The Tvedt Family and life on the waves

Changes

2011-09-22T13:10:00.003Z

One of the major changes that has taken place since we moved back to Norway is the addition of Macintosh Morris into our family. Mac became part of our household in July, and we have grown to love him. He is a 'street mix' of a dog, and a very cute one! Jorid

Here he is with Fride, out for a walk in our neighbourhood.

A New Season

2011-06-16T09:21:00.007Z

Time has come for us to leave the Africa Mercy.

What can I say? It is truly a bittersweet thing... We are very excited about going back to Norway, but at the same time it is almost too difficult to leave behind everything here on the ship and in Africa. We have made so many good friendships here, had so many amazing experiences, and have so much love for this work.

This experience has changed us. You cannot live in a community like this and not be changed. You cannot see all the joy, strength and suffering of Africa and not be affected somehow.

Photo by Dag

And yet our 'adventure' with Mercy Ships not completely over.
Dag will continue to work as a Dental consultant for Mercy Ships, and it will be impossible to keep him away from Africa! In the mean time he will go back to five years of school to become an oral surgeon - I wonder if that may turn out have something to do with Africa....

I will work for Mercy Ships Norway - a leap of faith, I must admit, as I will still need to depend on financial support. Somehow it seems more challenging to work as a volunteer in Norway than in Africa.
But, as our friend Lawrence says: "God is good - all the time! And all the time God is good!"
We know that He will continue to provide for everything we need.

We'll keep you posted.... Jorid

Osteomyelitis of the jaws

2011-06-02T07:43:00.005Z

Yesterday Dag spoke at the Hospital's in-service. He spoke about osteomyelitis, which is a bone infection. Here in West Africa he treats several patients with this condition, as well as a similar condition called osteonecrosis, which is dead jawbone. The patients come with much pain, huge swellings and often puss-draining fistulas/openings in the face, neck or inside of the mouth. The treatment is to surgically remove and clean out the dead tissue and give antibiotics. There seem to be a much higher number of cases of these conditions here in West Africa than what has been documented anywhere else in the world.
Together with some colleagues Dag is doing a study on this, looking into what could be the cause of osteonecrosis of the jaw here in West Africa. At the in-service he presented an overview of what this condition is, how it can be treated, and what the study is about.

The knowledge he is gaining on this, benefits a lot of people in this area, and hopefully even more in the years to come, as their research hopefully will give greater understanding on this issue.

And in the meantime, patients keep coming with their pain and swellings to the dental clinic, where they get much needed help. Jorid - proud wife:-)

Karate!

2011-05-23T22:01:00.003Z

Several of the boys on board have been members of the Africa Mercy Karate Club for a long time. Bendik has been part of it from the start, and he just loves it!
On Sunday they had their first performance and all received new belts. None of the boys knew exactly what belt they would get. The sensei (coach) looked at developement, tecnique, effort, dicipline and performance.

Bendik was one big, happy smile when he received a brown belt! All his efforts and hard work these last couple of years have paid off. Jorid (proud mom!)

Bendik doing his kata.

Wesley and Bendik sparring.

The student and sensei Montez.

Smile:-)

2011-05-22T22:32:00.000Z

How much fun can you have with a bowl of fruit balancing on your head? The kids in this country seem to love to be in the focus of a camera lens; like these beautiful ones that Dag had an encounter with last week. Jorid

Annual Academy Photos

2011-05-18T16:09:00.005Z

Every year one of the ship's eminent photographers take school photos of the Academy, and every year they have a slightly different approach. Check out this year's photos (from the top): Mercy Ships Academy; Fride, grade 4; Bendik and grade 7&8; Linde and grade 9&10 (also known as 'Mr Calvert and the girls'). Jorid

Friendly surgeon

2011-04-22T21:30:00.004Z

My good friend, Ole, has just left after 2 weeks on board. He is an orthopedic surgeon that for years has talked about serving with us. Finally it happened :-) Good friends are important anywhere but there is something special about sharing an experience like this. Thank you, Ole! Dag

Operating on a young man with double club feet (Together with Dr Frank)

Visiting Mercy Ships agriculture program north of Freetown

Kids living on the hillside of "Sierra Leone" (= the lion mountain)

The Africa Mercy barely visible in the background...

Patient patients

2011-04-15T16:14:00.005Z

It is Friday afternoon and I have just come back from the dental clinic. Outside the clinic there are already about 20 people sitting in line for Monday morning screening. Unbelievable. Can you imagine camping out for 72 hours in hope to see a dentist? And when I asked them how they are doing, they all smiled and wished me a good weekend.

The only comment was that they think we should start treating them for Malaria as well as dental since they get all eating up by mosquitoes while waiting... Dag Part of the group that is waiting outside the dental clinic for our next screening - in 3 days!

