Happy Easter! What a marvelous day! He has risen indeed. I rejoice that Jesus’ story did not the end with his death. Jesus conquered death, Satan, and paid the price for all our sin. Easter is a day to celebrate God’s love triumphing so all humanity can be restored to a right relationship with God. His sacrifice brings us eternal hope. It is my privilege to take this message of hope to the nations. Thanks to everyone who stands with me in prayer and financial support to help me see the lost encounter the life changing message of Easter.
Here is my March update video. Watch to see what I was up to this month and what is coming up next.
Looking Back on March
If you have kept up with my January or February updates, you will know I returned to Logos Hope mid-January for 8 weeks. This time I went as a trainer with Operation Mobilization’s Maritime Training Center (MTC). Most of the crew who join Logos Hope have never had experience working on a ship. It is the job of the MTC trainers to get the crew trained, certified, and prepared for their jobs.
I was one of the teachers training the new crew. I enjoyed getting them ready to serve on the ship for the next one or two years. This month I was specifically working with the 9 new crew that have been assigned to work in the Deck Department. The Deck Department is responsible for navigating the ship, keeping the ship secure, and maintaining the outside of the ship. We spent 3 weeks training them for their jobs and preparing them to be good “Deckies”. I finished up with the training and now have returned to Florida.
While onboard, the ship served in 3 ports in 2 countries. I joined while the ship was docked in Maputo, Mozambique. From there we sailed south to Richards Bay, South Africa and then even further south to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa. In these three ports we saw thousands of visitors come onboard the ship. We also had many teams working onshore sharing the love of Christ.
Watch this video to see the ship’s port update from our time in Mozambique:
The Here and Now?
I have been having some health issues that were diagnosed right before I returned to the ship in January. These issues started around the beginning of 2022 and have gotten progressively worse. In the last year, I came home twice because I physically needed to rest. I was hoping that rest would solve the issues, but when I left the ship at the end of October it was clear to me that something more was going on. When I returned to the ship in January, I was praying that the medication I was given would turn things around and the two months of training would not be too much for me to handle. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
God has made it clear for me that I need to focus on recovering. I am going to prioritize getting rest, eating healthy, allowing my body to really recover. Please join me in praying God would touch my body and bring healing. Also, please pray for me to take the time to be still and rest, I prefer staying busy.
Looking Ahead – Changes are Coming
I have been asked to join a team of people who are working on a new training program in YWAM for mariners to learn the skills needed to work on a ship and go deeper in their Biblical knowledge, all while gaining a heart for missions. It is an amazing opportunity that I can see God has clearly prepared me for over the last several years. Joining this team will put me in the states for a period of time as we work towards designing a program and creating curriculum. I see how God has lined this up, knowing that I need a break from working on the ships full time in this season of life. Now, I know I just said I am taking a break, so I will not be starting this right away. But I wanted to let you know that changes are coming so stay tuned as I release more information on this. Pray that God makes His timing and ways clear on everything.
Photo Highlights
