(The photos and quotes are from the Mercy Ships Facebook page.)
Mercy Ships founder Don Stephens tells the story. “One of the first patients admitted for surgery yesterday was Ebenezer, a Nigerian gentleman who found us surfing the Internet! He traveled to Guinea, only to discover that the Africa Mercy had sailed. Disappointed but not daunted, he made it to Brazzaville in the Congo. By now, Ebenezer was broke and did not speak French or the tribal languages of Congo. A fellow Nigerian passenger on his flight paid his lodging and onward airfare from Brazzaville to Pointe Noire. Mercy Ships crew were at the airport collecting incoming crew and found Ebenezer. Amazing and humbling story. We prayed together in the ward but I think I was the one receiving encouragement!”
Side note from Suzanne- I first heard about Ebenezer from my friends, who were the crew members who met him at the airport. And it wasn't just any crew members- it was one of the screening team coordinators (a perfect person to know that we could probably help Ebenezer) and the advance team member who coordinated the Hope Center site (the perfect person to help get Ebenezer a place to stay until he could be admitted). It is so clear that coming to the ship is part of God's plan for this man, and we are so happy he is here!
Ebenezer, a patient from Nigeria is now in a 4-hour surgery to remove the tumor he has carried for 12 years. Join us in praying for a successful surgery, a smooth recovery! When asked earlier if he felt nervous, he said, "No, I am confident and my heart is strong because of my dream, six years ago I had a dream that I was on a ship filled with people. Now I know this is the ship I dreamed of and I have no worries." Soon after, Dr. Gary Parker came to check on Ebenezer before his surgery. Gary joked, "Many people who travel far to have surgery on the ship have trouble getting back to home because they no longer look like the person in the photo on their passport. I think we're going to have to get you a new passport photo after today!"
And here is the most recent update, posted on Tuesday:
Unable to speak after surgery to remove the tumor from his jaw, Ebenezer uses a pen and notepad to communicate with the nurses. Ebenezer writes, "I am very much happy that my dream has finally come to pass. Everything that has happened after my surgery, all confirmed what I believed about my dream . . . I feel like I am in a new world with a new life. It's great." Thank you for your prayers!
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