|PIC1|"But while working at a day surgery hospital in Perth," she says, "one of my nursing colleagues talked about her overseas aid work. She seemed to be always dashing off to Somalia, Bangladesh, or somewhere else. This held a fascination for me but it all seemed a bit daunting. Then last year Debbi came back from six weeks service on the hospital ship operated by Mercy Ships when it was docked in Liberia. She was so enthusiastic about what a fabulous experience it had been."
"This sounded like just the sort of thing for me, a complete hospital ship with six operating theatres, serving the poor of West Africa and staffed entirely by volunteers. And well, hey, my life at home was a bit dull in comparison with what I was hearing. So I quizzed Debbi some more, researched the Mercy Ships website, and started the application process. Once I had taken this step it was amazing how things just seemed to fall into place."
Terri received mixed reactions from friends and family to her decision. "Some thought it was a wonderful thing I was doing, and others thought I was plain crazy. What most people find difficult to grasp is that Mercy Ships volunteers not only work a 40 hour week for no income, they must pay their own airfares and pay 'crew fees' to live on the ship. While this may seem a lot to ask, it is probably what makes Mercy Ships so effective at providing free surgery to so many people. I'm sure it also means we end up with a very positive and motivated crew.
Friends did some fundraising for Terri, but her trip was mostly self-funded. She also had to rent her unit to cover mortgage payments, resigned from her job and sold her car.
"While I am far from 'well off' financially by western standards, I do not consider what I am doing to be particularly altruistic. I have a philosophy that money is best spent on gaining experiences and not material possessions. In fact, my motives are quite selfish. I have the opportunity to experience a far-off exotic culture, work with people from all different countries in a unique environment and observe a dynamic Christian community in action.
When asked about the best and worst things of her decision to serve as a volunteer, Terri said, "The best decision was to do it, and there was no downside. All this will be a wonderfully enriching experience for me. The fact that we are able to make a huge difference to the lives of a relatively small number of West Africans is a bonus."
Mercy Ships is an international Christian charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978. Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide. Mercy Ships offers a range of health and community development services free of charge.
The emphasis is on the needs of the world's poorest nations in West Africa, where the hospital ship Africa Mercy provides the platform for services extending up to ten months at a time. A permanent land-based program operates in Sierra Leone, while teams also work in several nations of Central America and the Caribbean. Mercy Ships has 14 support offices around the world, including the Australian office at Caloundra, on the Queensland Sunshine Coast.
On the Web: www.mercyships.org.au