Week 3 (part 2) - Garbage City

As part of our classes we looked at examples of different world views, and of transformational development.

First we looked at Garbage City in Cairo, Egypt and the work of Father Samaan.

You can see the video in two parts on You Tube: EL-ZABBALEEN: The Garbage Collectors of Egypt Part 1 and EL-ZABBALEEN: The Garbage Collectors of Egypt Part 2.  I highly recommend the videos.

The people in garbage city are the lowest of the low: Egypt's untouchables. But the garbage people of Cairo are not forgotten by God.  Father Samaan looked to share God's Love and Light in the Darkness of an area forgotten by others.  He approached people with tender love and gentleness, understanding that the people had an incredibly low value for themselves.  He was not there to try to convert them, but over many years (decades) he looked to love these people and live among them. 

Some of the things that really struck me about this was the incredible love and patience of Father Samaan over many years, and his obedience to God.  Ultimately, though the community still has its problems, it that has been transformed, it has direction and purpose.  I see people who are transformed, and whilst they may still work as garbage collectors, I hope they realise their value is not tied to what they do, but who they are.  Certainly I believe that the change in work ethic is testament to this.

Week 3 (part 1) - Working with the poor

This week has been long, and I have learnt huge amounts which is very difficult to convey on a blog, however, I shall attempt to fill you in on some of what has stood out for me.

The main themes this week have been the impact of world view on our perception of the world around us.  A world view is the set of assumptions and beliefs that determine how we live and how we interpret and respond to life's challenges.

The main categories are:

• Naturalism - where reality is viewed as ultimately physical
• Animism - where reality is viewed as ultimately spiritual
• Biblical theism - where reality is viewed in both spiritual and physical terms

In the West, the world view is generally naturalistic and in the developing world the world view is generally animistic.  Understanding someone's world view is key to understanding how they relate to the world.

In the context of understanding someone's world view we looked at how you go about working with the poor, and how to approach not only effective development but transformational development.  Sustainable or real change results from a change of world view, however, this takes time.  You cannot force a world view on someone, it needs to grow and develop in the individual.

When doing developmental work, it is not beneficial to a community if you come in and to try to change them, or to force on them technology and ideas which do not fit with their world view or culture.  It is imperative to understand the area you will be working in and to approach a community with love.  For instance, giving a community a shiny well with a pump is not always the answer, because if they don't have any connection to that technology, what will motivate them to fix it when it breaks?  Whereas a well with a rope and bucket may provide the same clean water, but when the bucket breaks they will get a new one, rather than abandon the well.  The community can connect with the concept of the bucket and rope, but the pump seems like technology which has been set up by the West and therefore they need them to fix it, even if this is not the case, this is the perception.  Essentially if the community does not understand what you teach them (whatever that may be, healthcare or water treatment etc) they will never maintain any change after you have gone as they have never understood or personally accepted the new idea.

Canton Flea Market

Saturday 3 Oct we went to Canton Flea Market, which is a huge market, similar to a car boot sale in the UK but much larger and with all sorts of things (including guns) for sale.  Whilst I didn't buy anything, I did get to sample the delight of funnel cake which is fried batter with icing sugar sprinkle on top (similar to a donut), and got the obligatory picture of me with a cowboy hat on!

Cowboy Church!

Here in Texas the Cowboy Church is a big thing!  I thought people were joking when they said about going to the Cowboy Church but they weren't.  The Cowboy Church idea is a church that is centred around God and the Bible, but is made up of Cowboys (ranch men) who understand each other and can reach out to other Cowboys.  I've never seen so many cowboy boots and hats in a church service, nor horses in the car park, or horseshoes making up the pulpit!  It was incredible.  The worship was country style (although I did know a few of the songs which included Do Lord, oh Do Lord, oh Do remember me - for anyone from Stotfold Salvation Army, where I used to sing in singing company (children's choir) when I was growing up), and the preaching used illustrations relevant to Cowboys, but it was really good.

Cross Brand Cowboy Church

Small group

During our time on Gateway we have small groups once a week where we meet together with four other Gateway participants with our small group leader.  My small group leader and her family previously lived and served on both the Anastasis (which was Mercy Ships flag ship prior to the Afric Mercy) and also the Africa Mercy.  We chat and share together and provide a smaller support group than the larger Gateway class.

Our small group leader is lovely and has us over to her house for dinner each week.  In our first week we went out for a walk after dinner...

And last week she took us out tubing on the lake near where she lives.  She drove the speed boat which towed a 'filled in' rubber ring, which we lay on as it was dragged around the lake, although that description really does not do it justice!  It was brilliant fun and I loved it.

