The Last One . . .

Well, here we sit on our last day on the Africa Mercy.  Two years of life is packed into 4 checked bags and a couple carry-ons.  Tomorrow morning we will board a bus to ride 8 hours to Antananarivo, the capitol of Madagascar where we will spend the night.  On Sunday we will fly to Nairoba, Kenya; Amsterdam; and then Minneapolis (total flight and layover time about 36 hours) . . . and then we will be home.

The boys will pick us up at the airport and we will spend a couple days with them in a hotel catching up and trying to get our sleep schedule straight (we are 9 hours ahead of Minnesota).  Then comes Christmas with the Sandin and Tveite families.

We should be excited to get back to our "normal" lives and we are.  However, we are also sad and torn at the relationships we are leaving.  Our investment of 2 years of our lives in this journey has paid off in so many ways.  We are very much richer people for the investment.

Now comes the job of reintegrating to the community we know and love in Minnesota.  We ask for your patience as we go through the stresses of leaving the mission field and returning to a place where normal isn't quite normal for us anymore . . .

We can't get back into our house until March so will be living with some incredibly generous friends. We plan to get back into many of our previous activities, church, hockey, golf to name a few.  But we are also going back without employment plans.  We know we will work, we just don't know what that looks like yet.  We aren't planning to rush into anything, everyone we know from the mission field advises to take your time and adjust to your community before you make any big decisions.

To those back in the states who have helped, prayed, supported in our journey, again THANK YOU!! We look forward to updating our relationships!

To those on the Africa Mercy that we leave behind, what can we say to people who have wormed their ways into our hearts . . . we have built wonderful friendships with people from literally all over the world.  You will all be welcome in our home anytime!  Speaking of that, we intend to have a place to provide a respite for those who are returning to the US or are just visiting or driving through southern Minnesota.  Should you ever find yourself wanting or needing a place to stay, please call or email  . . . seriously!!!!

To those who have followed this incredible journey through our blog, this may be our last entry . . . then again, maybe not!!  Either way, we hope that you have experienced a changed view of our world through these words and pictures.

May God bless you!!!

Matt and Denise

Wrapping Up

The Africa Mercy is back doing what she does best . . . bringing hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor.  This time we are not in our usual location of West/Central Africa, we are docked at the world's fourth largest island, Madagascar!

The hospital opened this week and we are starting to see little boys and girls with casts on their legs as our amazing orthopedic surgeons work to straighten bent bones.  It has seemed to restore a sense of balance to our community . . . nurses aren't used to working in the deck and engineering department, but there had to be work assignments while the organization worked feverishly to find a service location . . . seeing people wearing scrubs just brings a smile to my face, recognizing what it will mean to thousands of people here.

As most of you know, Denise and I will finish this time onboard the Africa Mercy on December 20. We will be flying back to the US on December 21, arriving in Chicago on the 22nd, and then driving to Minnesota either late on the 22nd or the 23rd.  We are thrilled to be back with our families for the holidays but I'm also feeling strange leaving the ship and the people who have been our community for the past two years.

This morning I awoke at 4 am (again!) and was laying in bed thinking.  I picked up my kindle and went to facebook.  I saw a post from two of my friends, one Brit and one American who were together in the states.  I sent a quick note to say hello and they were on line.  We reminisced for a few minutes and I continued thinking about our time here . . . I realized I haven't settled into a routine here (and with only 5 weeks left may not!) . . . then I started thinking about what we have been a part of for the past 2 years.  Literally thousands of lives have been changed through surgeries and education . . . governments and countries have been impacted to raise the level of healthcare . . . what will be lifelong friendships have been made . . . 

As a small measure of what has happened directly for me during this time . . . I have slept off the ship more than 40 nights in 4 different countries . . . I have learned and spoken small portions of 4 different languages . . . I have met friends from literally all over the world . . . have flown on 13 different airlines (a couple VERY sketchy ones! . . . soon to be 15) .  . . have spent money in 6 different currencies (yes, I can tell you the exchange rate for the dollar to the Guinea franc, the Central African Franc, the Ariary, the Rand . . . ) . . . I've dealt with important government officials to accomplish various missions (I spent this week in the Madagascar capitol working with 2 different government ministries so that the 280 passports I was carrying for the crew received long term visas) . . . all the while Denise remains the stability for us . . . she works on the ship teaching children from various parts of the world and being a friend and mentor to many young women on the ship.  

When it's all said and done, what it truly comes down to serving the forgotten poor.  It's easy to get wrapped up in the "important things" we do or the "important people" we meet but the reality of what we do is best shown through the smiles of the kids whose lives will never be the same!

