By Cindy Broome
For Coastal Senior

SHIP'S VISIT Mercy Ships is an international, interdenominational relief organization whose hospital ships bring the gospel to the poor and needy worldwide. Medical, dental, surgical and spiritual services are provided. For details, log onto www.mercyships.org, write to Mercy Ships, P.O. Box 2020, Garden Valley, TX 75771-2020 or call 1-800-MERCYSHIPS. The Caribbean Mercy will arrive in Savannah on April 13. The ship will be open for tours at River Street on: April 14 - 1-8 p.m. April 19 - 4-8 p.m. April 20 - 4-8 p.m. April 21 - 1-8 p.m. April 22 - 1-8 p.m. For local information, call (912) 495-0365. Any business or organization that wishes to donate supplies while the Caribbean Mercy is in port may call the same number. VOLUNTEER SERVICE PROGRAM For details about volunteering on a ship, log onto www.mercyships.org. Under "Opportunities for Involvement," click on "Volunteer to Serve." For information about volunteering at the International Support Center in Texas, call (903) 882-0887, Ext. 7066, or e-mail green@mercyships.org

The ship is one of four Mercy Ships providing medical help to the poor and needy in developing countries.

The pictures are sobering. They are sights U.S. citizens rarely see. The photos are "before" and "after" pictures of people in Third World countries who've suffered ailments from crossed eyes and cleft palates to unsightly facial tumors.

One 9-year-old girl lived with a tumor growing from the side of her face. The "before" photo shows a massive growth that dominates her face. Her mouth and nose were twisted grotesquely.

Medical teams removed the tumor. A photo following a second surgery shows a girl with a shy smile and a normal mouth and nose.

A man from Guinea had a mutant tumor weighing more than 5 pounds. One sees only his left eye in the "before" picture; the growth obliterates his face. His visible eye conveys desperation.

When he was 18, his uncle heard of a special ship coming to visit, which would bring doctors to help him. After two onboard surgeries, the "after" picture shows the man without the tumor. Gratitude shines in his eyes.

Who are these angels of mercy who changed these people's lives?

The medical staffs that performed these operations are part of Mercy Ships, a global interdenominational relief organization whose hospital ships treat poor and needy citizens worldwide. Mercy Ships provides medical, dental and surgical services while spreading the word of Christianity.

One of its four ships, the Caribbean Mercy, will visit Savannah April 13-27 and be open for visitation. The ship recently conducted outreach programs in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Colombia. It will visit Charleston before heading to Honduras.

Mercy Ships, a nonprofit organization, began in 1978. The first ship was the Anastasis, currently in West Africa. The Island Mercy is in the Philippines. The organization's latest addition, the Africa Mercy, is in England for refitting.

The ships are refitted to include an onboard hospital, operating rooms, laboratory, pharmacy and medical supplies as well as housing onboard for up to 450 people.

"We have people from up to 14 nations who've been part of the Mercy Ships staff worldwide," says Winnie Dray, advance coordinator for Savannah.

The organization operates on donations. The group tries to get medical and other supplies donated, which means more money to buy fuel, so the ships can visit more underprivileged countries.

Everyone is a volunteer, from the captain, engineers and deck crew to the doctors and nurses, Dray says.

"All the people are self-supporting either through funds donated by churches, family, friends, corporations," she explains. Each ship has from one to three permanent doctors; other physicians fly in for two- or three-week stints.

Dray said organization officials hope local businesses will donate supplies while the ship is in port.

"We need computer printers, disks, we need cartridges, all the things to make it function," he said.

Mercy Ships also conducts optical clinics and gives away glasses.

Food supplies are also welcome. Even a donation like 200 chickens comes in handy, she says. The crew would freeze them and the outreach crew would enjoy chicken dinners while on duty.

"We would be very grateful for those kinds of donations," Dray says.