Heroes, part 4

2011-04-10T18:14:00.003Z

Joseph Sesay is a dayvolunteer with the dental team, which means that he works full time as a translator and assistant. What I recently discovered is that his "real" job is to pastor 3 churches, run 2 schools and an orphanage. It is just incredible! The man has a servant's heart beyond measure. Today the Tvedts were blessed to visit "church number 3" - God's Grace Bible Church. Normally I find local churches loud, long and exhausting. Today was different. Pastor Joseph and his small congregation (of about 50) showed just as much love to their visitors as to the 80 orphans they share responsibility for. Dag

Pastor Joseph and his family in front of God's Grace Bible Church. Their motto: "No Jesus, No life".

They have a fairly big property where they hope to build a combined church and school building in the near future.

Running Club

2011-04-07T22:01:00.004Z

The kids' physical activity is quite limited on board and for the last few years the Academy has organized a running club. It started up again this afternoon. The point is to run up and down the dock as many times as possible in about 45 minutes. Some can only do a few, others great many. The cool thing is that most all of the kids participate and they love it... Dag

A group of beautifully branded parents watching the kids :-)

Donation of books

2011-04-07T14:26:00.003Z

A few weeks ago the school library flooded and many books got destroyed. Schools in the Tyler area (Texas, USA) were asked to help in an effort to replace the books. John Tyler High School is one of the schools that responded and yesterday our kids could enjoy the new books :-) Dag

(The link takes you to an aricle written in Tyler Paper about it: http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20110317/NEWS08/110319806)

Why is Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone?

2011-04-04T11:29:00.002Z

As I walked to the market this morning, I was approached by so many people desperate for help. Take a look at this short video; it really shows how great the need is in this country. We know we cannot help everyone, but we can make a huge difference for many; one person at the time! Jorid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf17tN9LD0g

Heroes, part 3

2011-03-31T21:10:00.002Z

I have a Liberian sister - a beautiful, young woman that just never ceases to amaze me. Chris is a fellow crew member on the Africa Mercy, and she a walking testimony of God's grace and faithfulness.

She experienced horrible things during the civil war in Liberia; things you would think would completely destroy the joy of life.

And yet she smiles. Not all the time, of course.

But she seems to have a deep, deep sense of God's love for her, and that brings out her smile, even if she has seen enough to keep the smile off her face for a lifetime.
I just love her smile! She is a constant reminder to me of the fact that there really is a God who is able to keep us even through the roughest times, and that we must never give up!
Chris, you are my hero, and I am honored to be your friend:-) Jorid

Teachers needed!

2011-03-28T20:30:00.003Z

We need new teachers on board for the 2011-2012 school year. Please contact the academy principal, Nikki Aldum, if you are interested (academy@mercyships.org). Dag

Tom at the clinic

2011-03-27T19:48:00.003Z

Last week one of the ship photographers, Tom Bradley, visited the dental clinic. With his own unique journalistic style he captured our activities. Please click on his name below to get a link to his personal blogpost with a series of great photos. Thanks, Tom. Dag

Tom Bradley Photography

Heroes II

2011-03-26T15:59:00.005Z

Screening day is over, and once again I'm left with so many impressions and emotions. Seeing what the people of West Africa have to live with and deal with healthwise makes me once again think that this world is not a fair place!
It breaks my heart to see children with weak limbs as a result of an infection or malnourishment - conditions that could be easily prevented in the western world.

And then, in the middle of it all, I am so touched by a love so evident; a woman smiles at her little girl and tells me: "I love her SO much!". She had adopted this little girl even though the girl lacked one foot after birth trauma that most likely killed her biological mother. She is one of the lucky, who has found a new mama, who will love her and fight for her. I have no photo for you today, but just close your eyes and try to picture this lovely woman with her baby girl in her arms.... Be encouraged; as long as we have heroes like this woman in the world, there is hope! Jorid

Heroes

2011-03-24T15:18:00.003Z

Lately I've been thinking about heroes. Not world leaders, or people who are known in the media, but those everyday heroes, who dare to reach out and love others. Those who step out of the comfort zone to make a difference. But the funny thing is that they don't think of themselves as heroes.
I know people like that. They are my heroes. Like my friend Monika. We have been friends since high school, and she is one of the funniest persons I know! And she has a big, big heart.
A few years ago she moved to Durban, South Africa. She has become a mom for 4 teenagers who don't have any others to care for them (there they are, in the photo below). Like with all kids, it takes a lot of time and work, and sometimes frustrations. Still, she does it. Not because she is asked to. But because she dares to care, even though it may be challenging. That's why she is one of my heroes. Jorid

Start up Sierra Leone II

2011-03-20T17:45:00.002Z

The dental clinic is not dependent on the medical mass screening as we have biweekly screenings at the dental site. Lots of people have showed up but with the help from the ship's security people we have not had any bad incidents related to our screenings.

The first full week of clinic is over. It was busy and productive - 4 dentists, 450 patients, 1100 extracted teeth. That means a lot of pain relief :-) Dag

Start up Sierra Leone I

2011-03-20T17:12:00.002Z

Our medical mass screening on March 7th at the National Stadium collapsed. Too many people were desperate to get an appointment for surgery and the crowd stormed the gate. 13 people were seriously injured, including one man who died. The screening had to be stopped and we were not able to connect with people.

