100 Ways to Photograph a Rose

Aren't they BEAUTIFUL roses???! Thank you Ben! :)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you!

Naomi Sue Nelson

Lebanon, Christmas 2010

Christmas Eve Day

Got back to the ship from Challenge Team last night...

I was standby today. This morning I did [no, had the privilege of doing] garbage with the Captain. That is a servant, people.

And THEN I got the biggest surprise - a very special Christmas present of TWO DOZEN ROSES from my man in MN!!!!!! Now HOW did he get them delivered right to the ship somewhere in Lebanon when he's in MN???! I'm asking that too! :)

The most amazing gifts always come when I'm least expecting anything and on the days when I don't feel pretty.

Shock of Return

I am so overwhelmed right now. Coming to the ship in the first place was a very easy adjustment, but for some reason this coming back is really hard! I don't know where to start. I feel like I need to decide, respond, and DO everything RIGHT NOW (including responding to the million e-mails that piled up to swamp me after two weeks gone).

I miss Ben. Chat doesn't work and there's no way to connect with you. I just need to talk. But I can't.

So many people left while I was gone. I don't recognize half the faces in the dining room anymore, cause new people came. And to top it all off, there's a big noise from the engine room in the wall right by my bed! How will I sleep?

The ship doesn't feel "mine" anymore. It feels foreign. I remember living here, in this cabin, in this bed... I put all those pictures on the wall... But now I feel like an outsider looking in - just somehow I got mixed up on the wrong side.

Maybe it is in part due to the season, because I'm not home. But even that is not cut and dry anymore, because I don't know where I would feel most at home.

So I am going to take a shower. And then unpack. Because, after all, I have one month left.

Re-Entry

What was it like the day you left home to join the ship?

May 12^th. The day that will live in infamy; the date burned in my mind. The day I left home.

Last everythings were over – last night in Dali, last supper, last walk on the dike, last bike ride, last good-byes… last ride on our bus. Am I ready? Ready to leave? Not only Dali, but Hong Kong, and my childhood. I’m leaving the only life I’ve known. It’s over.

Alone. I was out on my own, and I was alone. I had to stand in a horrid line, waiting to scan my bags, just out of conversation reach with my family. It was a torturous 45 min. where I could see them and they could see me, but they were on the other side of the barrier. I can see them, even now, standing there, and I knew full well that that would be my last picture of them, burned in my memory. Plenty of time to think about what I was doing going away and not going to see them for two years. I was glad whenever the line of tall, imposing Americans blocked my view of my family's somber faces as they waited to make sure I made it through ok. I tried not to look. I had to be strong. I could not cry; I was in a line with people all around me, and anyway my makeup would smear. Then my bags went through, I grabbed them up quickly, and took one last look back willing myself to see over the scanner and all the heads, and attempting a smile so they would know I was okay. And then I was gone.

As I boarded the steps to the plane, I looked back over my shoulder and somehow knew that this was it. I had left childhood behind forever. Then I turned, and with feigned confidence took a step forward.

What was it like to travel to the ship?

The roads here are not unlike the ones in Hong Kong - only that we can drive for longer. The narrow cement blocks making the median... the way the trees look... the frequent overpasses and exit/entry ramps... the blue signs over the road... the sound barriers and the graffiti on the sound barriers and on the back of all the signs.

I can't stay awake so I try to sleep, leaning my head against the window curtains. Every time the bus slows or turns a sharp corner I nearly fall off. I am jerked awake and have to work hard to keep from falling off my seat.

Half in a daze I stare out the window at the picture perfect German cottages we are passing. I guess... it is sort of like I thought Germany would be.

I try to imagine the silent woods haunted by the ghostly figures of concentration camp prisoners marching, marching... Up till now, that was the only picture of Germany I knew.

What was your first impression of the ship?

It was smaller than I thought it would be.

What was/were the first day/s on the ship like?

When did you first feel at home on the ship? (Did you feel at home on the ship?)

