Time is winding down here in Togo, West Africa (Only 2 weeks
of surgery left and I leave in 2 weeks!) and I find myself so busy with last
minute projects that I quickly forget about my blog! The past few weeks have
been filled with patients, vision trips, and media teams. One media team that
has claimed some of my time is 60 Minutes! You’ve got that right; CBS 60
minutes had 2 producers, a film crew, and even Scott Pelley (anchor of the
famed show). It has been quite an adventure working with them.
First, I drove them 3 ½ hours north to a small village where
a patient from 1995 lives. Let me tell you, 7 hours of defensive driving in
West Africa is tough, but the conversations were rich and I hope I was able to
help the producer get a sense of who we are.
Later that week, something completely frustrating happened.
One of the film crew had their hotel room broken into! So I was “blessed” with
the opportunity to be Mercy Ships representative and help him at the police
station. This ended up being a 4 hour interview/interrogation that left
everyone unsatisfied.
Monday, I drove two of the film crew to the airport. I
have to say that I am both impressed and blessed to have met such a wonderful
group of people. Their professionalism made our job a lot easier and we could
tell that they really respected us. Where some people fear of what they will
report (60 minutes is known for their investigative tactics that shine the
light on all sorts of issues in the world) I said goodbye to them completely
comfortable that Mercy Ships has made a positive impact on their lives.
As they all make their way back home, I pray that God will
bless them for the way they have blessed us. I pray that Mercy Ships vision and
mission truly inspire them to see the heart of us volunteers and that they will
want to report on the thousands of lives we change every year. I hope that as
they have to go through the pain staking process of dwindling 1800 minutes of
footage down to a 12 minute show that God would guide their hands, minds, and
spirits as the decided what to choose. Lord, most importantly, I pray that as
they go back to their lives you keep itching at their hearts. That what they’ve
seen here in West Africa inspires them to see the power of your hand in
everything we do. Thank you Lord, so much, for such a wonderful opportunity for
the USA to hear and see the detail of what it is we do here for the people of
West Africa.
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