While sorting through my photos and trying to organize my thoughts, I am reminded of numerous events and several divine connections that remain as fond memories on-board the ship, Logos Hope. Everything from the initial decisions and preparations to the return and wind down has brought with it a flood of emotions and excitement about what God is doing now and what He will do next.
Well, “they” say that a picture is worth 1,000 words… I have over 1,000 pictures which should translate to a million words… minimum! Those of you who have had to endure my picture uploads on facebook know that I have a difficult time “not uploading pictures”. I’ll try to condense my current thoughts into a word picture hoping it will translate for you an accurate analogy of what I experienced onboard.
It was energizing and exciting to live with 400 crew members from over 45 different nationalities onboard. The common goal of the entire ship's company was to bring knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world. I had the opportunity to hear their stories and it was so encouraging to see God's providence and direction in bringing them to the ship. Many of them onboard have attended the Alpha Course in their respective churches and some were also saved by attending the Alpha Course.
One of the highlights of my trip would definitely be the 15 days of being on land teams during dry-dock in Srilanka. Some of us onboard had this opportunity of serving in a village called Kalladi. The community in the village have been victims of Tsunami and War. The recent flood has not made life easier either. It was moving to see that these people have just one meal a day and have just one mat in their four walled government provided-houses. But one thing that surprised me was that in spite of having nothing at all, they were so content. The joy I saw in their eyes was just amazing. I could see that they trusted God so much and they had their hopes fixed in Christ. That was really encouraging for me because living in big cities we are never content with what God has given us, and we always want more. They were so open to receive us and we could bring the message of hope and demonstrate God's love to people inspite of their circumstance, culture or background.
What makes the ship so unique is the community onboard that reflects God’s love so clearly. Receiving and giving love is what I experienced on the Logos Hope. The opportunity to go and show Christ's love is right where you are. Don’t go looking for it anywhere else. Look for it right where you are. Seize it! Take a step of faith to move forward. Trust God to show you someone today who needs the love of God. God bless you.
Logos Hope in 60 seconds:
