History
International President and Founder, Don Stephens, was a teenager when the idea of a hospital ship first struck him. He was nineteen when he took a trip with his youth group to the Bahamas. That summer, Hurricane Cleo swept through causing massive devastation. Homes were destroyed. People were killed. Stephens' youth group hid in a WWII British Air Force hangar. Stephens could not forget a prayer said during the hurricane: wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if a ship could come in after the devastation, to provide the necessary medical care and supplies. "The hearing of it challenged me," Stephens says. 
Years later, a team led by Don and Deyon Stephens began the process of finding a suitable vessel to fulfill their dream of a hospital ship that would reach out to the world's poorest people. On 7 July 1978 this dream became a reality. A deposit of $1 million was paid for a rusty old cruise liner, the Victoria, and work began in earnest to transform it.ngoing efforts over four years resulted in its transformation into a hospital ship with three operating theatres and a 40-bed ward. In 1982, the vessel sailed as the newly christened Anastasis - the first Mercy Ship.
Since then, Mercy Ships has served in more than 150 ports in developing nations around the world, bringing lasting change to hundreds of thousands of lives.
The New Zealand office was first opened in 1982 to support the 14-port New Zealand tour of the Anastasis during it's Pacific field work. Over the years it has continued to be a vital link between Kiwis in their desires to serve and to give into the vision of ships delivering health care services to transform the poor.
Mercy Ships New Zealand has an on-going dedication to raising financial resources to help the poor, and to facilitating the call upon New Zealand as a nation to impact the world by ‘going’ and making a difference.
Founders - Don and Deyon Stephens
From the beginning, Don Stephens has served as Founder and CEO of Mercy Ships. Co-founder Deyon Stephens, a registered nurse, serves as the Director of Training and oversees the Ships Watchmen program. Married in 1966, Don and Deyon have four grown children and became grandparents in 2002.
Dr. Stephens has received the Two Hungers Award and the Religious Heritage Award. In 2009 Don and Deyon Stephens were honoured with the Variety Club International Humanitarian Award. Don is also a Paul Harris Fellow through Rotary. Conversant in German and French, Don lectures internationally and is the author of two books, Trial by Trial and Mandate for Mercy. His third book, Ships of Mercy is published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK. Don is the voice behind the Mercy Minute, a daily radio broadcast aired internationally on over 720 radio stations. Don and Deyon often speak at seminars and conferences worldwide and appear as radio and television guests.
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