One occasion she remembers well. "We had a four-month-old child being prepared for surgery to correct a cleft palate. Such children are always hard to feed, and often need to be put onto a special feeding program to fatten them up before surgery. This child developed breathing problems and needed to go on life support. As the nurses were getting things ready the medical officer placed his hand on the baby and prayed. Straight away the child's oxygen level came to normal and life support was not needed. Improvement followed quickly and the surgery went ahead."
Jenny first heard about the work of Mercy Ships when she was 17. "I was interested then, but could not afford it." Now after 15 years of nursing, she has just returned from three weeks service as a volunteer nurse onboard the world's largest charity hospital ship in the West African nation of Togo, one of the world's poorest nations.
"The time was now right," she says. "My work experience over the years covered a number of areas, I have worked on other missionary ships overseas, and Mercy Ships is interested in people able to serve for short-term periods as well as long-term, while other organisations expect periods of service for six months or longer.
"Those around me at home were very supportive of my decision, but many had never heard of Mercy Ships. I knew nothing about Togo. When I was accepted for service as a volunteer I had to look at a map of Africa to find where the ship was. It is not easy destination for making travel arrangements either. I flew via Darwin, Singapore and Paris to Togo's capital Lome, and returned the same way."
Jenny describes the work being done by volunteers, all of whom pay their own way to be involved, as very important. "The people of Togo and other West African nations have to live with poverty and famine, poor governance and a lack of educational opportunities. They also live with many traditional beliefs and superstitions that often result in people suffering from disability or disfigurement being regarded as cursed. That results in their being abandoned, rejected or isolated from family and the rest of society."
"This experience has helped change my perspective on looking at the needs of others. I have grown to love the people of Africa. After seeing the people we cared for and considered their circumstances and their poverty, I have been able to look at people with a greater sense of compassion and love, in line with the values set by Mercy Ships. I believe love crosses every border and pulls down every barrier."
Jenny hopes to be able to continue travelling once or twice a year working as a nurse. "I would like to serve on the Africa Mercy again one day," she concludes.
Mercy Ships is a global charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978 providing free health care and community development services to the forgotten poor. Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor. Working in partnership with local people, Mercy Ships empowers communities to help themselves. The result is a way out of poverty.
Since 1978, volunteers serving with Mercy Ships have had an impact on the lives of millions of people in the world's poorest nation. Mercy Ships has provided services valued at more than $800 million.
*Performed more than 41,000 surgeries such as cleft lip and palate, cataract removal, orthopaedic reconstruction and obstetric fistula repair.
*Treated more than 230,000 people in village medical clinics.
*Performed more than 205,000 dental treatments.
*Taught over 14,500 local health care and professional workers, who have in turn trained others.
*Taught 105,000 local people in primary health care.
*Delivered more than $70 million worth of medical equipment, hospital and other supplies.
*Completed more than 1,000 community development projects focusing on water and sanitation, education, infrastructure development and agriculture.
*Demonstrated the love of God to people in over 550 port visits in 70 different nations.
*More than 1,600 short-term volunteers serve with Mercy Ships each year.
The emphasis is on the needs of the world's poorest nations in West Africa, where the world's largest charity hospital ship Africa Mercy, with its crew of 450 volunteers, provides the platform for services extending up to ten months at a time. Mercy Ships works on land-based projects in Sierra Leone in partnership with other organisations, while teams also work in several nations of Central America and the Caribbean. Mercy Ships Australia, one of 14 international support offices is based on the Queensland Sunshine Coast. www.mercyships.org.au