Home is not a familiar place, home is a mental decision. The ship was home to me before we even arrived because I knew that's where I was going to be.

What advice would you give someone joining the ship now?

World AIDS day

Watched Beat the Drum in our Hope Theatre tonight. It's so realistic. If you have the chance, watch it! Maybe seeing AIDS from a whole new perspective - through the eyes of an AIDS orphan - will make you think for just a minute.

I had a chance to meet some people like Musa's father and you can read my experience of coming face to face with HIV/AIDS in Cynthia's Story.

Hmmm... maybe I should get tested once I'm back in the States (I haven't done anything promiscuous, just been in contact with a lot of HIV+ people).

Best quote from the movie: "Even though Stefan was dying, he fought to make something of his life." Made me think - am I? Are YOU?

Egyptian Dream

I didn't even dream this dream of visiting the pyramids and the sphinx because it was too far out of my reach. Beware, because sometimes He gives you something beyond your wildest dreams! (For $35)

I wish I could rewind to my studying Ancient Egypt in school, knowing I would go there someday. I don't know if the books came alive or if I walked right into the pages, but man, if you read about places and history, take it seriously! Someday you might find yourself seeing it in real life!

ShipSHOTS #15 Hope Night

Watch the episode!

Traditional Libyan dress (notice the henna-painted hands)

A young boy bearing a picture of Muammar al-Gaddafi, the ruler of Libya, led the procession onto the stage, and the reciting of famous speeches started. Suddenly a group of boys carrying toy machine guns with real shooting noises ran around as the other children fell on their faces at the call to prayer. Complete with cultural dances (above) and incense burning, this was an insider's snapshot of history and customs I was lucky not to miss!

So much can you learn about the political state, culture, and religion of a country through it's children!

Book Hold

Somehow, on my first day in the book hold, I got to be in charge of the 23-page list! It was like a race to trying to keep five people busy finding the stacks of books, checking the ISBN number, pricing them and giving them storage shelve locations.

I'm not sure how many titles - out of the 7,500 different titles we have onboard - were on the invoice, but I can assure you that the length of that list was comparable to Santa's!

Halloween?

It's Halloween. Not that it matters. Not that anyone on the ship even noticed, but it is. It means it's fall. Winter's coming. And after winter, I come home.

For Ben

Another summer day Has come and gone away In Paris and Rome But I wanna go home, mmm...

May be surrounded by A million people I Still feel all alone I just wanna go home...

Oh, I miss you, you know...

And I've been keeping all the letters That I wrote to you Each one a line or two "I'm fine baby, how are you?"

Another airplane Another sunny place I'm lucky I know But I wanna go home...

I'm just too far From where you are I wanna come home

And I know just why you could not Come along with me That this was not your dream But you always believed in me...

Another winter day Has come and gone away In even Paris and Rome And I wanna go home...

Let me go home

And I'm surrounded by A million people I I still feel alone Oh, let me go home...

Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home I've had my run Baby, I'm done

It'll all be all right I'll be home tonight I'm coming back home...

- From the song Home by Michael Buble -

>

ShipSHOTS #14 Heavy Fuel Project

Watch the episode!

Ablaze!

I had the most beautiful off day today, and the icing on the cake was this gorgeous sunset when the sky went ablaze with yellow, orange, red and purple!

I'd like to put these two pictures together to make one long-ish picture... maybe someday I'll know how to.

Update: (thanks to Ben's friend)

Destination: North Africa!

A Libyan Mosque

In the Bazaar (middle eastern market)

Some fun with photography - my ship sister Imogen!

Jessica and Imogen

ShipSHOTS #13 New Crew Members

ShipSHOTS #12 Dentist Delight

ShipSHOTS #11 Journey of Life

Trading an A for an E...

This is something I have been learning...

GOD HAS SET US FREE! (Psalm 118:5 - FYI, I used NIV translation for all the references) For me this has been freedom to make decisions, free from my self-worth being based on what other people think of me, the realization that I can't please everybody and the confidence to start standing up for myself.

