Note: Catherine Clarke Murphy is a 24-year-old University of Texas Journalism grad and a volunteer writer onboard the Africa Mercy
. The following is an excerpt from her blog  about her adventures in West Africa. 

On
 our last evening in the Canaries I had the good luck of meeting Teodoro
 Mylonas. Teodoro is the 72-year-old, sweet-natured Greek grandfather 
you never knew you’d always wanted. Originally from Argentina, Teodoro 
lived in 27 different countries before settling in Tenerife; his father 
was an officer in the Salvation Army. In true Argentinian fashion, 
Teodoro pronounces his “ll” with a “j” and shouts a genuine “mah-ma 
mi-ah!” when he is impressed, excited or shocked.
He first heard about our organization more than 20 years ago when he read in the local paper that the 
Anastasis, the 
Africa Mercy’s
 predecessor, was going to dry-dock in Tenerife. “A ship coming from 
Africa full with volunteers?” he said to his wife, “This must be it.”
Having
 grown up in a household where acts of charity were valued highly, 
Teodoro wanted to witness this hospital ship of volunteers and see what 
it was all about.

A bandmaster and spirited musician, he greeted the 
Anastasis
 on the docks of Muelle Cruz with his trumpet. He has since played at 
every arrival and departure of Mercy Ships’ fleet, more than 30 times 
since 1990.
“I want to bless the volunteers like they bless 
others,” he said. Thus, when Mercy Ships is docked in Tenerife, Teodoro 
acts as a local host, taking crew members to dinner, chauffeuring us on 
errands in his blue Citroen, stopping by to check on his “brothers,” and
 of course, heralding the ship’s comings and goings with all of the 
ceremonial fanfare fit for a king. He calls it “Teodoro’s First Class 
Treatment.”
On Wednesday evening, Teodoro offered to take myself, Chelle and Deb 
(our wonderful AFM photographers) to the best sunset spot on the island.
 We grabbed our cameras (and my notebook) for what would be our most 
memorable night in Tenerife. 
I’d like to end by saying after 
meeting Teodoro I am inspired to “bless people as they bless others.” 
His ‘pay-it-forward’ attitude set a wonderful example. Quite 
appropriately, ‘Teodoro’ means ‘gift from God.’ 
Gracias por todo, Teodoro! Nosotros le apreciamos y le tomamos con nosotros en nuestros corazones a Africa.