Griffin Furlong’s world fell apart after cancer stole the life of his mother.  He and his father were homeless for 12 years – living in shelters and sleeping on friends’ couches.   

Listen as crewmember Matt Tveite describes a moment of mercy patient to patient.

The East African mother lifted a cloth off her newborn daughter’s head.  A doctor from World Gospel Missions stared in disbelief.  The child’s brain was hanging in a fragile membrane.  Without surgery, the baby would certainly die.

A team of Mercy Ships volunteers were making home visits. They were checking on the sick and dying in a small village and giving needed care.       

Andrea Diallo volunteered as a chaplain onboard our hospital ship.  She and other crew members visited a senior center in Madagascar every two weeks.  She shares this memory:

John Allen’s father died in 2003.  A year later, John and his three younger siblings gave their dad’s jackets and sweaters to homeless people in Washington, D.C.  John says, “It was a big emotional experience for me.  I knew a part of my father would be keeping them warm.”

It’s a joy to transform lives through free surgeries onboard our hospital ship.  But there are many we simply can’t help.  A volunteer nurse shared her experience.

Volunteer nurse Natalie Bullock first met a patient in Madagascar.  She was waiting for admission for surgery.  A beautiful blue scarf covered a lump on her face, and she seemed afraid.  Natalie introduced herself and reassured the woman – saying that she’d soon be out of the hospital and would no longer need to cover her face.

Volunteer nurse Katie Bruce described one difference in working onboard our hospital ship as compared to other hospitals.

Ruben served as security officer onboard our hospital ship in Madagascar.  He shared a special memory.