t began with a prayer and continues today because of prayer. It began with the destructive forces of a hurricane and continues with the life-giving power of God’s love. It began with a young man’s obedience and is sustained by thousands from around the world who answer, in whatever way they can, to the cries of the forgotten poor. In 1964, Hurricane Cleo ravaged the Bahamas. There, on a summer outreach, led by Loren and Darlene Cunningham of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), Don Stephens and 145 other young men and women found themselves caught in the midst of the devastation. While the tempest pounded their shelter, they prayed for those caught in Cleo’s clutches. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful,” voiced one young woman, “if we had a ship with doctors, nurses, engineers…a ship filled with cargo that could come in to help after a disaster like this?!” Don agreed and envisioned ships like floating hospitals. Some 14 years later, Don and Deyon Stephens and friends found themselves in Italy, purchasing for $1,000,000 a retired luxury passenger/cargo liner named Victoria. It took four years, representing thousands of hours of hard work and prayer before the vessel, renamed and resurrected as Anastasis, sailed forth as the first Mercy Ship. After 29 years of service, the Anastasis retired, making way for the newly-refitted Africa Mercy to take on her mantle of hope and healing. Through the years, other ships have come and gone as part of the Mercy Ships fleet, joining a worldwide network of staff and supporting partners to provide medical care, relief aid and long-term sustainable change in developing nations – putting reality to that prayer of so long ago by bringing assistance to the impoverished and downtrodden. Mercy Ships utilizes the capabilities of sea-going cargo and passenger carriers to link nations – bridging those who have an abundance with those who have little or nothing. This is all carried out each year by more than 850 career crew and some 1600 sort-term volunteers from over 40 nations.