Medical Ships - Australia

news updateMarch 2012 edition

G’day from KenThe countdown continues for our April 30th sail date from Townsville to Port Moresby! There are many details to finalise and essential equipment to purchase as we steadily cross off the to-dos to get the ship ready. I do hope you will consider joining an outreach- we still have a few spots available. You won’t regret the great experience that it is; meeting new people from all over the world, working together in beautiful parts of PNG with an incredibly hospitable culture, and helping in enormous ways to change lives! If you are unable to physically come onboard, please take a moment to think on other ways you can be involved; we can all play a part and work together to help our nearest neighbours in need! Thank you for your participation!

www.ywamships.org.au

Ken Mulligan - CEO YWAM Medical Ships - Australia

The Port of Townsville has been very accommodating in support of the YWAM Medial Ship by providing 50 NEW life jackets and assisting with wharfage.

YWAM MSA CEO, Ken Mulligan, said, “We are very grateful for the generous partnership the Port of Townsville has extended. Maximising on this opportunity, substantial improvements were made to our 33-year-old vessel, enabling us to continue building capacity directly into PNG villages.”

Due to the intense and vast environment in which YWAM MSA operates, life jackets provide an invaluable safety element. The need to replace the ship’s current life jackets had become prominent, as

they were nearing the end of their lifecycle.

Capt. Jeremy Schierer said, “We’re grateful for these new life jackets, which will help maintain high safety standards for our international medical volunteers and crew. It was a practical partnership for the Port of Townsville to provide these life jackets as they fully appreciate the inherent risks associated with working around water.”

The ship will set sail in April, embarking on the third year of outreaches in PNG. It will continue addressing the health care, community development, and training needs of our nearest international neighbour.

Port of Townsville Provides Life Jackets for the YWAM Medical Ship!

YWAM Medical Ship volunteers and PNG say thank you!

These days, Jeremy and Lori no longer live on board the medical ship but have a house in Townsville, which they are especially thankful for now that they have begun their family. As the sail date draws nearer for the ship to journey back to PNG, Jeremy and Lori face the longest time they’ve been apart since they’ve been married. But this couple is a team and although Lori and baby “Monty” won’t sail with Jeremy, they know that they each have their part to play.

Thanking our Partners:

As they walked along the beach, Captain Jeremy listened as the PNG man told him of how he had been widowed. The man’s wife had died while giving birth, making her one of many women in PNG (as many as 1 in 7) to have her life cut short in this way. Once again, Jeremy was reminded that this statistic heard so often isn’t just a number, but that behind all the numbers are faces of individuals who are affected by these tragedies.

Though there are many hardships that people in PNG face, Jeremy empathises with this one in a much more real way as of late, since his wife, Lori, just gave birth to their first son in September. Jeremy and Lori are incredibly grateful for the resources available that gave both mum and baby Montgomery a safe and healthy delivery and hope that someday it will be the same for mums in PNG. They not only have this hope but have dedicated their lives to making this hope a reality.

Captain & Family Give So Others Can Live

Jeremy and Lori being welcomed into Baimuru village in PNG on outreach in 2010.

Outreach #: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Needed for outreaches 5, 6, & 7:Captain

Chief Engineer1st Mate2nd Mate

Needed for all outreaches:Chief Steward

For more information:Address: PO Box 1959 Townsville QLD 4810 AustraliaPhone: +61 7 4771 2123 Fax: +61 7 4772 44144Email: info@ywamships.org Web: www.ywamships.org.au

Jeremy, an American, and Lori, a Canadian, met on the Pacific Link in 2002 but didn’t take notice of each other right away. Once they did, it didn’t take long until they knew that they wanted to get married. Jeremy comments that when working together on the medical ship, “You pretty much automatically have the same motivation, inspiration, and drive. So a lot of those important qualities that you need to have in common are already there.” While they led an outreach to the Philippines together, he noticed how she cared for team members and appreciated that quality very much. After three months of dating, he popped the question and Lori said yes! They were married in 2008 in New Zealand and became Mr and Mrs Schierer.

“It’s not just me going off to do this,” says Jeremy, “it’s our whole family agreeing to make this sacrifice. The reality is that in order to operate the ship, someone must go.” Lori stands in agreement: “It’s a mission for all of us... which gives me a sense of purpose and that I’m not being left behind; I’m as involved as he is.”

Midwives 1 1 1Doctors 1 2 2 2 2Nurses 2 1 3Dentists 2 2 2 2Ophthalmic Scrub Nurses 2Physiotherapists 1 1 1 1Dental Hygienists/Assistants 2 2 2Optometrists 1 1Orthoptists 1

Marine Professionals

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Interested in volunteering? Here are our needs:

Happy little family- Lori, Monty, and Jeremy!

Jeremy and Lori took a few photos on the Pacific Link on their wedding day in 2008!