These are some of the very first patients for Mercy Ships in Madagascar

This is our line on the first morning of surgical screening.

We've said this before, but whatever role you play in this mission, Thank You!  Please don't ever forget that none of us did anything to deserve the place where we were born or the family with which we were blessed.  Continue to support those less fortunate, whether that calls you to physically serve in your town, another city, county, state, country or continent, or if it calls you to serve through financial support of those serving elsewhere, or whether it takes the role of emotional and prayer support, each piece is necessary and valuable!  

And the Adventure Continues!

Well a lot has happened since we last posted. We sailed into Cape Town on September 29th.  We were able to enjoy our time there.  The ship was docked on the V & A waterfront which is very touristy.  There was a huge mall and many restaurants within a 5 minute walk.  We were also walking distance to the city bus tours bus stop and Two Oceans Aquarium.  The elementary students of the Academy took a field trip to the aquarium, there were so many things to see.  We were also able to visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. The tour guide was a former political prisoner held there.  It was an interesting tour.  We also saw penquins, ibis, and an African oystercatcher.  I am still quite amazed that we are seeing all of these things.  

These are the African Penguins.

This was Nelson Mandela's cell for much of the time he was confined.

We worked a lot while we were there too.  There were many tours of the ship.  About 5000 people visited.  Matt was very busy with all of that and I helped out on the weekend.  We spent about 17 days in Cape Town.

We visited the lovely Cape Town Botanical Gardens.

When the ship moved berths in Cape Town as the start of the sail to Madagascar there was a problem with the exhaust system in one of the engines.  So once again the ship was put in a waiting position this time, thankfully, it was only one day.  Some of us began talking and realized that for the past 6 months the ship has made plans only to have them change in some manner, whether it has been the location we are heading to, or the time frame, along with the many smaller changes that have taken place.  This has been a strain on many crew but we see the end in sight as we sail into Tomasina. 

Matt needed to go ahead of the ship to sort out some security questions.  He arrived in the capital on Friday the 17^th then Saturday took the 8 hour bus ride to the port.  Things have gone well. Me, I sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Agulhas (the southernmost place in Africa) and up into the Indian Ocean.  We were forewarned that it would be a rocky sail due to some storm systems.  The Captain and crew did the best they could and navigated us through the calmest seas possible. However, it was quite bumpy and rocky.  10 degree lists were quite normal.  Tuesday evening into Wednesday was about the worst.  Some 20 + degrees.  In the middle of the night many things came unsecure. I heard it hit 30 degrees.  I am thankful this happened at night and no one was injured. 

Another new experience -I’ve experienced Snow Days and all kids love them but I never expected to have school called off when we came on a ship to Africa.  Wednesday came to be known as a ‘Swell Day,’ many meanings to that, no school the seas were too rough.

Any way by the time this gets posted we will be in the country of Madagascar.  The excitement is building.  There are patients to screen, appointments to be made, the operating rooms and wards to set up.  So many people, specifically the medical staff have been reassigned the last few months while we’ve waited to get to our country.  They are ready.  Those of us who have had our regular jobs to do are feeling the energy of the others.  We all know God is good and has His plan and His time frame.  We just need to remember to listen and to trust Him.

The ship arrived in Tomasina, Madagascar or Tamatave as the locals call it.  Matt was on the dock  waiting along with the Advance Team.  Then many were very busy getting ready for the President and Prime Minister to arrive for a welcome ceremony and tour of the ship.  The ceremony was filled with music and dancers. This took place on the dock. There is great excitement in the country.

That’s the southern most part of Africa in the background.

Table Mountain in Cape Town.

. . . on the LONG sail

So here we are on day 16 of our sail . . . the first 13 were quite gentle, nice little rock, virtually no interruption to daily routine .. . then along came day 14 (Friday)!!

The waves and swells both increased significantly, which is entirely normal for this area.  We went from rocking 3-4 degrees on a bad patch to having one wave sequence that took us over 21 degrees port and starboard!  All around the ship you could here the crash and bang of things that had broken loose of their moorings or had been thought to be safe from moving.  Many of us spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up things and re-securing areas that were supposed to have been fully secured before we sailed.

Since Friday we have had pretty constant 6-10 degree rolls.  If feels just like I've been on the kiddy roller coaster . . . for a constant 48 hours!  Neither Denise or I have felt particularly seasick, I am just ready to be done riding the roller coaster!  I have a much better understanding of why sailors have to adjust their balance between sea and land.

We arrive in Cape Town tomorrow where we will stay for about 2 1/2 weeks doing promotional/recruitment work in conjunction with the South African office.  Then it is off the Madagascar!

