Medical Ships Update

"It's me and it's bad!"

. . . was all I could say as the duty nurse met me coming up the gangway.

The deck crew was working late as we prepared to depart from Cardiff, Wales for a 7-month medical mission outreach to Ghana, West Africa, some years ago.

My crew had been working all day, and it was well after dark. Having just finished moving one of the last shrink-wrapped pallets of medical supplies with the ship's forklift, I had set the forks down and put the forklift in park with the parking brake engaged to check on something.

Behind the seat was the engine cooling fan, which ran even after the engine was off. I had set my left-hand glove on the chassis next to the rotating fan, as something was in the glove. As I looked back to find it, I saw the glove slipping into the fan area, and as tired as I was, I instinctively reached to grab it with my gloved right hand.

The fan caught my hand! I heard it, and so did everyone else standing close by. Blood was coming out from under the glove, and all I could think about was, Are my fingers still attached?

When the ship's doctor had pried my other hand away to look at the damage, I was relieved to hear her exclaim,

"All your fingers are intact!"

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

Gloves are an important part of the mariner’s arsenal to keep their hands protected from everything from chemicals to friction-related injuries.

They seem such a small and insignificant part of the mariner’s life, but would YOU know what gloves to use when working with aliphatic or ketone-based paints?

Or whether gloves should be used when handling large mooring lines?

And if so, which type of material, leather, cotton, or rubber?

PPE is but a small part of the arsenal of protection, and gloves are an undervalued asset to the mariner.

I still carry those scars today as a reminder that yes, gloves are important!

We are continuing to move forward with developing our online training program and the first course addressing PPE is now complete and in its first critique.

Island Reach, Madagascar

The YWAM Ship Island Reach is now registered and flagged in Madagascar! There is a large amount of administrative processes involved in repositioning a ship to another location on the globe. From transferring all of the legal paperwork to the registration documents. This is a detailed process with many layers of approval needed.

In March the ministry finally received the authorization for the Malagasy flag, and the Island Reach is finally able to begin ministry within Madagascar and her surrounding islands.

As of the 7th of April, the first medical outreach program has started. A team of international volunteer medical and dental workers began with five different nations represented onboard, ready to bring hope and healing to the nation! (YWAM Ships Switzerland 04/25 update)

Please keep them in your prayers as they navigate the Island of Nosy Komba. It is small, but there is always a need for awareness when operating an unfamiliar vessel in any waters.

Also, pray for safety for her crew and the medical volunteers that they will stay healthy as malaria, dengue (aka break bone fever), and typhoid are prevalent.

YWAM Koha, South Pacific

The Koha is currently preparing for its 2025 outreach into the Pacific Islands. This year, the ship's crew will be taking her to the island nation of Tuvalu, located north of the Fijian Islands and just south of the island nation of Tonga.

The islands consist of nine atolls spread out over four hundred miles just south of the Equator and just west of the International Date Line, with a population of just over 11,000. It is mostly a nation that considers itself Christian, and even their national motto is “TUVALU MO TE ATUA”, which translates to “Tuvalu for the Almighty”.

There is still much to do for the ship to get underway. As with any tool, there is always a need for upkeep and repair. This year has been particularly tough to find volunteers to come and help the ship get ready. Please pray with us that volunteers would be moved to give of their time and skills!

Thank you for taking the time to read our update and for your continued prayer and support of MAST Global as we serve the Kingdom of God in this unique way.

We're training for impact!

-Matthew