Greetings from the Anastasis, and praise God for his goodness. First things first; A thousand apologies, but I still can't post pictures on this site or hotmail. Know that I am taking plenty of photos, and I will gladly share them upon my return. Things are well here, and I am very busy aboard the ship. Tonight I will work my first night shift. We currently have between 20-30 patients at various stages of recovery. The OR schedule remains full each weekday. Our 2 maxillo-facial surgeons schedule 3-5 cases a day. The plastic surgeon usually operates on at least 3 patients a day, and our eye surgeon may help up to 10 people each day! On the ward, we work a 40 hr work week. I have had a fair amount of time off, and enjoyed my first West African beach this weekend. It was a beautiful beach with soft sand and warm water. Swimming in the Atlantic brought back memories of Florida and the family. Riding to and from the beach was yet another wonderful experience. The sights, sounds, and smells of an African marketplace leave little to the imagination. I also had the pleasure of worshiping at Monrovia Christian Fellowship Church on Sunday. It was an awesome time of worship and learning for me. There were about 200 Liberians praising the Living God in this American planted church. I was overwhelmed with joy as I saw how these folks burst forth in jubilation almost continuously! A young Liberian pastor of about 35 preached a solid and dynamic sermon on Neamiah. Words cannot express how impressed I was with this man. I then had the pleasure of eating lunch with the missionary couple who planted the church. They're story was simply amazing. God is @ work here. Next on my list will be to visit an authentic African Church that has had little Western influence---I'll bring my water bottle.

Last week our captain cancelled shore-leave as political tension surfaced between the 2 major parties in Liberia. Presidential candidates from the CDC (congress for democratic change) and the UP (unity party) had a run off on Tuesday, November 8th. As it became clear that the UP was going to win, supporters of the CDC began to march in protest. Unfortunately, some of the protesters began throwing rocks and were quickly introduced to an irritating chemical commonly known as "tear gas." Things have settled down this week, although I heard the CDC was marching on the US embassy today (keep your eyes open, maybe Liberia will make CNN).

Thank you all for your continued prayer and comments.