I met the ship at the beginning of its field service in Lome, Togo. We had a shortened six month stint because the ship was heading to South Africa for an extended shipyard period. I stayed on the ship that whole time and we sailed up to Sierra Leone in February of this year to start a normal ten month field service. Although it doesn't seem like it, our time in SL is now weeks away from being over. It's been a long field service in a lot of ways. A lot has happened here, first with the incidents at screening, then a long and sometimes dreary rainy season and now we're getting ready to close up shop. I will always look back on my time in SL with fondness and some pain.
Once we sail out of Freetown we will stopover in Ghana for about 3 weeks of rest for the crew. This will be badly needed for a lot of us long term crew. Although Ghana may not be the best place for a vacation, it is one of the most developed nations in West Africa. I spent a weekend in Accra in July of 2010 while the ship was in Togo. It even has a shopping mall with a real movie theater. I'm looking to forward to setting into a big comfy chair with popcorn and a soda as the lights fade. It's been quite a while since I've done that.
Anyway, enough about the movies. After the break we will head back to Togo for another shortened six month field service. It seems that Togo's Ministry of Health never stopped asking for us to come back and give them the extra months that we missed the first time. After that the ship will resume its normal schedule and head to the Canary Islands for two months of shipyard.
Ok, so there are the details and facts. The reason I want to stay longer is simply because I want to finish well in my job. If I left when my commitment ended in February I would be leaving right after we arrive in Togo, without fully training my replacement. Hospital supply has become very important to me. When I first arrived on the ship my job was a little overwhelming for me. But now I've settled in and made some positive changes in how supply works for the medical crew. I'm very interested in making sure the torch gets passed on well, so I want to stay until June/July of 2012 and leave the ship for good from the Canary Islands.
All of that being said, I want to recognize that I can only be here because many of you donate financially to me. Crew members have to pay rent, health and evacuation insurance and a variety of other bills. When I was fundraising two years ago, I asked people to commit to supporting me monthly for two years, because that was my initial commitment. A lot of you have faithfully written me a check every month, some even increasing their support over time. I want to say thank you to everyone who has contributed monthly or as a one time check.
I also want to say to you those of you who committed for two years that this is the end of your commitment. Feel free to cease your giving if that's what you want to do. I won't be coy about it though, I'd love it if everyone would be willing to extend their support for an additional five months. Think about it, pray about it, talk it over. If you're a monthly supporter you'll receive an email from me in a while asking for your decision so I can figure out where I stand. If you're a one time giver you won't get an additional email from me about support, but if you'd like to give again or sign up for monthly support, please contact me at cyle.davenport@mercyships.org.
Whew, money talk is over. I'm still not entirely comfortable with that stuff. In other news, I will be taking a trip home to States in March. My friend Ryan is getting married in LA and I really wanted to be there so I swung a deal with Mercy Ships to have them pay for my ticket home because I couldn't afford it. I'll be in LA in early March, then I'll be coming to New England after that for a few weeks. I intend to show up at OAC and MDC while I'm home to reconnect with everyone for a bit.
