Intro to Life on Board

My cabin is number B210, my roommate's name is Jin Suk (Korea) and I am a cleaning angel. On Sept 15th PST Cuxhaven joined the crew of the LOGOS II. It’s been an amazing week. We learned our jobs, joined a “family” group, and sailed to a new port. The only sad thing is that on Monday 47 members of our crew will leave and join the LOGOS HOPE in Croatia. This is a good and bad thing. Good, because the more hands working on the HOPE the sooner she can sail. Bad, because we just started meeting one another and now so many are leaving.

Our memory verse this week is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you declare the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you and plans to give you hope and a future.” There are so many changes happening with the ships and OM, it’s a good reminder. We may have the future figured out for ourselves, but really it is God who has final say about our plans.

OM has been waiting 5 years to launch the new ship, LOGOS HOPE, and every step of the way has been met with delays or unexpected repairs. With our team joining the launch it may be only 6 weeks until the HOPE joins us in Germany. Please remember the HOPE, her crew, and her finances in your prayers.

I’m really excited about my job on board. I work in accommodations, but I’m happy to report I haven’t had to clean any toilets yet!!! All the girls that work in accommodation are referred to as the “Cleaning Angels”. They clean the toilets, showers, vacuum, and all the house keeping. But God is good and has already given me a promotion.

My title on board is “Laundry Queen”. I’m responsible for the laundry of the entire crew, all 200 of them. I wash, dry and fold all the personal clothes, uniforms, work clothes for deck and engine, bedding, towels, table linens, etc… Today I did 15 loads before noon and then another 15 after lunch. I get one or two people to help me with the folding each day and I get Saturdays and Sundays off.

Besides my new job, I also joined a new “family”. Everyone on board is part of a ship “family”. It’s a small group of 8-12 people and you get together to celebrate birthdays, special events and pray for one another. A couple, a “mom and dad”, usually heads the family and everyone else are “brothers and sisters”. I’m part of the Carnell Family, and have a “single father”, Andrew (Australia). This evening we had a going away party for one my “brothers” Zach (USA- Georgia). He will be leaving with the HOPE people. The others in my family are: Nari (Spain), Isabel & Udu (PNG), Suhir (Sudan), Patrick (Germany) and Lisa (Germany).

Tomorrow will be a hard day; I say good-bye to my two closest friends here, Grace (USA-Kansas) and Marjan (Belgium) are leaving to go to the HOPE. I’ve been with them since DeBron. I’m looking forward to the new friends God is going to have me meet. Without the comfort of the entire PST here, it will force me out of my comfort zone and truly into a new community.

Please pray for the safety of those heading to Croatia; it’s a 24-hour bus ride! Also pray for the growth of unity among the crew left behind in Kiel.