If we're set free, there must be something that's the root problem that we're liberated from! Free from what? FEAR. (Psalm 34:4)
What are your FEARS? (fear of failure, discontent, death, what other people think, being hurt, etc.)

F-E-A-R --> trade the 'A' for an 'E' (rearrange the letters) and you become --> F-R-E-E

1. My personal fear - fear of Man; what I think people will think of me

Prov. 29:25

1 Sam. 15:1-24

Luke 23:20-24, Mark 15:15, John 19:12-14

Isaiah 51:7

Isaiah 51:12

John 12:43

2. HOW does Christ set us free?
1 John 4:18

3. Only one thing we should fear:
Prov. 31:30 (could be another verse but since this is 'A Woman of God is...' study group...)

4. Building our CONFIDENCE in being free:
Psalm 119:32
John 8:32, 36
Gal. 5:1
Psalm 119:45

One caution... (1 Peter 2:16 and Gal. 5:13)

We can go live in victory, trading our "A"s for "E"s, because Christ has set us FREE from our fears, free to LIVE FOR HIM!

ShipSHOTS #10 Hope Team

ShipSHOTS #9 Legacy of Libraries

This is the last one for a while! I hope you've enjoyed "seeing" a bit of my life and ministry with Logos Hope!

SHIPSHOTS #8 Atlantic Crossing

This shows a lot of the deckies' job to get the ship from port to port! :)

Life on a Ship

Just an average sailing day on Logos Hope...

We are sailing North around the west corner of Africa on our way to Monrovia, Liberia. At the moment we're watching The Iron Lady a documentary/movie about the recent wars in the country; I'm multi-tasking. :)

Today I learned what soft wax is and got to use it on the natural fibre hemp (adds a little more protection coating) that we fixed the van lifting gear with. We had to pull those whippings so tight my hands are red and sore, but regardless ropework is one of my favourite jobs!

There was a Man Overboard drill at 4pm... The whole ship did a Williamson turn as we all pointed and shouted at the poor unfortunate cardboard box.

There is a sign on the elevator door, right under the 'Out of Service' sign, that says:

"God just gave me ONE LEG THIS WEEK! Go Go Go Electricians! I miss my Buddy the Elevator. -Matthijs" (on crutches from playing sports)

I popped into the library and opened a book and happened across a really cool bit...

"When someone asks you how you are and you say you're fine, do you actually mean the acronym for that word - 'Feelings Inside Not Expressed'?" [DNA of Relationships, Gary Smalley]

Yeah, most of the time... How did they read my mind???!

Today it is FUN to have a long distance relationship! (Wow, I'm being optimistic...!) If we were together, we'd miss out on the packages to look forward to, letters, e-mails and phone calls and bragging on my man when he's not here! Every other day it really SUCKS, but for some reason I'm in a good mood today! (Still, I'd trade it if I could-!) Maybe it's because I finally wrote in my journal again last night. ;)

ShipSHOTS #7 Worth Seeing a Smile

One and a Half Years

Today makes exactly one and a half years that I have lived on MV Logos Hope! That's 3/4 of my total commitment-! Scary and cool, how the time has gone so fast and yet it seems I've been gone for so long. Six more months to finish strong, living and loving LIFE ON A SHIP!!!

ShipSHOTS #6 Taste of a Better Life

Can you tell what part I had in this video?

Cythia's Story - Tema, GHANA

She was just my age. Her name was Cynthia. She had a beautiful smile! Her loving mother was by her side. She had dreams and hopes for the future, just like every teen girl. Already married, she was carrying her unborn child, five months along. She was 19. And Cynthia was dying.

This brave girl wasn't the only one who's body could no longer fight off diseases due to the HIV/AIDS virus killing their immune system. There was Abby, a mom of four young children, who was admitted to this ward yesterday. She was scared and you could see the fear in her eyes as they darted around the ward, seeing the other patients who were all in a worse condition, knowing that this soon too was her fate.

