Juliette lives in a remote part of Madagascar. For five years, she suffered with a growing tumor in her mouth. A friend of hers met some Mercy Ships nurses who were on a fact-finding trip. They gave Juliette an appointment card for an examination onboard our hospital ship, the Africa Mercy.

Five billion people lack access to safe affordable surgical care worldwide. Listen to a crewmember’s description of the need that was clearly evident at our patient screening day in Benin.

Scott Wagers used to run a homeless shelter in downtown San Jose. The police crackdown in 2014 scattered the homeless community. So Wagers decided he would have to go to them – and that’s when an RV called the Mercy Mobile was born.

Danna Wolfe is an attorney from Abilene, Texas. She’s currently studying for a master’s degree in public health. And she volunteered onboard our hospital ship in Madagascar as a cook!

A well-known childhood saying is “Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you.” Well, it’s not true. The pen is truly mightier than the sword when it comes to inflicting emotional damage.

Wendy Richmond is a granny who loves adventure and mercy! She’s celebrated her birthdays by wing-walking, parachuting, ballooning and ziplining – all to raise funds for her favorite charities.

The volunteers onboard our hospital ship often find some unexpected things while serving in some of the poorest countries in the world. Listen to crewmember Pam Porter describe something unexpected

The police in Rome, Italy, responded to a call that crying had been heard coming from an apartment. They found an elderly Italian couple in tears … from loneliness. Many of their neighbors were away on vacation, and they felt isolated.

Our hospital ship is sometimes jokingly called the “love boat.” For example, volunteer Laurin Avara met his future wife Esther while serving onboard. He describes dating on the ship.

On Valentine’s Day, we think of love, candy, and flowers. But 26-year-old Zafiline had lost all hope of ever having those things.