The Ministry of Health is not blaming us for what happened and they are eager for us to have another screening as soon as possible.

It has recently been decided that a second screening will take place on Saturday, March 26th, at one the ministries own compounds.

We know that there are lots and lots of people in Freetown with a desperate need for our surgical services and we want to connect with them.

Please pray for a safe and productive screening. Dag

Mercy Ships in Times Square, New York City

2011-03-16T11:41:00.006Z

Mercy Ships will have 30 seconds of airtime each hour on the CBS super screen in Times Square from March 14 to April 30. What a great opportunity to spread the word about this ministry that I am so grateful to be a part of! Jorid

Contrasts...

2011-03-12T19:18:00.006Z

Today we've had a wonderful, relaxing day at one of Sierra Leone's beautiful beaches, Lakka Beach. Driving through Freetown on our way back to the ship, I was almost overwhelmed at the contrast; the calm beauty of the beach, and the caotic poverty of the city. Somehow I feel I should get used to the poverty of West-Africa, but I just can't seem to.

Freetown, once a city of 200 000 inhabitants, now counts about 2 million, many of these fleeing here during the civil war in the nineties. Jorid Lakka Beach
Glimpse from Freetown

The Maltese flag

2011-03-03T21:30:00.003Z

The Africa Mercy sails under the Maltese flag. Well, not the official flag of Malta (pic 1), but the Civil Ensign of Malta - the one with the Maltese Cross (pic 2). An interesting thing is that this 8-pointed cross represents the 8 beatitudes described in Matt 5 - "Blessed are those who are poor... Blessed are those who mourn... Blessed are those who are humble...++". Dag

Pic 1 - the official flag

Pic 2 - the civil ensign

Cline Town Clinic

2011-03-02T18:24:00.003Z

Normally the dental clinic is quite far away from the ship. This year we are able to use a facility just outside the port - literally 10 minutes walk from the ship. One thing is the wonderful close proximity to the ship. Another thing is the building itself - big and open rooms, a spacious porch for generators/compressors, good ventilation ++. Most of the equipment is already in and the next few days will be used to set it all up and hopefully make it run properly :-) Dag

Arrival Sierra Leone

2011-02-27T13:21:00.003Z

In the early sunrise this morning we sailed into Freetown. The excitement was tangible as 60+ Mercy Ship'ers where there to meet us (Advance Team, Gateway Class and Mercy Teams). Dag

Country briefing

2011-02-26T11:28:00.002Z

Every time we enter a new country quite a lot of time is set aside to prepare the crew. 3 mornings this week we have had country briefing including teaching, interviews, films and discussions. Susan Parker had put together an amazing program. I can't pinpoint why, but this country briefing has been special. There is a sense of unity and expectation on board at the moment. We are about to enter a country with a difficult history and many broken relationships. We hope and pray that we can get to know this proud people, learn from them and serve a long side them. Dag

Crossing equator

2011-02-24T10:46:00.000Z

In the early hours today we crossed the equator. 15 minutes prior to crossing the Captain announced some bad weather ahead. After sailing in beautiful weather for days and days it was interesting that we had heavy rain for a few minutes just as we crossed the equator. Afterwards it was nice again...

By the way, did you know that a person who has crossed the equator on a ship is called a "shellback"? Dag

Worship on the bow

2011-02-23T11:19:00.000Z

At several occasions during the sail we have had worship on the bow. A great time were we glorify and honor our Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. Dag

Scandinavians on board

2011-02-21T11:00:00.000Z

Together with the regular Scandinavian crew we also have our International Chaplains (Patrik and Diana from Sweden/US) with us for the sail. It has been such a blessing for Jorid and me to spend time with them. Their genuine interest, warmth and wisdom has been very encouraging. Dag

Mads wore a suitable t-shirt as waffles are compulsory on the menu when the Scandinavians meet :-)

Sock Golf

2011-02-20T10:20:00.000Z

It has become a tradition that during every sail we have a Mercy Ships Championship in Sock Golf. Throughout a large part of the ship a 18 hole golf course is created with tees, paperboards resembling holes and rolled up socks as balls. 25 teams signed up. "The Tvedt Viking Sox" where furious but did not stand a chance towards "The Parker Box Sox" who won :-) Dag

Good bye South Africa

2011-02-15T11:23:00.005Z

Durban is behind us, Cape Town is behind us - South Africa is behind us! The dry dock period is done and we are ready for Sierra Leone. Too bad we couldn't stay another few days in Cape Town though - U2 is having a concert at the great Cape Town Stadium on Friday, Feb 18th :-( Dag

24 hours in Cape Town

2011-02-14T19:30:00.000Z

Due to delays in Durban we didn't want to spend more time than necessary in Cape Town. The crew got 24 hours to "do" town while bunkering and preparations took place. The ship was docked at the most amazing place, in the heart of Cape Town - at the V&A Waterfront. Beautiful weather just added to the awesomeness :-) Dag

Sailing in to Cape Town with Table Mountain in the background

The Africa Mercy with the Cape Town Ferris wheel in the background

From the Ferris wheel with the Africa Mercy in the background :-)

WE ARE SAILING!