And then there was the Elderly Lady. The thing that stood out to me was her smile, which filled up her whole face! She recognized the bright blue Logos Hope team T-shirts as the same as a previous team wore, and tried to make a violin motion as she lay on her bed. So she loves music! And she wanted us to sing!

I looked down and there was dried blood and vomit on the floor. Horrible coughs racked the patients' whole bodies, and they were constantly spitting out phlegm. They were so thin; just skin stretched over skeletons really, so thin I had thought Cynthia's bloated belly to be malnourishment and had never imagined the possibility she was pregnant. The ward was drab, plain cement walls and floor, broken beds and makeshift side tables. The open windows had big heavy grates on them - I wasn't sure why because no one in their right mind would ever want to come in there, and it would have been physically impossible for any of the patients to be able to climb out. There was nothing to steal from this cold, simple room anyway. The only bright spots in the otherwise colorless room were the patterned African cloths that were the cover on each patient's bed. It was hard not to concentrate on the blood on the floor... and who knew what else my flip-flops were stepping in. I closed my eyes and turned my head away. I wanted to run, run away from there. Run out into the bright sunshine and fresh air, where everything was pretty and nice. Even the dusty African roads and scorching sun was appealing compared to facing this... this dying.

But we could not just leave. We had to be there. I had to face this. Shoes could be washed - feet even, if necessary - but time for these patients was trickling away... drip, drip, dripping away like the liquid in their IV bottles. What did you say to someone who was so close to facing eternity? The only thing I could do was read. And pray. And sing, I guess, since it made the Elderly Lady so happy. I tentatively sat down on the edge of Cynthia's bed, unsure if this action was appropriate, but feeling it broke down a barrier showing that I was not afraid to get close, and reached out and took her hand. Before I had always wondered, what it would be like, to knowingly touch someone you KNEW had AIDS. But it was not different than touching anyone else. She was a girl, just like me. It seemed cliche to realize, that HIV/AIDS patients? - they are normal people just like you and me. God helped me to see not a disease, but to see PEOPLE, people who desperately needed love and touch. Outcasts, the kind of people you would find Jesus with if He were on earth today.

I opened my Bible to Psalms and read the 23rd chapter; the most comforting one I could think of. Cynthia didn't understand English (people in Ghana also have their own language), but she got the message. And through her mother we found out that she does know Jesus, hopefully as her personal Savior.

And then another girl and I, we sat by her bed and braided her hair. The matted, gross mess that probably hadn't been washed in weeks and was starting to fall out; we did our best to smooth it out and braid it onto her head African style. When we held the tiny mirror for her to see she smiled! She liked have her hair done. Because she wanted to look pretty, just like every other girl. And that's who she is - a girl, just like me.

It was only after we left that I found out from some of the other team members that it wasn't a swollen stomach from malnourishment as I had thought, but that Cynthia was actually pregnant. Five months along actually. And that started a whole string of questions in my mind. Will the baby have HIV? Will she even live long enough for the baby to be born...? If you get to heaven before I do, and at the gate welcoming you there's a smiling old lady playing the violin, a mother waiting for her children, and a little black African boy holding the hand of and looking up at a tall slim girl... you'll know her name is Cynthia.

ShipSHOTS #5 Sports Connection

ShipSHOTS #4 Packs of Help

Broke a Record!

Logos Hope broke a record today with 12,028 visitors in ONE DAY!!! (The most we had had every before was 8, 735, yesterday!)

Pray that the books sold, conversations had, and the gospels of John and tracts handed out would make a lasting impact in each person's life!

ShipSHOTS #3 Building for a Purpose

Come back tomorrow for the continuation of the story...!

ShipSHOTS #2 Lovin' the Crowds

(My part in this video? I got to run in front of the van that the videographer was riding in, clearing the streets so the van could move up the line without stopping - and without running over people and street vendors!)

