Screening Day

Well, screening day is here and gone!  It was an amazing experience, we dealt with a huge number of people, many are saying over 7,000 were in line.  The line was over 1,100 meters long for an hour or so and stayed at 800-900 meters for much of the morning.  The stream of people coming to line up seemed endless.  There was stress, both for Mercy Shippers and for the Congolese people, but with patience and God's grace the line moved along without major incident.  We worked hand in hand with the Pointe-Noire police.  My counterpart is a great guy who speaks decent English.  Every time I asked for something he replied "That is no problem" whether it was to have 12 additional police officers in 10 minutes or if it was that, because the line was growing so fast I needed to close a public road to extend our line!  Then he proved it really wasn't a problem!

The day is filled with stories, both of success and heartache.  Here is a link to the blog of one of my friends (yes, she is the nurse from the 60 Minutes story!)

http://alirae.net/blog/

Ali is a gifted writer who tells the stories that many of us experience.  She is a blessing here!  Her latest post is about yesterday and tells of some of the challenges we face.

It is easy to focus on the good we do, but often our hearts are weighed down by the one's we can't help.  I know I have pictures in my mind of people who were told "No" and their lonely, sometimes broken walk to the exit gate.  I think these pictures will always travel with me. Our successes are fantastic but our limits hurt!!

Having just experienced my first big screening event, today I am more thankful for the blessings in my life, our family both immediate and extended, friends, church family and faith. 

Here are three pictures from screening day. 

Please take time today to appreciate your blessings!!!

CONGO!!!

We are here!!!  It is great to have feet back on dry land again . . . but quite an adjustment!

The Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), not to be confused with Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), is a country of contradictions.  The city we are in, Pointe-Noire, has aspects that are very Western and other aspects that are very African.  There are working traffic lights (absolutely none in Guinea), neon signage, a western style grocery store, etc. . . yet there is the Grande Marche (market) which is comprised of hundreds of small stalls built into a couple blocks with paths about 3 feet wide between them.  But even the Grande Marche is different.  In Guinea the markets were almost always open and the paths were paved with refuse.  Here, every vendor must empty his/her stall every Monday and Friday and the entire market is swept and all trash removed.  The country has banned disposable plastic in many forms.  You will be fined for using a plastic supermarket bag!!!! 

The country is about 80% urban, primarily between Pointe-Noire which is the major port and Brazzaville which is the capital.  As we understand the rural areas are very consistent with the rest of western Africa.  I will soon find out as we are taking a trip "up-country" for evaluation of sites for our screenings in December.  This could be interesting as we will be travelling 1400 kilometers each way on roads that would be very rural in the US. 

Denise is doing well in the Academy.  She is enjoying her class. 

Please pray for our upcoming general screening.  This is August 28 and can involve up to about 5,000 potential patients.  I am responsible for the safety and security of the event. . . needless to say, I'm quite busy right now!

Today's picture comes from the arrival ceremony of the ship to Pointe-Noire.  There was a big celebration on the dock and we had to make sure the gangway was secure.  On my right is Lincoln Folkers, the purser on the ship, and on my left is Gabe Chase, the Ship Security Officer.  It felt good to put on the uniform and represent Mercy Ships here in Congo!

Sailing to Congo

Sailing to Congo

Here we are enjoying another sail.  It has been quite busy for both of us.  I am now teaching third grade. We are two days into the school year and it is going well.  My class has two boys in it.  It is a bit interesting teaching on a rocking ship with many items secured.  My commute to work has gone from about 50 steps which included one flight of stairs to 200 steps and three flights of stairs.
Matt has been busy with planning meetings to get ready for the mass screening day on August 28th. 
The ship is rocking a bit more than the last sail but it hasn't been too bad.  We do hear more of the waves while in our cabin. 
Here are some pictures from the sail.  We had a beautiful sunset the first night.  Monday the view began to get hazy and yesterday it was extremely hazy. It was the sand from the Sahara Desert blowing.  I've included a picture of the hazy sunset and the after effects on the rail.  And to think this is about 150 miles off the coast. Amazing!  We've seen dolphins a few times. I included someone else's picture.  Others have been fortunate enough to see orcas and a stingray, we are hoping we get to also.

Beauty

Very dreary day and evening.

Usually quite white. Can you see where the dirt has been removed?

How many dolphins can you count?

It was amazing to watch!

Barcelona

Barcelona

Last week we had a long anticipated vacation in Barcelona. It was wonderful!! We met Jake there for 3 days. He was with his friend Will and Will’s sister Maggie.  It was so great to see them!  We had a great time and saw many things.   The best part was just spending time together.  We were blessed by a family on the ship by getting to use their apartment, which was terrific! It was much more relaxing than a hotel. It was a 10 minute walk to the beach along the Rambla which is a street for pedestrians and bikes lined with shops and restaurants.  It was very relaxing!  We all enjoyed the late nights, finishing dinner about midnight then sleeping in, followed by beach time in the late morning- early afternoon, then lunch about 2 followed by a siesta.  We did do a lot of walking and site seeing in the short time we were there.  It’s been difficult for me, Denise, to get back to ship life after seeing Jake, Will, and Maggie.  I guess I’m feeling homesick again.  Things on the ship are completing as planned. We sail to Tenerife on Saturday and are there for a week, then we will sail to the Congo.  I begin in the Academy 7/22.  There are many people are beginning to return from their vacations and it is great to hear their stories.  Here are some pictures from our time in Barcelona.

This is the view from the balcony of the apartment on to the Rambla.

This was in front of the apartment building.

 

This is Sagrada familia, a church designed by Guadi.

These are two Guadi houses on Paseo de Gracia.

We came across this arch while walking.

We also stumbled upon this fountain in a park.

There were also permanent ping pong tables in this park.

 \

Just enjoying Barcelona!

25 years . . .

On Tuesday, July 2, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.  On Monday evening we left the ship and got a hotel room near the beach.  There had been an unexpected water outage during Monday and had been cautioned that there would be no hot water through Tuesday!  We had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed walking on the boardwalk.  On Tuesday morning we rented a car and drove around the island.  Gran Canaria is about 60 km north and south and about 50 km east and west.  About halfway down the east side of the island we turned inland for about 10 km to the village of Guayadeque.  This picturesque little village is built almost totally in caves in the side of the mountain, everything from the houses to the little church to the bar and restaurant.  We went about 2 km past the village and the road ended at a restaurant about halfway up the mountain.  You entered through a cave and we sat in a room over the ravine looking out across the valley to the ocean. 

Most of the western side of the island is mountains.  For the last 80 km or so, we were driving primarily in mountain passes, kind of fun but still challenging!!  All in all, we had a very relaxed day.

I am still amazed that I have had the opportunity to be married to Denise for the past 25 years.  I am a very lucky man!!  We have been blessed with two wonderful sons and are now given the opportunity to serve others not so fortunate.  As we see people in third-world countries, I marvel at how we won the birth lottery.  This has given us chances that most of the world will never have, simply because we were both born to loving families in a developed nation. 

On Sunday, we will travel to Barcelona where we will meet up with our son Jake who is on a vacation trip with close friends.  We are VERY excited to see them.

It has felt strange being back in a first-world country for a short time, able to celebrate our life together in a manner similar to what we have at home.  Yet, in a few short weeks we will be back in Africa, this time in the Republic of Congo.  That experience is expected to be like none Mercy Ships has ever had before.  We are venturing into a new country in Central Africa, but also to a port city (Pointe Noire) that is fairly developed due to the oil companies.  However, when you leave the city, you find yourself back in extreme poverty.  Congo is a big country largely without a reliable road system.   We are still planning how to get to the more remote regions of the country to reach the rural population. 

Off to bed soon as I have another 3:40 am airport run!! 