2011-02-10T09:22:00.008Z

We are on the move. After 5 months in dock in Durban the Africa Mercy is sailing again :-) We can still see Durban in the distance as we head for Cape Town where we will have a short stop before we sail to Sierra Leone. Dag

Moses Mabhida Stadium

2011-02-06T14:53:00.002Z

As a last minute visit to town we finally got to see the famous Moses Mabhida Stadium up close. The stadium was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the highest attendance so far was 62.660 on June 13th, 2010. It is a fascinating structure and a trip to the top of the arch (106m) gave a beautiful view of Durban. Dag

Spo, Gugu, Monika, Zanele, Freddy and Damien joined us at the stadium. The trip was to celebrate Spo's 23 birthday. Happy birthday, Spo!

Grace

2011-02-05T14:52:00.000Z

During our time in South Africa we have been very blessed to be able to join Grace Family Church. Thank you Grace for taking us in and feeding our hungry souls :-) www.grace.za.org

This blogpost was meant to be about the church, Grace, but I also want to share a very interesting quote about grace that I learned here the other day: "Grace is not opposed to effort. Grace is opposed to earning". Think about it - it is quite good... Dag

Bugs in boxes

2011-02-02T14:51:00.001Z

In Togo we got some wooden benches and boxes made for the dental team. Items that have been stored in a container. When we opened the container a few weeks ago we realized that the benches were more or less eaten away. The boxes had only minor damage but it is hard to know what is inside the wood... After soaking it in linseed oil, freezing the boxes for 48 hours and painting them with varnish, we hope to have killed all the box bugs :-) Dag

Good bye Appelsbosch - Welcome Africa Mercy

2011-01-29T14:49:00.003Z

Appelsbosch was fine but nothing beats the Africa Mercy. It was strange though to walk around the campus for the last time today. The kids are excited about the move but they also know that limited space and restrictions will be a bigger part of life again... Dag

Bendik 13!!

2011-01-24T20:51:00.000Z

Happy birthday, Bendik. We are proud of you! Love, mom and dad.

Sylvanus and Jessie making a requested dinner of burgers and sausages :-)

We love Mercy Teams

2011-01-15T14:38:00.001Z

It is always great to have Mercy Teams serve alongside us. And even better when there is a Norwegian friend among them. Once again Hugo has joined a team that is here to help us in the final stage of the shipyard project. Dag

Hugo and Willem doing a fixing in the dining room

Cape Town IV

2010-12-24T13:03:00.002Z

In Cape Town we borrowed a house with a nice, big kitchen. One of the things our kids enjoyed the most was to make dinner together. Living in community you don’t do that sort of stuff as a family... Dag

Cape Town III

2010-12-24T12:59:00.003Z

Apparently Cheetahs are the only big cats that can be tamed. At the Daniell Cheetah Sanctuary even Fride’s pet, Captein Sabertooth, got a close encounter with a Cheetah. Dag

Cape Town II

2010-12-24T12:46:00.003Z

The Western Cape is known for its ostrich farms. We stopped by a farm in Oudtshoorn and experienced ostrich riding - a sport not much known in the rest of the world. Dag

It wasn’t all that easy. Picture taken about 3 seconds before I was thrown off :-)

Cape Town I

2010-12-24T12:14:00.004Z

With both school and the dental project in South Africa being finished, the Tvedts set off for a 10 day holiday to Cape Town. It is 2000km drive from Durban to Cape Town. First stop was Addo Elephant park, north of Port Elizabeth. South Africa is known for the incredible wild life and we got to experience it up close. Dag

The Fear Not Factor

2010-12-11T09:37:00.000Z

This year´s Christmas play was performed last night. It was called "The Fear Not Factor" and told the story on what the angels felt about their task to tell Mary, Joseph and the shepherds about Jesus´coming. It was great - a fun and well done performance. Dag

Dental up north II

2010-12-10T09:27:00.000Z

One of the really cool things about working up north was that we were flown there by Air Mercy Services (AMS). AMS is a branch of the South African Red Cross and transport medical staff to 49 remote clinics. Dag

Waiting for the plane to arrive in Mkuze

Dental up north I

2010-12-10T09:19:00.001Z

For the last 2 weeks the Dental Team has been working at clinics close to the border of Swaziland. We stayed at Bethesda Hospital but travelled many days to remote clinics. The first week Linde was off school to get the experience of working with us. She enjoyed it and, of course, I enjoyed having her serve with us :-) Dag

Spirit of Adventure

2010-11-20T08:52:00.000Z

Linde and Bendik just got back from a 3-day junior high/high school retreat called "Spirit of Adventure". They had an amazing time with physical as well as mental challenges combined with team building and fun. Dag

Interesting creatures

2010-11-16T00:48:00.004Z

The kids find all sorts of cool creatures at Appelsbosch. Except from a stink beetle that left a clear trail, we haven't had any problems with them... Dag

Linde 15

2010-11-06T18:30:00.000Z

Thursday (Nov 4th) was the big day - Linde turned 15! Happy birthday, Linde. We love you!! Mom and Dad

Happy Diwali!