ShipSHOT #1 Lights, Camera, Action!

Here's what I do when I act in the Greatest Treasure kid's program!

Watch for the new video tomorrow!

It's called, Long Distance Relationship

LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP

You're stuck in a chat box on my computer screen

I want to put my arms around you

Tousle your hair

Touch your arm to let you know I'm there

But when I lay my head on your shoulder

It's a pillow wet with tears

I miss you Ben...

Our families - though oceans apart - brought us together

Ben and Naomi July 2010 MV Logos Hope Atlantic

Our story began almost six months ago when a certain Benjamin Sahlstrom came aboard the Logos Hope with the Short Term Exposure Program (STEP) and rocked my world more than any rough sea ever had! Due to ship rules, we were not allowed to officially be in a [dating] relationship until the last two weeks he was onboard. However, we became good friends and found out a lot about each other in the time in between. And almost always, our conversations ended up centered around our families. Because you see, we're both the oldest of large families - Ben's the oldest of 10, I of nine - both from Christian families, American families, home schooled, the way we were raised, values, beliefs... you name it, we've probably discussed it -- and it's very similar! The only difference? We grew up on opposite sides of the world.

So about Ben. HE'S A PRETTY AMAZING GUY!!!! But I guess you'd like more details than that! ;) Ben is from Minnesota, a photographer/plumber - on his way to two great careers! His many practical skills come in handy working for the Sahlstrom family Heating/Air business. He rides motorcycle and is up on all the latest gadgets and technology. He's a hard worker with a great attitude and good at relating to people. He's humble and most of the time a behind-the-scenes man, except when it comes to being the ringleader for a get together with a bunch of friends! He's really thoughtful and also a good gentleman. What I noticed first was his amazing smile (and almost constant optimism)! And then when he said he had a red pick-up truck, Cupid's arrow struck my heart... I've always just had something for a RED pick-up truck!

His first job onboard the ship was working in the International Cafe, serving ice-cream and popcorn, coffee and cakes to the thousands of visitors who come onboard to buy books. The cafe is an area where crew members can meet with the visitors and hopefully direct conversations to spiritual things. Then they found out he was a plumber! Of course, the engine room figured they needed him worse than the I-Cafe, so he moved departments to help the maintenance team as a plumber. It was such a help, they found a way for him to stay on longer; for 4 more months as a Project Worker (short term person with practical skills).

Our song is "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys, because it is all the places we were when we met and fell in love. :)

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine..." Eph. 3:20

You can read Ben's side of the story at http://www.bensahlstrom.com/2010/06/sp.html

Many thanks to the Sahlstrom and Nelson families, who - though oceans apart from us and each other - were the thing that brought us together.

To be continued...

SP!

No one quite remembers if "SP" stands for "Social Permission" or "Special Privileges" because it's always just called "sp" and is the favorite thing to joke about on Logos Hope... but whatever it's called, the permission to be in a relationship is pretty special!

"The Sign" posted on the community notice board!

It's official! (And I was in my work clothes from the fire drill... :P)

(After a shower! :)) The new couple!

WE ARE DATING!!!!

Lifeboat Prayer

Lord, thank you for this drill
For this time we had to practice
Thank you for the skill You've given us
Thank you for safety
And that no one got hurt
Through this dangerous procedure
In an emergency help us to be prepared
Help us put into practice what we have learned today
That each of us could take our positions and remember what to do
Thank you for these lifeboats

But Lord we pray
We never have to use them

More Africa

T.I.A. [This Is Africa]

SIERRA LEONE - Did You Know?