 

A sculpture in the village square of Aguimes

 

The view from the restaurant in Guayadeque

The western coast of Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria

Wow! Sorry! I can’t believe so much time has passed since we did a blog update.  We arrived in Gran Canaria, Spain on June 6^th.  After getting docked and having an orientation meeting  we were able to leave the ship, which almost everyone did.  We were all excited to be back in a first-world nation.  Many people walked to the mall which takes about a 45 minute which included Burger King and McDonalds which serve beer as part of the extra value meal.  We walked to the mall and wandered about.  The only thing we bought was a book entitled ‘15 Minute Spanish’ learn in just 12 weeks. We thought it may come in handy when trying to order out or get around on public transportation, and it does.  After the mall we continued walking and exploring, we came to an area we ship crew call the boardwalk which is restaurants and shops along the beach. It is about a 30 minute walk from the ship.  We finally made our way back to the ship.  In total we probably walked for about 4 hours. It was wonderful!  We saw and smelled green grass; there was no litter, trash bins placed around the city;  no one coming up to us and trying to sell us things. Nice evening.

Since then we have been out many times, done some shopping, enjoyed dinner or dessert on the boardwalk. 

Matt’s job has mostly revolved around trips to the airport. The trips are any time of day or night and everyone needs to go to the immigration office just before going to the airport.  Due to an immigration requirement a ship’s officer or ship security must escort people to immigration.  Lucky Matt, he has had the privilege of getting many of the trips.  I’m still in the dining room but about half the people to serve.

There is much construction and updating taking place during ship yard.  The old CT scanner has been removed and the new (to us) machine is now in place.  Quite the challenge, we hear, since the old machine was put in place and then ship renovations took place.  The floor is being replaced on the wards which means tearing out the old, which was placed over the train tracks (This ship was built to haul rail cars) from the old ship, meaning jack hammers.  Oh, and the galley is being renovated with all new refrigeration , so at this point the refrigerators have been removed and all cooking has been moved to the crew galley, (regular kitchen versus industrial kitchen).  This is difficult to explain but what it means is everyone needs to have patience and be flexible with what we have.  It is only for a couple months and then we are back to serve the African people.

One very cool thing is the number of people who come to serve Mercy Ships during this time.  People come to relieve the ship officers for vacation, technical people such as the electricians, plumbers and carpenters, cooks and dining room help.  Some come for two weeks others for a few months.  They all bring energy and help to revitalize those that are here.

The weather has been mostly cloudy and breezy with temperatures in the low to mid 70’s during the day. Not too bad.  Good for getting out.  Here are a few pictures from our outings.

 

 

In the village of Teror.

 

One of many cool doors we've seen.

 

 

 

Sailing

Loving it!!   We weren’t sure how we would like sailing but, here we are a couple of days into it and it is going well.  We are both taking the seasickness medication that was passed out.  Why risk being miserable.   We are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean headed toward the Canary Islands.  We are about 90 miles off the coast of Africa. It was interesting watching people get use to walking on a moving ship, at times we zig-zag our way down the hall or across a room.  Someone said we should just dance instead of walking and no one would notice our awkward walking.  We have enjoyed watching dolphins a few times, flying fish often the first couple of days, and a few whales.  The whales haven’t been very close but watching the water stream from their blow holes is fun.  Sunday evening there was a time of worship on the bow.  Very cool!  When it ended a whale was spotted. Perfect way to end!   Watching stars at night is amazing. The sky and ocean are so immense. They seem to go on forever. Everything is at a more relaxed pace.  Everyone has a job to do but we all seem to be free of the usual stresses of work.  For those who had been working in the hospital they have been reassigned in many places: galley, dining room, crew services (cleaning), human resources, reception, etc.  There are many things to do during the sail;  movie night (Star Wars), scavenger hunt, Gotch Ya! (a sneaky elimination game), open mic night, and a few Bible Studies to choose from, and of course just sitting on the decks watching the ocean, listening to the waves and watching the sunset.  Easy to see God’s marvelous handiwork here.  Today is my kind of weather.  A light jacket or sweatshirt is preferred if planning on being outside in the wind for long.  Out of the wind and in the sun is perfect for sitting and reading.

Matt enjoyed his birthday at sea.  He slept off and on throughout the day because he has been working some partial overnight shifts.  Matt was happy  I was able to bake him his traditionally requested Boston Cream Pie even though we were at sea and we celebrated with our Gateway family.

One more thing, the ship is in a constant side to side motion that kind of feels like a slow rocking chair.  It is great for falling to sleep!

Enjoy some pictures!

Land rovers on deck 8

 

Sunset during worship

                                                             Dolphins-photo by Rueben