The ship was renamed Anastasis, the Greek word for resurrection, and sailed out of Greece on July 7, 1982 to her port of registry in Valletta, Malta.

Her first relief effort was conducted in the port of Champerico, Guatemala, where Mercy Ships delivered food, seeds, clothing, and building materials.

Mercy Ships maintain this volunteer-based staffing model to date, as well as employing local day-workers to serve as translators and patient aides in each nation they visit.

[4] When she was not conducting field services in developing nations, Anastasis visited ports worldwide for purposes of fundraising, publicity, maintenance, and resupply.

Anastasis was originally headed to Ghana after several years of planning, but Mercy Ships' governmental invitation was frozen three weeks before departure.