2010-11-05T06:34:00.001Z

Durban has the highest number of Indians outside India. Today is Diwali, the festival of light. For Hindus, Diwali is the most important celebration of the year and my Indian colleagues (local dentists) had the day off. Besides being a celebration of the goddess, Lakshmi, it is also the beginning of the new financial year. Dag

Dry dock

2010-11-02T15:09:00.002Z

The ship has been in dry dock for several weeks. New generators and air conditioning system has been taken onboard. The challenge a head is to make everything fit. Something like 7 km of wires and tons of piping has to be fitted. It seems like now is the time when the real challenge begins… I went to the ship today and I am amazed by the work our team there is doing. Dag

Dental Extreme Week IV – hailstorm

2010-10-30T19:49:00.006Z

Thursday we found too many people inside the building we planned to work in and we decided to set up clinic outside. It was a beautiful day and everything went according to schedule until a hailstorm hit us hard and brutally. In a matter of minutes our “clinic-area” on the porch was flooded with ice water and we had to protect the patients from bouncing, ice cube sized, hail. We wanted extreme dentistry and we got it – big time J Dag

It started as a nice day with outdoor clinic

Sterilizing in the back of the Land Rover

Suddenly we got rain – big rain

Everything got wet!

Patients hurrying home when the storm had settled

Dental Extreme Week III – pulling teeth in a coffee shop

2010-10-30T19:45:00.002Z

On the way back from Gcumisa we stopped for coffee in Wartburg. The owner told us about an employee with a bad tooth. With anesthesia and forceps ready in the car, we went to the back room and pulled the tooth while waiting for coffee. Another interesting way of providing dental care… Dag

Dental Extreme Week II – beautiful nature

2010-10-30T19:41:00.002Z

We had the most amazing scenery when driving to the clinics. Dag

Dental Extreme Week I – big need also in South Africa

2010-10-30T19:36:00.003Z

This week’s dental work was different than the rest of our time in South Africa. We traveled to different remote clinics and sat up our own portable equipment, offering pain relief through extractions. People in the rural areas of Zululand don’t often have the opportunity to get help and hundreds showed up. It reminded us once again how divided this country is between the “normal” western way of living in the central areas and the poor countryside. Dag

Dr Natasha (local dentist) and Dr Kaare (short term Mercy Ships dentist)

Parent/kid sleepover

2010-10-26T19:31:00.001Z

Last weekend the teachers arranged an outdoor sleepover. Bonfire isn’t a big thing on the ship so we enjoyed an evening by the fire with games and “S'mores” (an American delicacy consisting of crackers, marshmallows and chocolate). Great fun even though it started raining during the night... Dag

Appelsbosch Hospital

2010-10-20T18:00:00.003Z

I am currently working at the local hospital down the road, Appelsbosch Hospital. It is a good experience and I enjoy having the time to teach the local dentist some surgical procedures. Today we treated children under sedation in the operating theater. Dag

Youth Group

2010-10-19T18:28:00.003Z

A couple of pictures from tonight's Youth Group at Appelsbosch... Dag

Chicago

2010-10-16T18:21:00.000Z

As part of my study on osteonecrosis in West Africa I went to Chicago to present at the AAOMS (American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons) Annual meeting. My colleague, Dr Shelley Khullar-Godtfredsen is working together with me on this project and she was there with her husband, Tom. We hope our study will develop into a proper research project. Time will show...

Unfortunately Jorid’s camera got lost, so, no pictures from the conference L I only have a picture of the skyline. Our hotel, circled in blue, felt very high when I looked out of the window. Apparently it wasn’t that high J Dag

Visit to the US

2010-10-15T18:09:00.001Z

Jorid and I recently went to the States because of a medical conference I was to attend in Chicago. Before the conference we stopped by some good friends in Norfolk, Virginia. I used to go to school with Ole before he followed his heart and left Norway to marry his American girl, Anne. We had 3 wonderful days with them. It was great to catch up and enjoy long evenings with good talks. Dag

A friend in Durban

2010-10-10T17:57:00.001Z

Both Jorid and I have known Monika since early teen years. She is the one that introduced us to Mercy Ships in 1993. Now she lives in Durban where she is in the midst of building a children’s village. Her heart is bigger than her house which is a challenge since she recently ”adopted” 3 teenagers (Spo, Freddy and Zanele). A few weeks back we had the opportunity to spend a weekend with Monika, Freddy and Zanele. It made us realize how special it is to be with a good friend that we have known for a long, long time J Dag

Freddy and Zanele. It is so neat when Monika (in the middle on the top picture) introduces them as her children

