Our blog has been devoted to what is going on in our lives. This entry will take a different journey and help each of you to understand how we got here.
This year is big for both sets of our parents. Jim and Geri Sandin (Denise's parents) celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday. Paul and Betty Tveite celebrated their 20th anniversary earlier this fall.
Jim and Geri are a testament to love and commitment. They have raised 4 children who have grown into wonderful adults. They are supportive of each of their children and help them in any way possible. They have great love for their friends and neighbors. All you would ever have to do is ask and they would give you the shirt off their backs! They have been so very much a part of our marriage (25 years this year) by showing how to live and love each other. Through the years, Jim has been Matt's hunting and fishing partner and truly been a friend! Geri has loved on her grandchildren but still held them accountable which was very helpful with our parenting! They are a constant positive influence in our lives!
Paul and Betty were married after the deaths of each of their spouses. They have glowed with love for each other during their 20 year marriage. Many of us have seen the wonderful impact they have made in each other's lives. Our children were blessed to call Betty "Grandma". We remember fondly our children describing having 5 grandparents, one in heaven!
Both sets of our parents have been huge influences in our life decisions. They talked with us when decisions were being contemplated, offered advice when asked, kept their own counsel when needed, but most of all supported us all the time.
As we see families break down and people become selfish and demanding, we are reminded of just how fully blessed we have been to have these guiding influences in our lives!
Thank you Jim, Geri, Paul, and Betty for your commitment to each other and your love and support for us!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
The Faces of Brazzaville
Well, our screening in Brazzaville is done and was successful! We were quite concerned as this is the first time Mercy Ships has docked so far from a capital city. This week we flew 60 staff to the capital and conducted a controlled screening to identify the next 300 surgery patients. All went well, slots were filled, everyone stayed safe . . . here are the faces of Brazzaville. They will do all the talking!
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Reminder of Why We're Here!
Some days here it is a challenge to remember why we're here . . . dealing with politics, feeling isolated, missing family and friends, etc.
Most days are filled with routine duties, for me that is primarily ensuring the safety of our staff at screening sites, for Denise it is teaching her class.
To give you some background, we have off-ship screenings for eye (cataracts) and dental. Dental is Monday and Thursday at the same site every week for virtually the entire field service. Last field service, in 10 months, our dental team served over 12,000 patients and performed over 40,000 procedures. The Eye Team uses several sites as the people they are seeking to serve have a much greater challenge with mobility. We have screened for eyes every Tuesday and Wednesday since the first week of September. The multiple sites present issues for me as the security plans change for each site; however, they are pretty much set now.
While what we do is important to the mission of the ship, it can get to be challenging because we usually don't see the "highs" of restoration of health. Instead, for me, I have to say no to people several times at each screening as they have heard of the hospital ship and think maybe they can help . . . some of them are quite ill and unfortunately not with something we can help. It can be depressing!!
Today, I was sitting at breakfast wondering what I would do on a Saturday . . . then one of my eye team friends reminded me that they had performed many cataract surgeries yesterday and the bandages were coming off this morning . .. so I went down on the dock and got to see the miracle of sight restored!!!! Several of the patients had been totally blind. To see the looks of wonder and amazement when they realized they could see brought tears to my eyes. Some just remained stoic, others stood up and grabbed the closest Mercy Shipper, hugged them, and repeated "Merci Beaucoup!!"
So, when the days are depressing, I will try to remember what a miracle happens every time someone has sight restored, has a tumor removed, is able to walk again!!
I've included some pictures from the eye team.
I once was blind . . . .
The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them. Matthew 11:5
That is why we are here!!!
Most days are filled with routine duties, for me that is primarily ensuring the safety of our staff at screening sites, for Denise it is teaching her class.
To give you some background, we have off-ship screenings for eye (cataracts) and dental. Dental is Monday and Thursday at the same site every week for virtually the entire field service. Last field service, in 10 months, our dental team served over 12,000 patients and performed over 40,000 procedures. The Eye Team uses several sites as the people they are seeking to serve have a much greater challenge with mobility. We have screened for eyes every Tuesday and Wednesday since the first week of September. The multiple sites present issues for me as the security plans change for each site; however, they are pretty much set now.
While what we do is important to the mission of the ship, it can get to be challenging because we usually don't see the "highs" of restoration of health. Instead, for me, I have to say no to people several times at each screening as they have heard of the hospital ship and think maybe they can help . . . some of them are quite ill and unfortunately not with something we can help. It can be depressing!!
Today, I was sitting at breakfast wondering what I would do on a Saturday . . . then one of my eye team friends reminded me that they had performed many cataract surgeries yesterday and the bandages were coming off this morning . .. so I went down on the dock and got to see the miracle of sight restored!!!! Several of the patients had been totally blind. To see the looks of wonder and amazement when they realized they could see brought tears to my eyes. Some just remained stoic, others stood up and grabbed the closest Mercy Shipper, hugged them, and repeated "Merci Beaucoup!!"
So, when the days are depressing, I will try to remember what a miracle happens every time someone has sight restored, has a tumor removed, is able to walk again!!
I've included some pictures from the eye team.
This was taken at an eye screening for senior citizens.
I once was blind . . . .
But now I see . . . .
The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them. Matthew 11:5
That is why we are here!!!
Friday, October 4, 2013
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!!
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!!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
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!!
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!!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
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!!!
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!!!
Sunday, August 18, 2013
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!
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!
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