Don Stephens, founder and president of Mercy Ships, talk to supporters of the nonprofit organization. (Victor Texcucano/Staff)

The founder and president of Mercy Ships, an international nonprofit based in Lindale, thanked East Texans for their support and shared with them its current and future work for developing nations.

“We owe a big debt to the people of East Texas,” Don Stephens said Thursday. “We’re proud with a small ‘p’ to be here.”

Stephens and Myron (Mike) Ullman III, CEO of JCPenney and chairman of the Mercy Ships International board, were in Noonday on Thursday for a celebratory event put on by Ann and Brad Brookshire at The 3-B Ranch.

The global charity that operates the largest civilian hospital ship has been in existence for 36 years and moved its headquarters to Lindale 25 years ago.

Stephens said when the organization moved here from California in 1989, it was received with open arms.

A lot of the growth the organization has experienced is because of East Texans, he said.

 

Serving those in need

The organization’s volunteers provide life-changing operations. The ship’s medical crew emphasizes four major areas: maxillofacial, OB-GYN, dental and optical.

“Frankly, that’s what the need is,” Ullman said.

Stephens said the Africa Mercy’s work has been almost exclusively focused on West African countries because of the great need there.

Those countries represent the poorest nations, with some of the highest infant mortality rates and the lowest life expectancies, Gross domestic products and health care levels, he said.

Not only are the crews on these ships investing in the people through medical procedures and treatments, but the organization also engages in infrastructure development in some of the countries.

This includes building hospitals, clinics and dental training schools, Stephens said.

Stephens said he considers himself a privileged person because he gets to see the difference this organization makes in the lives of individuals regularly – when a blind child sees and a lame child walks.

“The rewards are tangible,” he said. “It doesn’t get any better than that. For me, it’s as close as I’ll ever get personally to (following) the model of Jesus.”

Ullman said several factors have kept him involved in the organization for about 25 years.

First is the business model, the idea that these people who serve on the ship volunteer their time and actually pay their way to serve.

“To serve selflessly is pretty intriguing right?” he said. “It’s counterintuitive.”

Second, the organization is providing the best medical services the western world has to offer to people in these developing countries, he said.

Finally, four of his six children have lived and worked on a Mercy Ship. So having his children personally involved in the mission and seeing how that affected their lives has in turn affected his.

“It’s a little hard not to like what’s going on,” he said.

 

NEW SHIP

In December 2013, Mercy Ships signed a contract to build a new hospital ship, which is slated for completion in mid-to-late 2017.

The new ship, which is in the design phase, will double the capacity of all four of the organization’s previous ships combined.

Every other ship, including the Africa Mercy, which is the one presently in use, were older ships the organization had remodeled for use as hospital ships.

With this new ship, it is being built specifically for Mercy Ships as a hospital ship.

As the organization prepares for the addition of another ship, there are four areas they must work in to be ready.

These include increasing human resources, financial support and operation management services. In addition, the nonprofit must make plans with leaders of specific countries so the ship will have places to go.

Once the new ship comes on board, the Africa Mercy will continue to sail. Stephens said the ships will be on a schedule designed to maximize the organization’s efforts, meaning when one is in dry dock, which is required each year, the other would be out on an assignment.

The organization needs to raise $125 million to fund the ship’s construction, and Stephens said $80 million in cash and pledges already has been received.

Ullman said the new ship will have a life expectancy of 50 years compared to 30 years for the remodeled ships.

The volunteers will be able to do twice as much. Both ships will be used at the same time but sent to different locations, he said.

Ullman said it has been important to Stephens that the organization has a model that is sustainable and the infrastructure to succeed beyond his vision and service.