Montebello Hospital

2010-09-24T08:31:00.003Z

While being in South Africa the dental team will work with local hospitals to offer treatment and training. Over the next 3 months we'll be serving at 4 different hospitals - some are close to our base at Appelsbosch, while others will require more travelling. This week we helped out at Montebello Hospital (just 15 km down the road). We all enjoyed being back in our dental routine again :-) Dag

Slee and Esca that we have worked with at Montebello

Just Married

2010-09-21T17:17:00.003Z

Last week we had a special happening at Appelsbosch. Two Mercy Ship'ers, Alex and Sharon, got married at the campus. After a beautiful ceremony everybody was invited for a South African "braai" (barbeque) followed by music and dance. We all enjoyed a wonderful day. Dag

Settled in at Appelsbosch

2010-09-12T13:10:00.005Z

In the middle of Zulu land, 90 min drive from Durban, is Appelsbosch. A big university campus area that was abandoned 4 years ago. Surrounded by local round huts and small houses the campus facilities looks almost unreal. Quite a lot of effort has been made to put the place back in shape and despite minor problems with water, sewage and electricity, I think this place will be a great home for the next 4 months. Dag

Dining room to the left, housing quarters straight ahead, and the gym (mainly outside the picture) to the right.

Our new neighbourhood

The move went quick (and was a lot of fun) when everybody made chains to move boxes and stuff from the truck.

17 days at sea is over...

2010-09-01T18:38:00.004Z

This morning we reached Durban after a long sail from Togo. For the first time in Africa Mercy history the pilot (Norwegian: "los") came onboard by helicopter. We don't have a photographer on the ship at the moment and unfortunately I had to climb the funnel to take pictures :-) Dag

a-ha concert for Mercy Ships

2010-08-28T13:55:00.006Z

In the midst of their final world tour, a-ha is putting up a special benefit concert for Mercy Ships. They announced yesterday that they will do an additional Hunting High and Low concert
on October 4th in Oslo Concert Hall. The amazing thing is that is all done as a charity concert for Mercy Ships :-) Ticket onsale information has yet not been announced. More on the Official Website of a-ha. Dag

Cape of Good Hope

2010-08-27T06:56:00.005Z

We recently passed by Cape of Good Hope. The cape is just outside Cape Town and is known to be the southern point of Africa. That is not correct though - Cape Agulhas is. Our destination is Durban (up north on the eastern coast) so even though we have reached South Africa, we still have several days to sail. Dag

Cape of Good Hope

Sunshine and rough sea

2010-08-23T15:25:00.004Z

Over the weekend we have hit some rough seas. The sky is pretty clear but the wind has picked up. Apparently we tilt up to 18 degrees to the side. That doesn`t tell me too much but I can feel that we are definitely rolling over the ocean... Dag

Movie night at deck 8

2010-08-20T12:39:00.004Z

As we are sailing on the Atlantic Ocean it was fun to watch the movie "Titanic". We just crossed the equator though so the chance of icebergs is pretty slim... Dag

Left behind in Togo.... I hope...

2010-08-16T18:34:00.005Z

Here are some of our partners from Port of Lome. Rats and cockroaches were all over the dock. Not the nicest creatures but from a distance they were fun company :-) Dag

Farewell, Togo!

2010-08-15T19:23:00.003Z

A few hours ago we departed Togo. Overt the last 6 months we have established a very good relationship with the people of this country and the Togolese Navy honored us by escorting us to sea. Next stop is Durban, South Africa - a sail that is scheduled to take about 14 days. Dag

Preparing for sail

2010-08-14T22:06:00.003Z

The ship is getting ready to sail. An obvious sign of that is the lift of our 25 vehicles to deck 8. Dag

Back in school

2010-08-12T13:44:00.003Z

The Academy has started up again after the vacation and the kids are back in school. It was an earlier start than normal (started August 2nd) since the school is moving ashore once we get to South Africa. The move will take about a week. We still don`t know too much about our time in South Africa but it seems like the school will have good facilities close to where we`ll stay. Dag

Wages

2010-08-08T11:00:00.006Z

I find it easy to forget how tough the situation is for people in Togo - even for those with a job. Last night I had a chat with a couple of the soldiers working at the front gate of the port. Apparently their monthly wage is 35.000 CEFA (about 70 USD). That is similar to what our Security Guards at the dental clinic have told me - their wage is 30.000 CEFA (about 60 UDS) a month. It is hard to grasp, living on $ 2 a day. And these are young, healthy men with a job. Imagine life for the less privileged ones without a job... Dag

John, one of the Security Guards at the dental clinic. He works 12 hour shifts 5 days a week.

Friends!

