They were unusual Christmas Angels – some hardened ex-prisoners and four-year old Ashley. Her dad was in the group. They were part of the Prison Fellowship Angel Tree ministry and were delivering Christmas presents to children with fathers in jail.

Mercy Ships has a Palliative Care Team that provide comfort for patients with terminal illnesses. Team member Stacia Julian shared a special Christmas memory.

Charlie and Donna Cooley decided to take up toy-making when they retired in 1995. At first, they made toys for their grandkids. But then they donated some extras to a children’s hospital … and that changed everything. Donna says, “We realized we’d found a way to use our free time for good.”

Jeremiah Harvey volunteered as a radiology technologist on our hospital ship in the Republic of Congo. He loved seeing the transformation in children receiving free orthopedic surgery and therapy onboard the Africa Mercy.

The Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center in Evansville, Indiana, receives a special Christmas treat each year. They call it “Pete’s time.”

Volunteering onboard our hospital ship often brings unexpected experiences.  Listen as a volunteer nurse describes one.

Jellycat is a very important stuffed bunny rabbit.  He is the very favorite stuffed animal of a little girl named Kate Hogan.  Kate accidentally left him behind after her family stayed at the Adare Manor Hotel in Ireland.

It’s not unusual for a 14-year-old girl to wish for a pair of pretty shoes.  But, Lanto lived in rural Madagascar, And there was another problem – the sweet-natured teenager suffered from elephantiasis, making her right leg and foot very large.

Chelsea Rasmussen volunteers as a nurse onboard our hospital ship, the Africa Mercy.  Chelsea shared a story about a small patient hiding under a hospital bed.

Ibrahim is a Syrian refugee.  His dream of swimming in the Olympics came to an abrupt end when he lost his leg in a bombing raid.