Day 6 mercy ship.

We went to the island today for a day if rest. We hired a fishing boat to get there and when u say fishing boat I mean hand crafted large canoe. On the island we walked to a private beach and some of the locals brought out tables and chairs and cooked us fresh fish from the ocean. It was a nice day full of adventure and colors. The fishing port is very busy and a real rush of smells and shouting. It really keeps you alive and awake. Even with all the activity the locals are so sweet and curios wanting to shake hands and visit. The highlight of the day was coming home in a leaky boat and an engine that failed. There we all were in the middle of the ocean when a torrential downpour started. The kind that soaks one in a second. It was just so raw And real and fantastic to be out there on the edge if it all It's where you find your true self and realize that there really is a better view from the edge. I never imagined myself so calm so close to god and so welcomed in an otherwise Wiley and rough place. I've changed. Africa has changed me. So many fears and cares washed away. While I've only been here a week I feel I've lived a lifetime and while I've only mentioned a few things here in this blog I know now I've got a ton of great stories

Day 5 mercy ships

Easy start to the day. We set out to tour around and really immerse into the local culture. It was good to get a little further afield. The highlight today was getting trapped in an epic traffic jam so we pulled off the road and had some local snack. Ugali. Or called fufu. After that we did a bit of shopping and then grabbed an ice cold coca cola on a deck and watched the chaos drift by

Day four Mercy Ship. Priceless

A very early 4am start to travel to the most remote eye assessment place. A bit of a rocky start but things went very well. There were only about 1000 there to get assessed. The team is flat out amazing and I witnessed a level of patience and peace the passes all understanding. Yet again. The high today was seeing a man in the line and very clearly hearing the call to talk to him. He very humbly whispered to me that he had no eye problems but had a very bad hernia and gave me a quick peak. I knew I had to find a way to get him help but not draw attention or the masses around would surge to get help for ailments that were not eye related. I put my hands on his shoulders and whispered back to him. Brother today we are going to check your eyes. He understood what I meant and waited hours in Line out of pure faith I would get him past the yes or no treatment check point before the gate. When he got to that point the assessor flashes his light into his eyes and I leaned in to say please let this one pass for me. He was admitted. thank you for this grace this moment this amazing place. Thank you for the opportunity to help to heal to love a stranger now a friend. Thank you for the wind that guided us past the guards and gates and checks. Thank you for undeniable courage to fit just one more and to the trust on a frail wire of soo many needs. Against this high was the darkest sorrow of a youth maybe 14 years abandoned in the line only to be rejected because we just can't fix blindness and there I took his hand to lead him away looking frantically for his caregiver to pop out and then realizing there was no one. As I weeped I lead him to a bench where he sat knowing I too would leave him. Nothing but a prayer in a language he couldn't understand that I said in earnest Clutching his hands slowly backed away in the rain and chaos.

Day three Mercy Ships

A very early start today but everyone here gets up early with the call to prayer. It's a great wake up call and prompt to spend some time in silent reflection. We got on the road and went straight to the site for an eye screening. That's when the good people show up to get their eyes checked. It was a real surprise to see the need with some 4000 people there to get assessed. The high point for me was when I got part of the line singing to relive the anxiety and frustration of a long wait. I had to fight back the tears of joy at just how fast they jumped in to Sing and it all just started with me humming Amen amen amen. The low point for me was watching a very well put together women quietly leave the back of the line after hours of waiting in the rain and heat. So proud and wonderful yet so quietly and deeply disappointed clutching her elbows she walked away as if to say no one found me. I paused and wondered how many times she's tried and given up and wished I could do more but knowing I can't. So I just started humming amen amen amen

Day two mercy ship

We worked in the eye clinic today and checked in 100 or so people. The security and translates were phenomenal. The highlight of the day was being mid stride inside a crowded clinic with no windows and all sorts of cool equipment when a staff comes in to tell us all the power will go out in a few minutes leaving us all in pitch black. I stood there waiting for the moment and then it happened and it was as if the pause button was pressed on an elaborate ball room dance. We all just froze and waited ironically we were all blind together. Once they filled up the generator it all came back to life again as if to exhale and then pick up the serenade to the next step. This melted my heart because off all those wonderful people so patient but still they would have to wait longer to see clear or at all than just I had to for those few minutes. Thank you Africa for showing me that graceful patience and wonderful dance.