2010-08-06T22:43:00.000Z

At the end of our time in Togo, we had some friends from Norway joining a Mercy Team on board. It was so much fun to show them a little glimpse of our life here!
Espen watching Dag work

Hugo, Benjamin, Espen and CF ready to leave for the airport

Visit at the Dental Clinic

2010-07-29T23:05:00.001Z

One of the great things about visiting the Dental Clinic, is that we get to look after the babies when their mothers get treatment! Jorid:-)

Photosafari in Lome

2010-07-22T20:00:00.004Z

I am back on the ship while the family is enjoying summer a little longer in Norway. Last weekend I went together with a couple of guys on a photosafari in Lome. Basically we drove through the market and tried to catch some of the atmosphere on film. Here are some glimpses... Dag

Celebrating the confirmand

2010-07-22T19:27:00.005Z

Linde was confirmed on the ship but we wanted to celebrate the confirmand with family and friends in Norway. Close to 80 people were gathered on Jun 19th and according to tradition many came dressed in their national costume (the bunad). Linde's bunad is a refit of the same bunad that Jorid's mam made for Jorid's confirmation. Dag

Summer in Norway!

2010-07-15T10:31:00.003Z

We have had wonderful weeks in Norway this summer, spending time with family and friends. Some days were spent in the town we live, just outside Oslo. One of the best things with our town is the closeness to the Oslofjord, so is a great place to be in the summer! The kids enjoyed fishing crabs with blueshells as bait. Jorid:-)

Confirmation

2010-06-14T14:04:00.004Z

On Saturday June 5th we celebrated Linde's confirmation on board. For the last 12 weeks she has met with Marty and Catherine (two of our chaplains) to talk about and to be challenged on her faith. Marty facilitated the ceremony in the International Lounge before we met for refreshments in the Queens Lounge. It was a blessing to witness our oldest daughter proclaim her faith in Jesus Christ. Dag

England

2010-05-27T21:59:00.004Z

I am currently in Manchester to attend the BAOMS (British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons) Annual Scientific Meeting. The reason for the participation is twofold; presentation of a case study, and recruitment for Mercy Ships. Hopefully I am able to raise awareness for both. The days are long but I enjoy the fresh spring air and the freedom of walking around in a western city :-) Dag

Our poster on osteomyelitis (presented by Dr.Shelley and myself)

Together with Dr.Shelley and Dr.Leo (both short term Mercy Ship'ers) in front of the Mercy Ships stand

17th of May

2010-05-17T22:44:00.004Z

To most people 17th of May is just another day, but not to Norwegians. It is our independence day and at home it is celebrated more than Christmas. The Norwegians on board met to enjoy "grøt" and "vafler". We had great fellowship and did our best to tune in the emotions even though we are far away... Dag

17th of May on the Africa Mercy

17th of May in Oslo, Norway

Across the street

2010-05-13T19:12:00.003Z

Our clinic is located just across the street from Lome Central Prison. Today we brought our dental chairs, anesthetics and tools over to visit the neighbors. Despite the fact that our dayvolunteers/translators were quite concerned about going into the prison, we had a great day and were able to relieve a lot of toothache. Dag

Run to Ghana

2010-05-09T15:29:00.004Z

The Ghana border is about 10 km from the ship and the last 2 Sundays we've been a small group having our morning run to the border. My goal with "no walking" failed at 14 km last week, today I got to 16 km... We leave at 6:00 a.m. to beat the worst heat, but by the time we get back it is already above 30 Centigrades. The fun thing is that the beach area we pass by is packed with people. The locals are running, playing soccer, having gym classes and exercising in big numbers. Some of the groups count hundreds of people. It is good to see that this country is not all poverty and hard work :-) Dag

Pics of our dental clinic

2010-05-06T09:42:00.005Z

I want to show a few pictures of Round Point Dental Clinic. It is 3 story building made available to us by the Ministry of Health. Our concern was that the patients wouldn`t find us since we are located in the administrative center of town. But no worries, they have found us. Between 200 and 300 people show up every Monday and Thursday for our screenings. About 60 receive treatment every day. Dag

Round Point Dental Clinic (the "round point" is visible in the background)

Screening day

1st floor - Reception

1st floor - Waiting room where the patients receive basic oral health education

2nd floor - Operating room with 9 dental units

3rd floor - Sterilization

3rd floor - Generators and compressors that we have brought with us

Fride in the news

2010-04-30T15:03:00.003Z

The Christian Norwegian newspaper "Vårt Land" writes in an article on "Fride på skipet" of the amazing fact that it is one of the most popular children's programs in Norway these days; of all the children under 12 watching TV at that time, over 80% is watching "Fride på skipet".
It's probably a good thing that we are in Africa now, and not in Norway. I'm not quite sure what Fride would think of all the attention... Jorid:-)

Independence Day

2010-04-27T21:30:00.004Z

Today it is 50 years since Togo gained independence from France. 1960 was really the year of independence in Africa - a total of 27 African countries declared independence that year.

