

Mercy Ships’ founder Don Stephens shares his feelings after visiting a medical screening site years ago in Guinea, West Africa.


Remember the exhilaration of soaring high in the sky on your school swing set?


Kotiam is a farmer and father of 14 children. Several years ago, a growth began to form on his neck.


In Ivory Coast, West Africa, Jules Yapo and his wife were picking coffee beans in a field while their children played nearby.


Nurse Laura Rawson was drawn to her patient that didn’t want anyone to touch her or talk with her.




Prince Eddie was a businessman who kept his briefcase next to his hospital bed.


When patients come to us with large tumors or windswept legs, we provide free surgery and transform their appearance and mobility.


Ramatulai’s jaw had been locked since she was born. For 20 years, she couldn’t fully open her mouth.


When Josue was only 6 weeks old, a cloudy layer began to cover both of his eyes.


The transformations our patients go through are far more than physical.


In the United States, one would never think of dying from a dental infection.


At just 21 years old, Papa was a hard-working mechanic pursuing his dream of fixing motorbikes.


Mariama suffered episodes where she’d suddenly fall and lose consciousness.


Florentine faced almost as much rejection as her son born with a cleft lip.


Emmanuel is a father of two who suffered for many years with a benign tumor on his jaw.


Little Elisabeth was known in her community for her sweet smile and kind heart.


Tears can express many emotions. The Bible says our tears are precious, and God collects them




Benedict was born with club feet. Now nine years old, he has learned to walk on the curled-under tops of his feet.


Oceane was born with a tiny opening at the back of her skull. That opening allowed spinal fluid to escape from her brain.


Suzanna had labored for days only to deliver a still born baby. In her sorrow, she found that she too had been injured


Marthlyn stands out in a crowd. People stare. They point and laugh. She is viewed as an outcast by her community


By the time Lincoln was 36 years old, he had already weathered many storms. Living in a country where civil war broke out


The patient felt her way up the gangway with a hole in her cornea.


Marie had already survived being orphaned, teen pregnancy, civil war and becoming a refugee.


Biso was a widow and mother of 4 children who struggled to support her family.


A crowd of excited children holding colorful signs waited for their friend to return.


When Lincoln boarded the Africa Mercy, he didn’t know he was about to receive more than free surgery.


There was no hospital where Mary Johnson lived. She spent 2 days in labor without professional medical assistance.