Day one the Mercy Ship

I put my camera away to start as this place just  cant be described with a picture.   We attended church this morning in a ward and sat on a hospital bed to sing and hear a good word.  This place is a riot of chaos and an assault to calm senses yet after moments in the street u feel like you'll never get enough of  this place.   The love in every power failure or closed road tackles fear head on and grabs your hand as if to say hang on it will b ok and hand me another brick and also pray I will know where to put this one in my hand

Mercy Ships Service - Sept 14-26th

FBC Deacon and Choir member Shane Finlay has been accepted to serve Sept 14th - Sept 26th in Guinea Africa as a non medical volunteer with the Mercy Ships. Mercy Ships are the world's leading non-governmental ship-based medical organization. Their goal is to transform the lives of the world's forgotten poor. One by one. The hospital ships and land-based teams provide primary medical care, relief aid and community support to the most impoverished people on earth, free of charge.

Shane will be serving either on one singular project or spllit with different crew members in departments on needed projects.    We may have a better idea of what type of service is needed closer to departure.

you can learn more about mercy ships at www.mercyships.org

Push

One of my favorite words going since it’s really meaningful in so many situations.   Those who push have passion more than anything else.  Pushing is the tough round to take but it's generally sweeter in the end  - as long as malice is not at the heart of it.  In today’s competitive landscape organizations need to push for value.  As Warren Buffet says – Price is what you pay but value is what you get.  Any company pushing for value has to seriously consider world class technology like that that found with SAP.    Value Engineering at SAP is an important part of customer interaction.     The push for value is worth it – just look at all the case studies and customer references SAP has.  Next time you are evaluating technology solutions ask yourself – what is this really worth to me? – then let SAP help.  It’s easier to push for value when you have a strong partner like SAP.

Downtown Dawne: Make-up Mania and the Meaning of Life

Downtown Dawne: Make-up Mania and the Meaning of Life

All Eyes on you - value

What if you could never hide?  Would you live differently?  Many of us work in environments where we are never out of eye shot – well except for the bathroom – we hope….  The “open” concept drives accountability and really forces the individual to maintain a level of value that is acceptable.  Perceived value can be a tricky thing and so it is worth saying that not everything we do will be immediately perceived as valuable and sometimes we have to take the hard road of not being recognized for our efforts.  Giving without the expectation of receiving is a real art and balance act – especially at work where performance is driven by recognition – for the most part.  Some good advice I received recently is to live all aspects of life as if all eyes are on you.  It really changes the dynamics of the value you bring.  As we drive value through an organization it is important to respect and acknowledge that it is more than just numbers and metrics that really drive value.  You don’t really need everyone’s eyes on you to be seen and to drive value.

More of the good stuff

Value Management is becoming increasingly important for all levels of software investments for any size company.  The question is why?  Companies like SAP are leading the way when it comes to offering excellence in software sales with value management.  Instead of just addressing software requirements SAP goes further and help companies draw the connections to key performance indicators based on SAP's wide industry experience and best practices knowledge.  While a company may have the item in the budget there are still overarching priorities that may derail the budget spend.  For example, a company may have a priority to address employee satisfaction.  Picture a board room setting with a group of executives that are trying to determine what is the best way to address the most pressing focus points - such as employee satisfaction.  On the table are several items including a training program a software solution and other proposals.  Now, imagine the group looking at all these potential spends but the only one that clearly demonstrates the link between employee satisfaction is the software solution.  This is the game they play called "spot the bad investment".  I don't know about you but I'd rather be the vendor that includes a business plan than the one that does not.  Further to this, value management is the continued check-in between a company and it's vendor to ensure the investment has reached the calculated results.  This is really how a vendor can help a company run better.