with Ben and Will Ketchum

For the last seven years, Ben and Will Ketchum have served alongside their parents as missionaries. Like many people who spread the good news about Jesus, they have lived in many countries, including: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Benin, Sierra Leone and the Gambia. But unlike many missionaries, today Ben and Will live and work on a ship—a Mercy Ship to be exact. Hop aboard and learn something about life at sea.

Will (10 years old): We first came to Mercy Ships in 1996. We went to a ship called Caribbean Mercy. It looked so huge at first, but it seemed to get smaller when we went inside, explored and got to know our way around.

Our school was called International Christian School and met in some classrooms on one of the decks. There were 12 other kids.

After three years on Caribbean Mercy, we went to Sweden and then to another Mercy Ship, the Anastasis. We have been on the Anastasis for the last three years. Living on a ship is not much different from a house, except you have a “cabin” instead of a bedroom. In the cabin there are usually bunk beds, a bathroom (which some cabins do not have) and places to put extra stuff.

Ben (11): The Anastasis is a big ship—more than 500 feet long. Dad is the captain and our mom is the second mate.

This ship was originally an Italian passenger liner built in 1953 called the Victoria. Now it is used as a hospital ship to help people who have tumors, cleft lips and palates, burns and other problems.

We try to introduce our patients to Jesus Christ. Many accept Jesus into their hearts, but some don’t because Christianity is a free choice and no one is forced to become a Christian.

Our school on the Anastasis has more than 50 students in it and seven full-time teachers. We meet from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. During the summer, the school has a program where kids can come to make crafts.

Will: Our ship travels to Africa to help the poor and needy. Africa is sometimes a nice place. There are nice beaches you can go to. But then again, it’s usually very hot.

We spend about seven months in Africa on what’s called outreach. Then the ship goes to Europe for four months to get repairs and to receive more food, water and medical supplies.

Ben: One of our recent outreaches was to a small African country called Sierra Leone. If you look at a map, you will see Sierra Leone on the Western curve of Africa. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest nations in the whole world and a 10-year civil war hasn’t helped at all.

The Anastasis arrived in this country and our doctors immediately started to do surgeries. Will and I decided to go along with Dad, Mom and a group of others to an orphanage every other Saturday to play with the kids and give them food. All of these orphans, over 60, had lost both their parents due to the civil war. Most of them slept two to a bed, and they didn’t have running water or electricity in the house! Sometimes we didn’t like going, but we knew that we were helping and that gave us a good feeling. In Sierra Leone, doctors did 931 surgeries.

Will: When we’re sailing, things get tossed around so much that you sometimes can’t get into your cabin. Sailing is not as pleasant as you might think because of seasickness and the mess it makes when the ship rocks back and forth on the waves. On the other hand, sailing is not so bad; sometimes the ship goes up and down very fast. If you jump at the right time when the ship goes down, you can get really high!

Ben: Our scariest experience came when we were onboard the Caribbean Mercy during a huge storm. The ship wasn’t very big, so it was getting tossed around like a cork!

Our most uncomfortable experience happened when we played soccer against kids from a stilt village called Avagbodji in Benin, West Africa. More than 350 villagers watched the game because this was the first time any outside team had ever come to play. Whenever someone fell or got injured, the crowd would laugh and snicker. It was a very different culture. The kids we played against didn’t know any of the rules, but they did their best and so did we.

We have had many other amazing experiences. Some funny, some serious and even a few miracles. And I can say, God was with us through them all.

“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.” Psalms 107:23-24, KJV

	Q: What dessert do birds like best? A: Chocolate “chirp” cookies. Rawlin K., 11, Louisiana Clubhouse Jr. Click here to subscribe