Week 2 - Personal and interpersonal development

This week has been focussed around personal and interpersonal development.  We started by completing a DiSC personality profile to determine what our natural (most comfortable) personality type was (although needless to say people are normally a combination of the four types and can perform in a different category when necessary).

The types are: (from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DISC_assessment)

• Dominance: People who score high in the intensity of the "D" styles factor are very active in dealing with problems and challenges, while low "D" scores are people who want to do more research before committing to a decision. High "D" people are described as demanding, forceful, egocentric, strong willed, driving, determined, ambitious, aggressive, and pioneering. Low D scores describe those who are conservative, low keyed, cooperative, calculating, undemanding, cautious, mild, agreeable, modest and peaceful.
• Influence: People with high "I" scores influence others through talking and activity and tend to be emotional. They are described as convincing, magnetic, political, enthusiastic, persuasive, warm, demonstrative, trusting, and optimistic. Those with low "I" scores influence more by data and facts, and not with feelings. They are described as reflective, factual, calculating, skeptical, logical, suspicious, matter of fact, pessimistic, and critical.
• Steadiness: People with high "S" styles scores want a steady pace, security, and do not like sudden change. High "S" individuals are calm, relaxed, patient, possessive, predictable, deliberate, stable, consistent, and tend to be unemotional and poker faced. Low "S" intensity scores are those who like change and variety. People with low "S" scores are described as restless, demonstrative, impatient, eager, or even impulsive.
• Conscientious: People with high "C" styles adhere to rules, regulations, and structure. They like to do quality work and do it right the first time. High "C" people are careful, cautious, exacting, neat, systematic, diplomatic, accurate, and tactful. Those with low "C" scores challenge the rules and want independence and are described as self-willed, stubborn, opinionated, unsystematic, arbitrary, and careless with details.

I came out as expected that in a work environment people expect me to be D/C and naturally I am C/S.

We then built on this to look into how we can identify what our strengths are, and how we can ensure that we develop them and use them.  And also how we can go about setting goals and targets and putting in place strategies to achieve them.

We then went on to look at conflict resolution.  Particularly in a ship environment, when you are forced to live so closely with so many people, it is easy to conflict to arise.  However, if conflict is not dealt with the the right manner, it can be very destructive and lead to poor performance, hurt, and difficulties.  I found it really interesting to look at the importance of conflict resolution and strategies to deal with it.

Overall, it has been a really productive week for addressing things which I have not been so skilled at doing in the past and learning how to develop these skills so that they can be used in the future. 

Week 1 - Faith foundations

Sorry this is a bit late I've gotten a bit behind with my posts.

The first proper week of Gateway started with a few team building games to get to know each other, with the obligatory dressing up in funny costumes to play the chocolate game.

We then went on to learn about a variety of topics including:

• The God we Serve
• Kingdom principles
• Communicating with God
• Hot and Cold climate cultures

We have class 8-12 and then 1-4:30, and then some sessions at the weekend.

On the Friday evening we all went to one of our leader's houses for a BBQ (chicken, sausages and brisket - beef) which was lovely to spend time socialising outside of class or our dorms, and I saw quite a few hummingbirds although sadly I didn't get any pictures.

On Saturday we had a silent retreat.  We spent 4 hours at Tyler State Park which is a lovely park with lots of trees, tracks and a lake (which has turtles in!).  The idea was to be silent for the whole time, to spend the time listening to God, praying and reading our Bibles.  For me it was a lovely time to slow down and be peaceful after what had been a busy week.

Personal survival training

The final part of my trainings was personal survival specifically water survival.  We looked at the safety features on ships, how you get help, how you would launch a lifeboat or liferaft etc.  As part of our training we had another practical exercise at Tyler Junior College pool.  We donned the life jacket and the immersion (or gumby) suit, jumped into the water, got in and out of the liferaft (both in the life jacket and the immersion suit) and various other tasks.

This was all great fun, however, the immersion suits are not designed for people as short as me, needless to say what would have made a ridiculous picture in the first place (because you look like a teletubbie) looked even more funny when your hands are a foot away from where they should be!  So here are some pictures for your amusement.

The Gateway girls!

Deploying the sea anchor from the liferaft

 

Wearing the immersion suit (I think it's going to be the next big thing!)

 Jumping into the pool in the immersion suit

Swimming in a train in our immersion suits (I'm second from last in the train, the end closest to the camera)

 

 Getting into the liferaft in the immersion suits

In the liferaft

Flipping the liferaft

Fireman Steph!

When you live on a ship, calling the local fire brigade is a lot more difficult, so as part of our BST (Basic Safety Training) we learn fire fighting skills.

