May 2006 - President Johnson-Sirleaf's speech on her visit to the Anastasis

22 May 2006

Dr. Barr and officials of government, prelates and members of the
Liberian Council of Churches, Executive Director Quist, and staff of
the Mercy Ship, visiting team coming with Dr. Bernard to help us,
colleagues, friends, ladies and gentlemen.

I could no less than be here.

This is not my first trip to the Mercy Ship. I had the opportunity
to come several weeks ago and to tour the ship, and to walk through
the areas where our young people are being treated, and to just be
awed by what is happening in their lives. I was overfilled with
gratitude and appreciation to those who have given so much to be able
to share with us.

There are three things that come from the service of the Mercy Ship,
well-stated in all of the statements that have been made this
afternoon. First is the blessings that come from those who walk in
the path of Jesus Christ – the blessings that come from those who
walk the talk, and those who benefit from those that make the walk.
They're both blessed – the giver and the receiver. And I think those
who are on the Mercy Ship will be blessed by God as those who they
have served leave the ship also blessed. So we thank them for
walking in the path of Jesus Christ.

The second thought that comes to mind is the humanity of sacrificial
service. How many of us would be willing to leave all that we have –
our family, our friends, our fortune, our profession, our occupation,
and to go out and serve, bringing new life to others? How many of
you, in your community, are willing to do likewise – to look around
you in the community and to gather those who have the capacity and
the capability to say, "Yes, we can do something"? About the
garbage; about the children on the streets; about the old, abandoned
people? That we, too, with what we have, can serve them. We can
connect to humanity by the little that we do, and we want to thank
the Mercy Ship for what they have done, for this sacrificial
service. They have given up everything they have to come to a
faraway place and to be able to render to those in need. We do thank
you.

And the third thing, that lesson that comes to me from their service,
is the potential of transformation. We look at the examples that
they showed – young people, ostracized, unaccepted in their
community, ashamed to go around because of their disfigurement,
because of their disability. And see the difference after this
service – they can walk out, proud; they can once again regain their
self-confidence; they can once again become a part of their
community, their church, their school, their work. The
transformation that comes from their potential. And I sometimes see
this as a microcosm of the transformation of our nation. Because
there is pain in transformation, because you take something that
looks one way and you mold it into something else. And in that
period, there's no escaping the difficulties. I'm sure those young
children, when they have to take anaesthesia, when they have to go
through and watch a surgeon's knife, that they were afraid. But then
look at the potential of their lives recreated. And I say it's a
microcosm because I know that in our transforming our country, that
there will be pain and sorrow, there will be difficulties. But look
at tomorrow, when the bright lights come on.

And so we each and every one of us in this room need to capture the
spirit of these three things: walking in the path of Jesus Christ;
making sacrificial service, as the Bible says, "Cast your buckets
where you are"; and recognizing, extolling, the potential of
transformation.

To all of you Mercy Ships, we want to thank you. It's sad that you
are leaving, we are going to miss you, the community, those you have
served, the country, the government; but we take hope that as the
Africa Mercy ship comes back next year, some of you – as many as
could make it – will once again remember this great land of liberty,
this place of a friendly people, with all its problems – that you
will come back and once again join hands and bond with us. Give us
an opportunity to work with you, to appreciate you, to thank you, and
to share God's blessings with you.