As volunteers on international charity Mercy Ships’ early voyages, Åsa and Lars Gisel were not merely witnesses to its history; they were active participants in its making.
At 21, Åsa had just graduated as a nurse in Sweden and had a thirst for adventure. She felt compelled to do relief work and heard of a mission campaign that involved a derelict ship named the Anastasis. In 1979, she was one of the very first to board the ocean liner in Greece, which had been purchased for humanitarian purposes.
Åsa and a dedicated team set out to painstakingly refurbish, and bring new life and purpose to the former Italian ocean liner, which had been bought at its scrap value. The purpose was a dream of Mercy Ships’ founders – Don and Deyon Stephens – and a committed band of supporters.
Over the next four years, it was to be renovated and equipped as a fully functioning hospital ship. Its three operating rooms would serve as the flagship of the Mercy Ships fleet for the next 29 years before being succeeded by further ships.
These years were hard and labourious
Reflecting on those early times, Åsa said, “There was another nurse that came that first winter. We started to chip away some old paint and repaint. And she cried every day. It was so hard.”
But in January 1980, life was about to get more exciting for Åsa. During renovations, a Swiss man named Lars came down from Germany, where he was living in a community with his sights set on a life of celibacy as a monk.
“They called themselves in German, ‘Jesus Bruderschaft,’ Brotherhood of Jesus. Seven years. I was part of them for seven years, but I never made my final vows because I was always uncertain if that was really my calling.”
His desire to serve on the hospital ship – at that time touted to help refugees – was one that would change him forever and take him on an entirely different course.
A Shared Love Language
When he met Åsa, Lars realised his life needed to change its course. He initially used the opportunity of meeting her to practice his Swedish, as his mother was also Swedish.
They soon discovered they had more than language in common and their love quickly grew. But becoming an official couple was a bit more complicated than they expected.
Lars had to return to the community for six months with orders to really think it over. “During that autumn, we wrote letters to each other every day,” said Åsa, who eventually visited him in Germany. In 1981, they married in Sweden. The very next year, their first daughter was born.
Return to the Anastasis
Due to love and marriage, the Gisels missed the very first voyage of the Anastasis, which was disappointing since they’d worked so hard to get her ready to sail. They stayed in regular contact with the ship and in 1982, the family decided to return to the ship, which was now located in California.
“It was hard to uproot everything as a new mother, but fortunately, there were other couples like us; we had a real baby boom on board.”
Lars worked as an electrician while Åsa worked with the preschool children while caring for her own. And now, they finally got to sail.
From California to New Zealand, the Anastasis helped in a national project providing materials and assistance to the islands of Tonga, which had been hit by hurricanes. The couple vividly remembers the beautiful, untouched environment and the chance to snorkel directly from the harbour.
“I remember when they lifted the big fire truck onto the deck. It became Tonga’s very first fire truck,” recalled Åsa.
After more voyages, they ended up in Hawaii, where the ship had to be fixed again to improve fire safety. There, Lars and Åsa began planning their journey home.
“I was homesick and pregnant again,” Åsa explained why they left the Anastasis in 1984. Although they physically left the ship, Mercy Ships influenced their entire lives, and not just because they met on board.
“The spartan and simple lifestyle we had has influenced me a lot. I don’t have many demands in life; I can easily adapt to new situations. I always think it’ll work out in the end somehow, even if it doesn’t turn out as planned.”
Åsa said that despite all the work, the future for Mercy Ships was hard for her to imagine. “I never really thought the ship could become a hospital ship and do surgery on board.”
The Call of Mercy Ships Four Decades Later
For Åsa and Lars, Mercy Ships has always held a special place in their hearts. They’d assumed that their days as volunteers were behind them, believing that their “ship had sailed” when they retired.
But, when an unexpected opportunity arose to serve again 40 years later, they seized it. In 2024, they returned to the Global Mercy ®— the world’s largest civilian hospital ship—to serve in Sierra Leone.
This time, Åsa would finally fulfill her original calling as a nurse aboard a fully equipped hospital ship, and Lars would once more take on work in the electrical department. Together, they stepped back into the mission they helped shape from the beginning.
“It’s an absolute blessing. We all share the same values so we can pray together, help each other, and witness these amazing transformations in people’s lives,” recalled Åsa. “Every day, there are transformations for individuals that I get to be a part of. It’s such a privilege.”
Returning to a much more advanced Mercy Ships fleet, they were both grateful and proud to contribute their skills to the mission once again.
For Åsa and Lars, it was more than a return to volunteering—it was a renewal of their commitment to Mercy Ships’ vision, where they remain not just witnesses to its history, but active participants in its ongoing impact.
Do you want to experience your own incredible journey just like Åsa and Lars? Join Mercy Ships to bring hope and healing and create memories that will last a lifetime.
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