Welcome to Køge, Denmark

We left Sweden, most of us by bus, on June 22 and headed for Denmark. We are in a nice berth close to the city. In front of the ship are cute little restaurants. We are the biggest ship in the harbor, well, we are about as big as the harbor! While in Denmark, we want to focus on getting some of the major construction projects done, which means we won't be open for the public. In August we will open the ship for tours on the weekends.


On Friday I was helping the deckies relocate the bikes from deck 6 to the quayside. A couple was walking by and asked loads of questions about who we are and where the ship comes from and why we are here. I was able to share with them serving nations and sharing the good news of Jesus. They were really exited to see such a big ship in their little village. It seems all the people from Køge want to know more about us!

As of now, it looks like we will be in Køge until the end of Sept. Can you find Køge on the map? It's south of Copenhagen.. good luck!

Be sure to read Mo the Monkey's latest observations at http://mo-iamthemonkey.blogspot.com/

Project Time

While the ship was in Sweden she was able to go into dry dock, get a new coat of paint, a new generator and all ship's company working 6 days a week to get her ready for ministry and her passenger certificate. It's amaxing to see how much has already been finished since I boarded her in November. We have a completed dining room, most nooks and kranies have had rust removed and fresh paint, the engine room is clean, all of deck 4 has flooring, we have two stages now and much more coming soon!
There is a rush to get things finished for two reasons:
1. We are hoping to get our Passenger Sailing Certifiacte in August. This would make us an official passenger ship and we would be able to sail with full ship's company and guest. All the practical living spaces of the ship much be completed, we need carpet on the stairs, and an overall look and feel that doesn't say, "we live in a construction zone".
2. To start ministry. The whole purpose of OM Ships is to bring Knowledge, Help, and Hope to the nations of the world. No matter where we go or who we meet, we always have an opportunity for ministry. But to use this vessel to her fullest potental we want to have a working Experience Deck, where guest will come aboard to ship for books, learn about Jesus, chit chat with crew members and walk away with that, "there's something different about these people and I want it" feeling.
Please pray that the work can continue at a steady speed. That we can pass our certificates. That ministry will still happen, even if it's not organized on board the ship.

Praises for what's already been completed, no major work-related injuries, and for the large donations to help with the completion of deck 4 and the engine room.
We still need skilled people for the rest of summer... if you know any carpenters, welders or carpet layers,and plumbers who would like to spend a couple months in Denmark, let them know about the Logos Hope Project!
Check out www.logoshope.org for more information about the ship, her purpose, her schedule, and prayer and praise reports.

Ring, Ring... Hello?

Technology is great. All at the same time, I can chat with a friend in Canada, video chat with my mom in San Diego, talk to my dad who is calling mom from a fishing boat somewhere in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico. And did I mention I'm in Sweden? Wow!
This is me... chatting on the computer :)

To find me on Skype: jessicaatsea
To find me on MSN: jjhanger@hotmail.com
To find me on AOL: princessjj526
To find me on Yahoo: princessjj526@yahoo.com

Keep in touch... can't wait to chat with you!

Return to Sweden

I was overjoyed when I learned I would be returning to Sweden for another Challenge Team! This time I headed for Malmö, which is located in the southwest corner of the country right next to Denmark. I have fallen in love with Sweden, the people, the culture, nature and the language. It's not very often I find a country that I could say I would like to live in. In fact the last country I wanted to live in was Germany. God answered that request and taught me that I didn't like Germany as much as I thought I was going to.
But now I am in Sweden. I'm with a very different team and we are doing different ministries then the ones I participated with in Stockholm.

Street Church
On Friday nights groups of local Christians from various churches set up tables in the busiest pedestrian areas of the city. Passing out free coffee, cookies and bibles to people on the way to or from the restaurants and clubs. The amazing thing is, that people in Sweden actually stop. They accept the free coffee, free cookies, and even the free bibles with no hesitation. Some people ask "Why?" and the response is always honest. "We want to bless you and tell you about Jesus".
If we were in the states, that's when the people would scoff, walk away, start an argument, or ignore us. But we aren't in the states. We are in Sweden where the people who have had a rich history with Christan influence, have come to be tolerant, accepting, self-reliant and at the same time lost. The Swedish instead answer with, "OK, tell me about Jesus."
It's that simple. We open the bible, we share what Jesus did for us on the cross, no trying to cover up our faith or beliefs, just straight "this is who we are and this is why we believe it". Everyone is polite, thanking us for the coffee, the conversation and the free bibles.
A man accepted Christ last week. He walked by the table a couple times, and returning for a third time shared his hurt and struggles. After walking past the table 2 times, he felt compelled to return and talk to someone. He could no longer resist the Spirit. This isn't a once in while thing, every week seeds are being planted and Swedish people are being saved.

Rosengård
Rosengård, the poorest district in all of Scandinavia, it's where 92% of the residents are unemployed, and 60% of the residents were born in another country. Those aren't exactly the statistics you want to hear when you decide to move to a new part of town. But that's exactly what the members of Thomas Church knew when they chose to move into the heart of Rosengård.
Of the 22,000 people that call Rosengård home, most are immigrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia and Lebanon to name a few, making Muslims the number one people group here. Church members are their neighbors, praying for them, holding outreaches for the women and children, teaching them Swedish, and handing out free coffee. The people here are open to discuss religion daily because it's part of their culture.
While helping with Thomas Church, our team has been able to pass out "fika" (coffee and cookies... in case you haven't figured it out yet, Swedish people LOVE coffee breaks). We also cleaned a neighborhood park and played sports and games with the kids. It's all about relationships and letting your life be a witness to God's grace. It's exciting to be a part of what God is doing in Rosengård.

Prayer Request:
That God can continue to unify our team, as we have one week still together.
For the seeds that have been planted. That people will be moved by the Spirit to find meaning and purpose for life in Christ Jesus.
That, through all our words and actions, Christ will be glorified and hearts transformed.

Another Year Older

Nothing big was planned for my birthday. The events team I work with threw me a little party complete with funny videos and a cake. They wanted to put my face IN the cake, but they know me too well, so settled for putting my face ON the cake.
That evening I had dinner with some special friends. It was a Monday night, which meant "Monday Night Worship". I had expected to go out with a few friends after dinner, but they surprised me with a game.
I had to put on a blindfold, a silly hat and follow a string around the whole ship! What fun.... for everyone else. My friends were not very good leaders, as they let me bump into walls and strangers, who, along with their giggles, were wishing me Happy Birthday. The string lead me back to my own cabin and inside was confetti and friends waiting to surprise me.
It meant so much to celebrate with friends and have a good time. I told them their surprise party was great... but not quite as great as the one I had the previous year :)