-> Life expectancy: 41yrs. (compared to US 78yrs.)
-> 70% of population under poverty line
-> over 60% of the population is Muslim
-> 50% population age 16 and under
-> 1 in 8 mothers die in childbirth
-> 1 in 4 children die before age 5

These are just depressing-sounding statistics until you think about the people behind the numbers. When you see four curly-haired dark-skinned African kids playing and to think that one of the smiling youngsters will die (most likely by accident or disease) within the year... When you see two toddlers laid to sleep on the bare ground of what can barely be called a sidewalk, the nonchalant in which the six year old boy mentions his mother died yesterday because she was having a baby - his brother - both now motherless, and the fear in the Muslim man's eyes as he accepts the Bible you are giving him. the extreme poverty, some people walk around with cell phones and ipods... and both are somehow Africa.

FIRST HELP PROJECT!
Our first Help project in Sierra Leone was a bit of a unique one. We are a shipload of healthy people compared to most of the locals who are too malnourished to donate blood - so you can see why the nurses from the maternity hospital MercyShips started were so excited to have such a large blood bank literally sail right to their door! Yup, we've been in Europe, the Caribbean and Africa in the last year, have had the Yellow Fever vaccine, and are taking Malaria tablets but... we're IN Africa!!! It was cool to join the "party" of ship's company in boiler suits from the engine room, dusty workclothes, those who ran in from the galley (kitchen), and everyone else who took a few minutes to pop by in the middle of our work day to donate blood. In total we donated 45L of blood - each half liter worth US$50 - saving the hospital US$4,500 in buying from overseas donors! :)

KNOWLEDGE...
Over 70 people attended the onboard "How to Start a Business" program today! I got to hear a bit of it and it was really quality teaching, and practical to help locals have some idea of how to start and run a good business. Our goal in this port is to pass it on - invest in influencers and encourage them to speak into others' lives and keep the blessing going on.

DRESS CODE
One of the changes we had to make coming to a new region was respecting a different culture in the way we dress and behave. Out are the shorts and knee-length skirts and in are the new fashions for Africa: long skirts or long pants for girls (showing our knees would be like going topless-!), and always long pants for guys. And it's sweltering hot.

African sunrises and sunsets are beautiful... it is pretty green jungle-y here compared to what I pictured the terrain to be like... and I'm still waiting for the safari animals from Madagascar 2 to appear somewhere!

PRAY for the spiritual warfare going on here; there was a "devil's dance" done right outside the port gate tonight, but also, God is doing a great work and my friend coming back from a church team shared many exciting stories of how Muslims are listening to the gospel and coming to Christ!

And all of this was just ONE day.

Bringing Knowledge

http://www.omships.org/sharing-environmental-know-how

Lessons about Grace

There once was a Chief mate (leader of all the deckies - next to the Captain in rank) in Deck and, as every morning, we met as a department for devotions. On this particular morning, he had something special for us. Before we started, he passed around chocolates to everyone. However - as seems to be the case in most departments - there are always a few stragglers who rock up late... and miss the chocolate. But this Chief mate Graeme took the chocolates left and tossed them around to those just coming in. The deckies who actually made it on time started grumbling about how "they deserve to get no chocolate," and "serves them right for being late." And then in the way he always did, most of us not realizing the lessons we were being taught, Graeme quietly said, "Remember, one denarii," and proceeded to relay Jesus' parable about the landowner who hired workers to work for him. Those who worked all day received the pay they had agreed upon - one denarii - but those who he hired late in the day who only worked ONE HOUR received the same pay! I've always sympathized with the first ones hired; I would have been in outrage and probably would have been leading the protest when these workers came to complain about this unfairness:

" 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'

But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' "

Matt. 20:12-15

This real-life situation shocked me into thinking - What if I were on the late-worker end of the scale?! - I would sure appreciate Jesus' generosity! The thought that maybe, just maybe, in Jesus' book we are ALL 'late workers,' undeserving of salvation, catapulted me on a journey to find out about Grace.

