PORT TOWNSEND — Carley Rae doesn’t spout scripture — she lives it.
She believes dearly in her calling to serve residents of West Africa as a crew member aboard the mercy ship MV Anastasis.
Rae, 23, leaves Tuesday for a fourth year aboard the Christian vessel carrying physicians, nurses and antibiotics to countries ravaged by civil war, famine, malaria and other diseases.
The 1996 Port Townsend High School graduate works as a journalist and photographer, telling the stories of hundreds of people helped by the Anastasis and its crew.
Unlike other humanitarian programs, crew members pay for their room and board, a cost of $300 to $500 per month.
“My long-term goal was to work for International Red Cross with refugees,” she said. “But then when I became a Christian, I started working in relief service with MV Anastasis. I use both my faith and the vision I’ve had.”
Rae’s talents as a writer and photographer were recognized by the charity organization, so she’s been called to serve the mission in that manner.
“It’s really opened new windows of my soul,” she said.
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