visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Motivate Me Monday- When It's Hard to Love

A friend and I had talked about this over the phone a few weeks ago, about loving people and how hard it can be sometimes, so in honor of that friend and some recent experiences I've had, I hope this makes you giggle.:)

This is for all the people in Walmart or Price Cutter who jump out into the middle of the aisle as I'm walking down through, trying desperately to get my shopping done with a toddler who's shouting, "Home!  Home!" and a 7 year old who can't leave the toddler alone.  This is for all the people in Walmart who find it fun to stand right in front of me or right in the middle of the aisle, never moving, never saying, "Excuse me," as they walk slowly in front of me, while I'm trying to decide which type of crackers are healthier.  This is for all the people in Walmart who decided to meet up with friends and have a party while some of us were trying to get our shopping done, all the while having to maneuver around you all while you visited together, smack dab in the middle of what seemed like several aisles; were you following me?  This is for all the people who think because they are on a motorized cart, they have the complete right of way no matter what (no, this is not a slam, just an annoyance to me for the simple fact that they seem to sometimes be very pushy).

  

I'm trying very hard to love you all....I am; I know that loving my neighbors is the greatest commandment, so I am desperately trying to love you, even though sometimes you make it so hard.

This is for all those pushy, road-raging drivers out there on the road these days.  This is for the semi-truck last night, who even though I was going over the speed limit, thought it would be fun to come up behind me (in the sleety weather, I might add) and flash his brights at me, indicating that I needed to go faster or move over.  (Sorry about shining my brights at you over and over as you went around me; I was having a hard time loving you at the moment; I wasn't feeling very Christian-like at that moment in time.)  This is for all the people who talk on their cell phones instead of actually paying attention to what is going on in the road.  This is for the person, who literally, the other day held down his horn for probably 5 minutes as he followed another car (had to be road rage).  This is for all of the people who think that coming onto the highway via an entry ramp means they should enter at 20mph, slowly wedging in to 70mph traffic.  This is for you, Mister (you know who you are), who looked right at me as you slid right into the parking spot I was taking at the grocery store, just slid in right in front of me....

I'm trying very hard to love you too....I am; Jesus wanted me to love my neighbors, and you are my neighbors.  

Loving others can be so hard, can't it?  I think that sometimes we think love has to be a feeling, but actually, love is a choice.  We can choose to curse our fellow shoppers and drivers (which is what we feel like doing), or we can choose to love them (which is the farthest thing from our minds probably).  The choice is ours....and I know it's tough.  I think I've failed at this more often than not, but I think one thing that can help us to make the right choice is to have a mind set towards eternity.  Is it really going to matter that he jumped in front of me in 10 years?  Is it really going to matter that someone at the store was rude to us?  Yeah, it bothers us, but where is that person headed for eternity?  And what matters most, in light of eternity?  Should I be getting angry over this small stuff, or should I let it go and focus on the big picture?  Oh, and even more, what effect do my reactions have on my children?  Ouch!  Just some thoughts to ponder....:)

For more Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah at The Fifth Street Palace.