Back on the Ship

Well, I'm back on the ship after a wonderful trip through the country of Congo.  We travelled over 1,400 kilometers up country to assess sites for our December screenings and to evaluate juvenile orthopedic patients.

Our team of 5 Mercy Shippers and 1 Government staff did great.  We achieved all of our goals, scheduled 27 kids for orthopedic surgery in the next few weeks, saw amazing things and returned safely.

On one of our first days we travelled a road that allowed us to average under 30 km per hour (18 mph)!  It was filled with holes, was narrow, had a lot of truck traffic and had super fine sand so everytime someone passed you it was like driving in a whiteout.  That led to many discussions and the final decision that we loaded our trucks on a cargo train in Brazzaville and flew back to Pointe Noire.

While we were up country, I had a cool experience.  We stayed with a mission family in a small town named Ollombo.  While I was helping them in their storage shed I spotted a box marked "Samaritan's Purse" (an organization that works to provide Christmas presents to kids in third world countries while sharing the Christmas story). They were presents being stored waiting for distribution this Christmas. This was very cool as friends of ours back in Owatonna oversee this for our church!  I took pictures and sent them back to our friends who were thrilled to see the outcome of the project!

We had a couple days of rain so that made some of the roads quite muddy.  We got to play with 4-wheel drive, both low and high range, and found that the winch mounted on the bumper really will pull you out!!

We continue to do our regular jobs, screening for me is becoming much calmer and more routine, school is now completing the first quarter for Denise. 

Here are some pictures of the upcountry trip . . .Enjoy!!

Cheers . . . and Tears

Well, it's been quite an adventure the past couple weeks. Final numbers are in from the main selection day. We closed the line at 2 pm, the gate for admission to the site was open for 12 hours and 20 minutes, the final estimate is 7,365 people in line, 4,236 of whom were actually examined by our medical staff inside the compound. The remaining people were either caregivers or were screened on the line and found to be suffering from something we could not help. All these numbers are new records for Mercy Ships!!! At the high point, there were 311 Mercy Ships staff at the site. My security crew totalled 44 people, each or whom performed admirably. All these people and we had no serious issues!!!

We have already had stories of great success!! One man, Ebenezer, arrived before we started screening. He is from Nigeria and had a very large facial tumor. He went to Guinea but was too late, so he and his family worked to get just enough money to get a flight for him to Pointe Noire. He had nothing when he got here and happened to bump into MS staff at the airport. We were able to assist him with a safe place to stay until screening and his tumor has been removed! Another 3-year old boy was in desparate need at screening. He had a tumor in his mouth that was cutting off his airway. He literally could not lie down or he would have suffocated. He was one of the first surgeries and has been a complete success. He was discharged from the hospital on Thursday, already playing, running and sleeping laying down!!!

However, we have already shed tears for those we could not help. We had a young girl who a mission hospital flew down from the very north end of Congo hoping we could save her life. She also had a tumor that was cutting off her airway; however, it soon became clear this was inoperable and was cancerous. She died this week in our hospital. I'm attaching a link to a blog written by the nurse who held her as she died. (Get your tissues out!) While we couldn't save her physical life, I'm confident that we modeled our Saviour through our actions of loving care as this family dealt with this loss.

http://debsheartinafrica.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/dear-baby-girl.html 

Our dental and eye screenings have begun. They have been mostly successful. On Tuesday we were at a site for eye screening where 500 people lined up. They were calm and listened as I directed them into a queue. We were able to see everyone in this line!!! On Wednesday we moved to a different site. When we arrived at 5:15 am, the gates to the compound were wide open (they were supposed to have been closed the evening before) and we had a large crowd inside the compound. We soon determined the crowd was too large and unmanageable so made the decision to leave the site to ensure everyone's safety. These examples demonstrate the roller coaster of life here on the MV Africa Mercy!!!

Sorry, no pictures this time as I'm writing on my work computer.  I'm heading about 1,400 km north starting next Saturday so hope to have some amazing photos of the Congo rain forest when I get back!! 

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.

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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