Here are a couple pictures we took this week, separated by just a few days:

In the last entry I forgot to mention the excitement in the harbor of Gran Canaria!  A ship docked about 1,000 meters away from us started on fire.  Thankfully there were no injuries; however, the fire got bad enough they towed the hulk out to sea and sunk it . . . here are a couple pictures . . .

Time Change:  For those of you in the Central Time Zone, we are now 7 hours ahead of you .. . . when we get to Madagascar near the end of October we will be 8 hours ahead, then after you change your clocks, we will be 9 hours different.  

And We're Off!!

As many of you know, Mercy Ships has FINALLY announced country next (version 3) . . . we are on the Atlantic Ocean on our way to Madagascar via South Africa.  We left the Canary Islands a week ago and have been chugging along ever since.  We will be stopping in Capetown South Africa for about 3 weeks to support our South Africa office and to allow a few more weeks for our advance team in Madagascar.  The advance team is working feverishly to complete pre-arrival work for the ship.  This team normally has at least 4 months to do this work, in Madagascar, they will have six weeks!  As a perspective of the length of this voyage (the longest ever for the Africa Mercy), we are travelling just over 4,400 nautical miles to Capetown . . . at 12-13 miles per hour!  When we arrive in Madagascar, we will be in the port of Toamasina on the east coast and will be serving a population that is mostly new to us.

Here is an Ebola update . . . as of August 26, there were 3,069 cases including 1,552 deaths . . . as of September 14 there were 5,335 cases including 2,622 deaths.  This impact of this disease is growing at a huge rate.  On top of that, people are getting desperate in the affected countries.  Just this week, there were 8 people including pastors and government officials killed by a mob in southeast Guinea.  These people were there simply to educate others as to how to avoid Ebola and died for their efforts.  We specifically ask for prayer for the family of Rev Moise Mamy.  Rev Mamy helped to run a hospital that had close affiliation with Mercy Ships during our time in Guinea.  There are many people hurting over this loss tonight.

Last update for this entry, Denise and I have made the decision to end our time with Mercy Ships just a little early.  We will be flying back to the US somewhere between Dec 20 and Christmas.  Last year we stayed in Africa for Christmas due to only having limited time off of work and high costs of travel.  This decision, while logical, wasn't right for our family.  We vowed that we would spend Christmas with our kids this year.  Accordingly we planned on them joining us in West Africa for a couple weeks during the holiday season.  However, with the change to Madagascar, travel has greatly increased in both time and cost and significantly decreased in reliability.  So, we have decided to end this period of service in December.  On a really good note, because we discussed our challenges with Mercy Ships senior staff, replacements have already been found for our positions.  They will both be filled without an interruption in service.  We are very thankful for that!!

Here are a couple pictures from our sail today. . . it has been mostly overcast this week but after we crossed the equator in the middle of the night, the skies have cleared . . . but the ocean swells have increased!

Ebola

Well, we are still in the Canary Islands . . . why you ask?  There are two reasons, one of which is in our control and the other . . . not so much!

We are finishing working on some technical issues with the propulsion system of the ship, and let me tell you, I'm quite happy to have these wonderful talented people fixing the propulsion systems of  a ship on which we will sail through the oceans!  Those should be complete this week.

The second is Ebola.  As most of you know, the target service area of the Africa Mercy is what we refer to as the "15x15 grid" that is 15 degrees north and south of the equator and 15 degrees east and west of the prime meridian.  This covers 17 countries in West and Central Africa, but it also the area that has Ebola.

Here is the latest update from the World Health Organization on statistics of those infected with Ebola:

Disease update

As of 26 August 2014, the cumulative number of cases attributed to EVD in the four countries stands at 3069, including 1552 deaths. The distribution and classification of the cases are as follows: Guinea, 647 cases (482 confirmed, 141 probable, and 25 suspected), including 430 deaths; Liberia, 1378 cases (322 confirmed, 674 probable, and 382 suspected), including 694 deaths; Nigeria, 17 cases (13 confirmed, 1 probable, and 3 suspected), including 6 deaths; and Sierra Leone, 1026 cases (935 confirmed, 37 probable, and 54 suspected), including 422 deaths.

Confirmed, probable, and suspect cases and deaths from Ebola virus disease in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone

	Confirmed	Probable	Suspect	Totals
Guinea
Cases	482	141	25	648
Deaths	287	141	2	430
Liberia
Cases	322	674	382	1 378
Deaths	225	301	168	694
Nigeria
Cases	13	1	3	17
Deaths	5	1	0	6
Sierra Leone
Cases	935	37	54	1 026
Deaths	380	34	8	422
Totals
Cases	1 752	853	464	3 069
Deaths	897	477	178	1 552

However, this is a disease that reared it's ugly head in December 2013.  You might say 3,000 cases in 9 months, that's not too bad . . . then we start taking a closer look at what isn't revealed in the simple numbers: 40% of these cases have occurred in the last 21 days . . . these numbers are far greater than all previously reported Ebola cases, COMBINED! . . . many sources are reporting that the "official" numbers are significantly under reported, maybe by as much as 50%.  Wait, you say, I don't see the Democratic Republic of Congo on here . . . you are right, they aren't shown in this update, but there is now Ebola there as well. Final tests of the strain of Ebola aren't in, but again many sources are reporting this likely is a separate outbreak and numbers are very unclear.  Oh, did I mention that late this week Senegal reported it's first case.

We show Ebola stats based on country but the disease doesn't know country borders . . . Africa is much more based on tribal groups rather than country borders, many of which are very porous.

What this all means to us is that, for now, we won't be going to any of the countries in our traditional service area.  Our original plan of returning to Guinea was changed in April to Benin.  This week, we were notified of the final decision to postpone our field service in Benin.  The risk is just too high and the senior management of Mercy Ships has emphasized time and again that the safety of our crew is paramount!  

Some will ask "You're a hospital ship poised to serve this area, why don't you go help with Ebola?"  It is true we are a hospital ship; however, we are a specialized surgical ship that is not equipped to deal with a disease that requires quarantine and isolation methods.  We have wards, we don't have single rooms.  Our traditional methods for screening patients brings huge crowds together.  When we conduct a screening, we widely publicize the conditions we are able to treat.  We give picture examples of the tumors, the clefts, the orthopedic deformities . . . and yet people come because they had a heart attack or their child suffers from cerebral palsy or some other medical condition that we don't treat.  Who can blame that parent of a sick child, certainly not me!  Large gatherings of sick people are exactly what this area does not need right now.

Where are we going?  This is a good question, one that is being explored by our senior management.  We should have an answer very soon.

What can you do?  Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We hope this big white hospital ship will be on the move soon (hopefully within days rather than weeks) and will update you.  Above all, inform yourselves about the Ebola outbreak.  This was going on for months before two Americans contracted the disease.  Our western media wasn't paying much attention until then . . . yet people in Africa were dying. Pray for these people, look into the two organizations that are doing much of the work on the ground.  They are Doctors Without Borders and Samaritan's Purse.   These two groups have been doing great work, if it fits your giving plans, look into them!

Finally, we ask that you pray for all the West Africans affected by this horrible disease.  We have several serving as crew members here on the Africa Mercy.  They are having a tough time balancing being here on this mission with the problems faced by their friends and relatives at home.

Blessings to all, we will update as soon as country next (round 3) is finalized!

Back on the Africa Mercy

Time to begin blogging again!  First we want to thank everyone for their kindness.  We had an extremely enjoyable time in the States.  It was great to connect with family and friends face to face.  Thank you ALL for your hospitality.  There are no words to describe how grateful we are for each one of you.  We are incredibly blessed by our friends and families. Unfortunately, we did not get to see everyone we had hoped to. The good news is we will be home in about 7 months and will have more time. 

I’d have to say the best part of the summer was spending time with the boys.  It was great to see them and know they are doing well.  Thanks to everyone helping them out. 

Things are very busy here.  There are so many things to get done at the beginning of the school year.  School begins August 12^th.   Also, many people are arriving and getting ready for what’s next.

Speaking of what’s next, many of you know that Ebola has been discovered in four Western African countries.  This has caused questions regarding the mission of the ship.  The Africa Mercy is a specialized surgical hospital so Ebola is outside our scope.  Mercy Ships has emphasized that the safety of our crew is the first priority.  Because of the emphasis on crew safety the Africa Mercy, which was originally due to sail this Friday, will be delayed 2 weeks as issues, response, and contingencies are examined.

We’ve had a good time in the Canary Islands as we prepare for our next field service.  On Saturday we went up Mt. Teide, the (dormant) volcano here on the island of Tenerife.  It is over 10,000 feet high on an island that is only about 75 kilometers wide, so some of the climbs were pretty significant for our rental car. The only down side of Tenerife is that our already rotten internet is even worse, so we can’t post pictures this time.

We have updated the prayer requests on this blog, please look at them.  Please feel free to share the requests as you feel led.

Again, we can’t tell you how much we appreciate the support of all our loved ones back in the States.  We couldn’t possibly be here without you!