Even You Can Transform Lives

By Deb Boelkes

Have you ever considered taking a complete break from your work-a-day life for a month or two, just for the purpose of making a difference in the lives of others who need it most? Have you ever hesitated to do so because you believed you couldn’t take extended time off or you didn’t have the skills necessary to make the kind of impact that would really matter?

If so, you’re not alone. But as former President Ronald Reagan once said, “Never let the things you can’t do stop you from doing what you can.”

My friend Deedee (not her real name) was a transportation planner for one of the largest cities in America when she decided to follow that advice. One evening after work, she happened to attend a meeting where a representative of Mercy Ships was the guest speaker. What Deedee learned during that brief, but informative session spoke to her heart. She immediately knew she had to learn more.

In case you aren’t familiar with Mercy Ships, this faith-based organization operates a fleet of the world’s largest charity hospital ships that bring hope and healing to those who need it most. Their volunteer crews help to provide free, lifesaving, and life-changing surgeries and medical training in low- and middle-income countries.  Every year, more than 2,500 volunteer crew members from over 60 nations serve with Mercy Ships. Their diverse staff of seafarers, medical professionals, and non-medical volunteer workers enable Mercy Ships to power two floating hospitals that provide safe and free surgical care to thousands of patients annually.     

When the meeting Deedee was attending concluded, my intrigued friend stood in line to ask the speaker about the age and language requirements for volunteers. She was surprised to learn that Mercy Ships volunteers could be anywhere from 18 to 79 years of age at the time of service. English proficiency is required, and French is beneficial but not required unless stated in a specific job description.   

Deedee became even more interested when she learned the typical length of a volunteer tour of duty with Mercy Ships varied by position and responsibility. Because of the complex nature of Mercy Ships projects and programs, a wide range of positions with flexible, varying length assignments are available.

When Deedee informed the speaker that she was a transportation planner, she jokingly stated, “but you probably don’t have any need for that skill.”

The speaker responded, “Au contraire! I’ll bet you have a great deal of knowledge and ability to offer Mercy Ships. We have all kinds of positions available. We even offer training in many cases.”

The speaker went on to highlight that positions with Mercy Ships range from administrative roles, chaplaincies, and creative professional jobs (such as Marketing / Communications and Media Liaisons) to a variety of positions for tradespeople, hospitality professionals, IT, Finance and Logistics professionals, dental, medical and surgical professionals, educators and schoolteachers, mariners, and many more.

“Essentially, the sky is the limit, especially for anyone who wants to reinvent themselves!” the speaker confirmed.  

Deedee replied, “I assume volunteers must be single.”

The speaker explained that Mercy Ships not only welcomes singles, they also welcome married couples who wish to volunteer together. There are even opportunities for families with children under the age of 16 to live on-board together, typically for those who volunteer for long-term leadership positions.

The speaker went on to underscore how Mercy Ships values families. “Actually, Mercy Ships encourages the volunteers who sign up to serve without their spouse accompanying them to limit their tours of duty to no more than three months at a time. Otherwise, it’s just too hard on the families left at home.” 

Although Deedee no longer had children at home, she asked what shipboard life was like for the children accompanying volunteers.  The speaker replied, “Mercy Ships Academy provides Christian education—from nursery age through high school—for the children of crew members. When one parent volunteers full-time, the other parent is expected to take care of and watch their children when they aren’t in class. Children under 10 must always be supervised, and they’re not allowed to wander the ship without an adult.”

Deedee was so enthralled with the possibilities, she immediately set out to research how she could participate in a three-month volunteer assignment without having to quit her job with the city.  Just a few days after the meeting, the city announced an upcoming layoff program, which included incentives for those who elected to leave.

When one of the more junior members of her department confided to Deedee that he feared he would be forced to leave if there weren’t enough voluntary participants, it gave her an idea. Deedee proposed that she could train him to assume her responsibilities so she could accept the layoff incentive and then volunteer for three months or so with Mercy Ships. Deedee not only walked away from her job without feelings of guilt, but she also took pride in doing something that really mattered for someone in her department who might have otherwise been terminated.

Deedee’s initial role with Mercy Ships was working as part of the housekeeping crew. She quickly moved into a role akin to being a cruise director. In the evenings, after the kitchen crew had retired for the night, Deedee would hang around the gally just so she could make dinners for the doctors and nurses who worked late in operating rooms.

Deedee loved listening to the medical teams’ stories of how they were transforming the lives of the patients they served. She took special pride in knowing that these doctors and nurses couldn’t continue to do what they did—day after day, night after night—if she didn’t do what she did at the end of each day to give them some extra comfort and aid. Deedee professed that she made life-long friendships with people she would never have known, if not for Mercy Ships.

In the end, the overall experience turned out to be the most meaningful three months of her life.

“It was all as if it was meant to be,” Deedee summarized. “When my three-month tour of duty with Mercy Ships ended, I didn’t want to leave. But I was lucky enough to go right back to work in the transportation planning department with the city. I essentially picked right back up where I left off.

“I can’t wait to go back on another tour of duty with Mercy Ships. There is truly nothing more enriching than to transform lives by bringing hope and healing to those who need it most.”

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To learn more about Mercy Ships and discover how you, too, can transform lives, check out these two 3½ minute videos:

Find Your Place on Board with our Hospital Director.  

Find Your Place on Board with our Volunteer Crew.