We enjoyed cupcakes and had a tiny celebration at the dental clinic. Dag

World Cruise

2010-04-25T10:21:00.005Z

Last night the Seven Seas Voyager docked next to us. The cruise ship has been on the move since she started out from Ft.Lauderdale in Dec 09. Today the passengers will visit rural Togo and be part of voodoo ceremonies before they head for Ghana tonight. Follow the link (http://www.rssc.com/cruises/VOY110113G/itinerary.aspx) if you want to spend 145 days of 2011 visiting 30 countries and 67 ports. If you sign up early the fares start at only $ 75.999.00 :-) Dag Fride observing the ship that looks rather misplaces in the port of Lome

Kaare left anyway

2010-04-20T19:27:00.005Z

Eager to get home my Norwegian colleague, Kaare, and a couple of others (one of them a dentist from England) left Sunday morning. No flying was possible to Europe so they flew to Morocco, hoping to catch a boat to southern Spain and then go by land to northern Europe. As far as I know they are still on the road...

My challenge is that we lost 2 of our 4 dentists and nobody is yet arriving. And we don't know when things will normalise - it all depends on how long Eyjafjallajökull is going to continue to spit out ash... Dag

Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, March 2010

Kaare

2010-04-16T19:30:00.004Z

For the last 2 weeks I've had the privilege of serving with a Norwegian dentist on the team. Unfortunately for Kaare (not too bad for us...), he cant't leave due to the volcanic smoke over Europe. We have a very high turnover of crew and everybody on the ship is currently very anxious about the whole flight situation. Dag

Creative neighbor

2010-04-13T20:48:00.003Z

We have dental screenings every Monday and Thursday. With more patients than tickets people are getting creative. The rocks that this boy is walking on have numbers and is apparently representing the line for the screening on Thursday (in 2 days). The problem is that the rocks are "sold" by a woman across the street from the clinic. With Mercy Ships strictly being a "No money business" we had to take away all the rocks and again (this is not her first idea) talk to the creative woman. Dag.

Retreat

2010-04-11T15:35:00.004Z

Yesterday Linde and Bendik returned home from Jr High/High School Retreat in Kpalime, 2-3 hours drive north of Lome. They were totally exhaused, but full of great experiences and really excited! They just kept interupting each other, telling one fun thing after another. It has been a couple of days filled with fun, hikes in the jungle, fellowship and good teaching! Jorid (all photos: Marty Schwebel)

A long day...

2010-04-08T22:09:00.002Z

We've had a long day with lots of things going on and a lot of nice feedback regarding the 1st episode of "Fride på skipet" - haven't seen it ourselves yet but hope it will arrive in the mail shortly. Linde and Bendik are gone for a few days on Junior High/High School retreat and it is quiet in the cabin, very quiet... Picture taken a couple of minutes ago. Dag

Easter

2010-04-04T21:02:00.003Z

We are celebrating Easter on board in great ways. It is a celebration we appreciate but it can't really compare to our Norwegian traditions with snow and skiis... I have to say this is one of the times I miss home. Just take a look at the this years view compared to that of 2007... Dag

Easter 2010

Easter 2007

Presidential visit

2010-04-03T16:50:00.002Z

On Wednesday the President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe, came to visit the ship. The visit was organized on short notice and within hours the ship was secured with special security guards and armed soldiers. It is a great honor to have the sitting President visit and even more special with Gnassingbe since he rarely appear in public. Anna Peet had the honor of being the "flower girl". Dag

Friends who leave...

2010-03-30T21:48:00.003Z

Life on the Africa Mercy means that friends come and go. It is a reality that we are getting used to, but sometimes it is harder than other times. Tonight Fride had to say goodbye to her good friend Laura - she will be greatly missed... Dag

Harmattan

2010-03-23T21:23:00.003Z

The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between November and March. On its way it picks up fine dust particles that makes the sky hazy. We haven't seen the Harmattan too much but today it was quite apparant. On the picture (taken along Beach Road today) it almost looks like normal road dust. But normally the air is clear with a blue sky. Dag

NRK ready to broadcast

2010-03-21T21:56:00.003Z

On Thursday April 8th at 18:00 NRK Super (The Norwegian National Broadcasting Company) will show the first episode of "Fride på skipet". This is a documentary showing Africa Mercy ship life through the eyes of 8 year old Fride. On the following 10 Thursdays an episode will be shown as part of "Barne TV". The opening segment has been released at YouTube. It is great! Check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJlRv-vav2E. Dag

Arts Fair

2010-03-17T21:09:00.004Z

Tonight's activity in the midship lounge was the annual Arts Fair. The Academy students displayed a selection of their makings and the karate team gave us an introduction to the art of karate. Dag

New Logo

2010-03-14T14:20:00.006Z

Officially Mercy Ships got a new logo in 2008. Nevertheless, it has taken some time for the new logo to come on the funnel of the ship. Recently the big old logo came down and was replaced with a much smaller new one. At the same time the funnel was painted all blue. Dag

Old logo

New logo

Netbooks

2010-03-10T23:04:00.003Z

For the last couple of years the Academy has been working on getting laptops for the students. Today part of the dream came through. All the 9 high school students got their own Dell netbook (a netbook is a small laptop that is well suited to surf on the net with). Junior high will hopefully follow next year. Linde and her friends were thrilled :-) Dag