Author Archives: Tiim & Kathy

We were excited to see the school. Aaron borrowed a car from a friend and drove us to the school. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the beauty is on the inside, where there are various classrooms filled with children according to age and ability. We were amazed at the young teachers and their engagement with the students.

Some of the teachers had certificates to teach from Freetown Teachers College. However teachers are paid less than the equivalent of $100/month. Many of the teachers were working as teachers during the day and pursuing college degrees at night. Several of the young teachers were graduates of Tengeh School and were passing there knowledge and passion to the young students.

Many of the teachers told us that Aaron was their example and like a father to them. It was very inspiring for us to hear.

After visiting the school, we went to Aaron and Mariama’s home where we were served fish, potatoes, fried plantains and papaya. Most was prepared by their daughter, Martha. Yumm! I’m still not used to eating the fish and picking through all the bones!

Today we are picked up by Mariama in a Keke with a driver to ride to Connaught Hospital in downtown Freetown. This the largest government hospital in Sierra Leone. Mariama is a student at a local university studying Laboratory Science. Mariama was a patient of our daughter Alyssa on the Africa Mercy in 2011.

We enjoyed a tour of the lab by one of the laboratory techs. He was very complementary of Mariama’s knowledge and work ethic. We are very proud of what she has accomplished. The lab had analyzers and printer to print out results. They had some very modern equipment in the Microbiology lab donated by a organization in England. Mariama showed us how they test for Sickle Cell Anemia.

The time at the lab was very enjoyable as they were ending their week celebrating Professional Laboratory Professional Week. We were waiting in their break room as Mariama was helping organize lunch for the staff. Finally a young woman comes in with a large tub on her head. It was filled with fried rice!

They really do have fun celebrating!

Tim and I were invited to join the laboratory staff and student interns for a walk the next morning from Congo Cross to Aberdeen Beach to celebrate Medical Laboratory week. It was quite an event, with the boombox blaring Sierra Leonean music and marching down the street dodging Kekes. It was also quite hot and about 5 kilometers. But we made it and were glad to rest at the beach. A great experience!

Learning new things is a wonderful thing! I think! After a a day to settle in and a morning class on food safety we are ready to get to work. The schedule is spread over two weeks. This is the easy week – Work Wednesday and Thursday, off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Nest week is working Monday, Tuesday. Off Wednesday and Thursday, then working Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Even through Kathy is in the Galley, we both have the same schedule.

Dining Room (Tim) – I will forever appreciate the work it takes to operate a dining room. Learning where to find everything, what needs to be cleaned, and what am I supposed to do next. They have the dining room operation organized into areas of responsibilities. Each learning day is focused on one of those areas. Everyone is very helpful and it will all become very automatic. Meanwhile 5:45 am comes pretty early.

One of the advantages of being dining room staff is I see everyone working on the ship and can enjoy occasional conversations. These are truly an amazing group of people. Their joy and compassion is obvious and it is an honor to help provide food for them.

Galley (Kathy) – I have begun work in the galley in the cold room or salad room. I work with a delightful hardworking group of Africans. The oldest worker is Bernadette, but everyone calls her Grandma. Since I am older than she is, I just call her Bernadette! So far, my work includes a lot of chopping and cleaning. So much cleaning!! The twelve hour days are long but doable. There is so much to learn still and it is an education to see all the work that goes into providing breakfast, lunch and dinner to 600 people.

Serving April 19-July 25, 2026

We will be volunteering aboard the Global Mercy off the coast of Sierra Leone, West Africa. The ship has been docked at Freetown since August of 2025. We will be serving in the galley and the dining room, serving the 600+ staff on board. The ship ends its service in Sierra Leone in June of 2026 and we be sailing with the ship to the Canary Islands, where it will be in dry dock for yearly maintenance.

The Global Mercy is one of two hospital ships, the Africa Mercy and the Global Mercy. Onboard they are performing life changing surgeries to some of the poorest nations in the world.  Sierra Leone does not have access to the to the kind of surgery that Mercy Ship provides free of charge.  The ship is filled with state-of-the-art medical equipment and a volunteer crew of doctors, nurses, medical stall technicians, teachers, physical therapists and other caring people driven by mercy to help make the world a better, healthier place for all.  (See  Mercy Ships )

Below are Some examples of surgery performed on the ship. Photos are from the Mercy Ships website.

We first learned of Mercy Ships when our daughter volunteered as a nurse in 2011 for eight months in Sierra Leone.  We joined her there for two weeks on the Africa Mercy.​ We were able to experience life onboard the ship working in the housekeeping department for two weeks. Mercy Ships hires local dayworkers and through Alyssa’s friendships we visited some in their homes and visited a local church. We continue these friendships today.

Thank you for following along on our journey! Please keep us in prayer that we would be faithful, kind and humble as we serve the Lord and the people we meet. More posts to come as we arrive and begin our service and as we meet with old and new friends in Sierra Leone! Tim and Kathy