| Minister grateful for Mercy Ships |
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The occasion aimed to celebrate all the hardworking individuals who, over the years, have used their time and skills to positively change the lives of people all over the world. Challenge Weekly reporter Gemma Margerison was able to sit down with notable guest Phil Heatley, Minister for Housing, Fisheries and Aquaculture, who served with Mercy Ships shortly after his marriage to Jenny. “I got involved in Mercy Ships by marrying Jenny,” says Mr Heatley. “She was always interested in doing Youth With A Mission (YWAM) work and when we got married I guess it’s something we thought would be an excellent thing to do together.” Mr and Mrs Heatley served on the Anastasis for five months. “We met the ship in Lithuania and they had dental crews there. Apparently they had all the skills but they didn’t have the drugs or the equipment,” says Mr Heatley. “We spent a lot of our outreach time in Turkey, we were there for six or seven weeks. Jenny did English training there.” Mrs Heatley adds, “The thing about the mission in Lithuania was that Mercy Ships was able to leave a million US dollars in dental equipment for the local dentists to use for the children to have dental treatment with anaesthetic. It was pretty cool to be part of it, just to see that all happening. We’ve discussed going back, it would be a fabulous experience for the family, to show them there are other people that need a helping hand beyond the privileged four walls of New Zealand.” After five months on the boat the Heatleys went to England and felt called to come back to New Zealand, which is when Mr Heatley began his career in politics. “I am with the National Party, so we were nine years, three terms, in opposition and now in Government and we’re working hard to be re-elected so I think I’ve still got a career left in politics, there’s still some time left in my political career. But going back to a Mercy Ship is definitely something Jenny and I have discussed from time to time and I wouldn’t rule it out,” he says. “I think Jenny and I doing an adventure like that brought us close together, it was pretty foundational in our marriage. In politics you come under a lot of pressures but I’d say the best thing that came out of it personally was our friendship.” |
Mercy Ships held a reunion harbour cruise around Auckland’s waters on April 16.