Monday, July 12, 2010

Welcome Aboard the USNS Mercy



See this ship? Isn't she beautiful? Her name is Mercy, and I called her home for a while. Seriously. I got to take part in Pacific Partnership 2010---a partnership between the US Navy and several NGO's (Non-Governmental Organizations---think charities.) Before she returns home to San Diego, Miss Mercy will have set port in Guam, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Jakarta, Timor Leste, Indonesia, and Australia.  It's a humanitarian ship, basically a floating hospital. I was chosen (with about 80 other LDS folks) to represent Latter Day Saint Charities. Among us were all manner of medical people: from anesthesiologist to veterinarian. (My apologies if there were any medical people in the w-x-y-z category.) I left home on June 12th and returned July 1st.



Maybe the photo above will give you a better idea of Mercy's size. See that little, tiny boat in the lower right-hand corner? It's called a band-aid boat, and holds about 40 people. That was our shuttle service from ship to shore---about a 20-minute or so ride. Now, with the band-aid boat in mind, look again at the first photo of Madame Mercy. She's BIG, huh?

Check back for more details and photos of my adventure.

4 comments:

  1. Wow that IS big! Incredible. What a great experience. You are such an adventurer. I love it!

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  2. I'm so glad you're back blogging! You better put more pictures up there of your trip :)

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  3. Cool! I'm excited to see more pictures. It was great to see you and Bishop last week!

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  4. Thanks for stopping by Reflecting Goodness -- looks like you are up to some awesome things in the world!

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