In 1912, teenager Esther Pettersson left Sweden to work with the Salvation Army among lepers in Java, Indonesia. She learned to bandage, feed and dress her patients.  

A crew member describes a worship service in the ward church onboard our hospital ship. 

Five-year-old Esther screamed out in terror as the nurse took blood for the tests. The girl’s mother said, “She’s afraid of needles.”

An 11-year-old boy visited Normandy, France, in 2014 for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. 

Our volunteers are more than just volunteers—they’re also a walking blood bank! 

Jodi Schmidt is a third-grade teacher in Oakfield, Wisconsin. She heard about Natasha, a first-grade girl with a chronic kidney condition, who was missing many days of school. 

We help as many patients as possible during every field service. 

It was 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenton Lee was walking with some kids. There was a little girl next to him, and her shoes were much too small for her feet.

A volunteer surgeon describes the transformation of a young woman who, as a small girl, received a free surgery onboard our hospital ship.

A 12-year-old girl in a remote part of Cameroon had a chance for a free surgery to save her life. But the hospital ship was hundreds of miles away, and her family couldn’t travel without proper identification.