"The whole world is starved for grace," Philip Yancey writes in his book What's So Amazing About Grace? I've always thought of grace as forgiveness, actually I relate more to what Lewis Smedes said in a quote; it's more than that: "Guilt was not my problem as I felt it. What I felt most was a glob of unworthiness that I could not tie down to any concrete sins I was guilty of. What I needed more than pardon was a sense that God accepted me, owned me, held me, affirmed me, and would never let go of me even if he was not too much impressed with what he had on his hands." (What's So Amazing About Grace, pg. 36)

Grace is getting something you don't deserve.

Grace is not fair. It is not logical and it does not make sense. I like to have a reason. But try as I might, two things I have found, are not logical: Love and Grace. They are intertwined (inseparable and interchangeable) because grace is at the core of unconditional love.

It is hard for me to accept - if to accept, then to give as well - Grace (and thus, Love). It feels like I need to earn whatever it is I want. I'm too proud when someone extends grace to me.

Recently there has been a situation in my life where I want Grace. It is not forgiveness for something I have done; it is something I would like but there is nothing I can do to help myself get it. There is no reason I should get it even. For the first time in my life, I want Grace.

The Bible is full of God trying to get the picture of grace across to us. God bestowing on David - adulterer and murderer - the title of "A man after God's own heart." Seriously??? And then the famous Old Testament prophet Hosea, sent to live out an example of God's grace. When Jesus came to earth he tried and tried to help us get the picture: The parable of the prodigal son, the Pharisee and tax collector praying, the servant who was forgiven a huge debt he could never pay, but wouldn't forgive his fellow servant a small debt, and One Denarii.

"Grace... is a gift that costs everything for the giver, and nothing for the recipient." (pg. 25) In one final amazing act of Grace, Jesus gave the gift of eternal life to a criminal on a cross beside him who had no time left to do anything for him.

This lesson of one denarii is helping me see that I shouldn't be jealous when I see others get better than what I think they deserve, because actually... I am the one hour worker who didn't deserve the pay.

Jesus wants us to just accept his gift humbly with thankfulness and joy and not belittle the gift that cost him everything by trying to earn it.

It's Monday

On the ship our work week is from Tue. - Sat. and Sunday is focused on a lot of ministry, leaving Monday as my day off! So unlike most of the rest of the world, I love Mondays!!!

My family called today (yay!!! :D) and I got to talk to them for near an hour and half!!! My littlest sister, Hope (who was 3 weeks old when I left), is almost 1 and a half! She is walking and babbling and climbing on lots of stuff - they said her favorite thing is Daddy's ipod touch-! And every morning she wants to play with it. They have company, as usual; the kids are really stretching out and off doing lots of things! We talked about support and prayer requests. The doggies are fine and it's getting warm...

This afternoon I went off the ship with Elise for a special treat of ice-cream at the little "Australian"-named place! It's cool because Elise is from Australia, and it was REALLY GOOD ICE-CREAM! Fun time of talking and walking around the town together! :)

There are a bunch of farewell testimonies tonight because a lot of people are leaving soon. I'm going to that and then it's early to bed because I start work at 4:30am tomorrow morning - we're shifting over to the container port to load our 13 (13!) containers of supplies over the next two days. It's going to be a lot of work and I don't know where it's all going to fit on the ship; all I know is it's all hands on deck for gearing up for Africa!

St. Johns, ANTIGUA

Logos Hope to the Rescue!!!

Monday April 26 as Logos Hope left Bermuda we were notified that a small sailing vessel was overdue in arriving and had not been seen. We were asked to alter our course to see if we could locate the schooner.

Turns out we ended up in the part of the water north of Bermuda on the charts that says "Area to be avoided"- yikes! BUT we were able to find him and be the communication link (due to radio's not reaching far enough) to help rescue the lone sailor on a sailing schooner who's engine room was flooding and sail was in tatters, who'd been up the last 24 hours (after 11 days at sea!) trying to ride out the rough weather... We stayed with him through the evening, keeping our searchlight shining on him so the pilot/rescue boat from Bermuda was able to come and pick him up to tow him in from where we had located him. Exciting evening!