This covers:

• Safety and Principles of Survival
• Theory of Fire
• Fire prevention
• Fire detection
• Fixed fire extinguisher systems
• Portable fire extinguishing equipment
• Shipboard fire-fighting organisation
• Fire-fighting methods

I've been learning about the different classes of fire:

• Class A - Combustibles such as wood, paper, plastic, rubber and cloth
• Class B - Flammable and Combustible Liquids and Gases
• Class C - Fires involving energised electrical equipment
• Class D - Combustible Metals (magnesium etc)

And how you fight these fires using the different types of fire extinguishers (dry chemical, water, foam, and dry powder).

After our lectures they let us lose to fight some of our own fires!  For our practical exercises we had to:

• Don the Firefighters Outfit and SCBA (Self contained breathing apparatus)
• Search & rescue in a smoke filled space
• Extinguish small Class C fire (PFE - Personal fire extinguisher)
• Extinguish small Class B liquid fire (PFE)
• Extinguish large Class B gas fire (Hose)
• Extinguish large Class A fire (Hose)

Me in my fire fighter get up!

Fighting a Class B fire with a Dry chemical extinguisher

Fighting a Class B fire using the spray setting of a hose to protect us from the fire

(In the last photo I am meant to be running back from the fire because I am the hose man so I am running back, after turning off the gas, to make sure we don't get and kinks in the hose as we retreat)

And finally a picture of my BST class and our instructors

Basic Safety Training - First aid

This week I am doing my Basic Safety Training. It is a qualification relevant to working on any ship and covers:

• basic ship safety (such as things like muster lists which tell you different peoples jobs in case of an emergency evacuation or fire on ship, and how to read the ship map and cabin numbering etc)
• basic first aid (CPR, AED etc)
• fire fighting (using a fire extinguisher and fire hose)
• water safety (getting into an immersion suit and flipping a life raft)

Today I was doing basic first aid (American Red Cross style). We did CPR and resuscitation, using an AED (automated external defibrillator), treating closed and open wounds, first responder treatment of strokes, allergies, burns, poisoning, bites etc. The following pictures show me giving mouth to mouth to my dummy, CPR and practising using the AED (which you can find in places like airports).

Who are Mercy Ships? What will I be doing?

So I realise that in the first post I didn't explain much about what I am doing, so for those of you who I haven't already told starting in November I will be spending 21 months volunteering with Mercy Ships. Mercy Ships is a global Christian charity that looks to share God’s love by giving hope and healing to the forgotten poor through the mobilisation people and resources worldwide. They serve all people without regard for race, gender, or religion. In 1978, the first hospital ship set sail and since then its fleet has brought free healthcare to people in some of the poorest countries of the world, visiting over 150 ports and treating over 400 000 people. The crew both provide medical care and do developmental and training projects which ensures that the Mercy Ships provides both initial physical healing and also a lasting legacy which should help the country to develop even after the ship has left port. 

(See www.mercyships.com for more information)

I will be volunteering on the Africa Mercy which serves people around the coast of West Africa. I will join the ship in Benin and then will move onto Togo in January/February 2010. 

For my first year on the ship I will be working as a Biomedical Technician. This position oversees the maintenance and management of medical devices, including arranging for scheduled maintenance and calibration of equipment, performing preventative maintenance and repair of medical equipment, and communicating the status of equipment to the end users. 

In my second year on the ship I hope to work as a Biomedical Trainer. This position involves going around the host country’s hospitals refurbishing equipment and training the locals to maintain and use the machines to their full capacity and also to be able to pass on their knowledge to other users of the equipment. 
 

Hopefully this gives you more of an idea of what all my training over the next 8 weeks is for!

It's the start of something new...

So after my 10 hour flight I have safely arrive at the IOC (Mercy Ships International Operations Centre) in Texas. I am really thankful for travelling mercies, I was sat with two very friendly people on the plane who made the whole journey so much more pleasant, although we were all disappointed that the ground was soaking wet when we landed and it proceeded to rain for nearly all of the two hour drive from the airport to the IOC. I had also forgotten how many fast food restaurants they have out here, and am desperately hoping I won't have to eat too much of it! (Oh and Natalie, I saw the sweet shop in the airport! Not so keen on the fact I saw Stephanie's liquor shop on the drive across to the centre).  

I am now unpacked in the room that will be home the next five weeks, and although I woke up around 4am here, I managed to stay in bed until 6 (and I had held off going to bed until 9pm local time last night) so hopefully the jet lag will all be gone by next week. Going to church later on today which will be good and I'll hopefully get to explore the centre a bit more and find out where everything is. I've currently met four people who will be doing the same course as me which is really nice and makes me feel a lot less on my own. Plus at least two of them are going onto the ship the same day as me so will be catching the same flight from Paris to Benin I expect which is great. Anyway I will hopefully keep you posted about my training using the blog over the next five weeks!