Tuesday evening, 8th of July, 08:15

We got news today that we will be a week late getting the ship back into the water. It is taking longer to clean and repaint the ship water tanks so that puts us a week behind. It doesn't affect the sailing to Tenarife and then on to Benin.

Work is ahead of schedule for our end of the project, with lots of progress being made. We moved the 2 new sterilizers into their places and re-installed the 2 sanitizers. All that is left is to make final connections and checking them out. All the walls and new offices have been completed, and the shipyard is completing the above deck piping. Our water outages are off and on but not a problem.

We had a great weekend. We attended an A/G church and met the Pastor and his family. They are from Alabama and have been here 3 years. Pray that their paperwork gets approved as they were scheduled to go home for 6 months but had to postpone. They haven't been home in 3 years and their 17 year old son has been in the states for a year. The wife is really anxious and these setbacks are disappointing.

This weekend we are losing some of our team we have worked with and Friday night we are all going out to eat, sort of our last good-bye. We have loved meeting people from all over the world and working with them, all with the common goal of making the ship ready to fulfill its mission of caring for the poorest of the poor. And to think it started just over 38 years ago with the vision of a 19 year old boy, while on a mission trip in the middle of a hurricane. If you get the chance, read the book "Ships of Mercy" by Don Stephens.

Peggy has found her stores in Triana, and she told me "We will be back"...that's OK, I found several nice bakeries I can bide my time in. We have found that there is a pharmacy on almost every corner and some medicines we have to have prescriptions for are over the counter here..That comes as no surprise to us as we found the same thing in Senegal.

Both shafts and propellers are installed as well as the front bow thrusters are being completed. One rudder is on and the other is being put on tomorrow.

Peggy had a wonderful time today giving her (our) story of what we do and where we go from here. Then her supervisor, Henry, prayed a wonderful sweet prayer over our endeavors. I was asked today if I thought I might stay on for a longer period. I said "Right now I don't know if my body is up to it". The man who asked me, said that dry dock is the hardest part of being on the ship and once they sail and arrive in country, the work gets slower and easier.  We have learned that the non-medical crew can serve in a lot of areas in country as well as on the ship while it is in port. Peggy really wants to make the sail to Benin and help with the screening of patients. Who knows?, we are praying about it.

Hope everyone is doing good back home. We got to talk to Michelle and Ashley last night and tonight since we can receive phone calls from the states, we just can't make calls.

Love to all,
Ken and Peggy

 Peggy loves Triana and wants to go back,,,

 Cobblestone streets of Triana

 Macaws in Christopher Columbus' house and museum

 How about and "Old West Show" in Las Palmas

 Pork on the hoof, or hooks

 Lots of pork sold here, this little piggy, as well as his friends went to market

 Sand art on the beach

 Almost done

 Taking out the trash, or should I say, Dropping down the trash:

 When it's easier to do, just cut holes in the bottom of the ship,,then weld them up when through

 Views from atop Cathedral of Santa Ana

 Las Palmas Auditorio

 Fresh fish in the grocery, I do believe they sell everything they catch, mighty unusual stuff to be found

 Oh, No,,I'm in trouble, Peggy has found her way to "HER" stores....

 Triana

 Triana

Triana