April 2023 Update: When the Most Unbelievable Doors Open

Since my last update was emailed, we left Jordan and sailed to Saudi Arabia, then onto Djibouti. From there we sailed around and into the Persian Gulf. Our first stop there was Iraq and then on to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the ship is currently. It has been such a privilege to be able to visit these nations. All of these stops have been remarkable in their own ways, and I so wish that I had time to tell you about all that we saw happen in each place.

What I do want to highlight is our visit to Iraq. In my 15 months working onboard the Logos Hope, the ship has visited 20 ports in 16 different nations/territories. This was the most amazing visit I have experienced on my time onboard. They invited us in and went above and beyond to make our visit possible. In the 12 days we were there, we had over 90,600 people visit the ship.

We found the Iraqi people so friendly and hospitable. They made us feel so welcomed and cared for. We did our best to return that care as they visited us, and we engaged with them. We had many opportunities to learn more about their culture and beliefs, and share ours with them as well. We had over 60 college students who were provided for us as translators. They were with us all day every day we were there. We built strong friendships with and had deep conversations with these students. I know that the outcome of our visit will be seen long into the future.

Life as the Training Officer

I have been working as the Training Officer since mid-February and am really enjoying this role. It has been an amazing opportunity for me to grow in my knowledge as I get more confident in the material I am training. I set up and oversee multiple drills every week, as well as organize different trainings sessions each month for the ship crew. This has been encouraging to see how I am growing in my knowledge, as well as learning how to effectively train the crew and see the ship move forward in its purpose.

Upcoming Ports

Here is our schedule for the summer months:

• Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Apr 17 to May 9

• Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - May 10 to Jun 5

• Manama, Bahrain - Jun 6 to Jun 19

• Doha, Qatar - Jun 20 to Jul 2

• Kuwait City, Kuwait - Jul 3 to Jul 10

• Muscat, Oman - Jul 13 to Jul 24

• Salalah, Oman - Jul 27 to Aug 3

Here is the ship’s Port Report for Iraq.

Here is the ship’s Port Report for Djibouti.