Ocean in front, ocean behind, ocean to the left and ocean to the right. For 12 days the Logos Hope – my home on the sea – will sail from the Caribbean to West Africa. Anyone who knows me knows that I can be motion sick in just about anything that moves – cars, planes, busses, trams – and a ship is no different. You can’t stop the ship to get out and rest – you just have to keep going. Often I have been seasick for days as my home moves from country to country. One day a collegue of mine challenged me, she said that if I believe and trust God then he will help me to stay well despite the raging seas. I was unwilling to believe her there and then, but as I thought about it it did seem like something God would do – obviously I would be more useful to Him if I was not seasick. So this time I prayed (and I believe a lot of people prayed with me) that I would be well for the journey – and to no surprise I have been perfectly fine so far. –Update: I have not been seasick for the entire 12 days– So it goes to show that God can use you even if you think that you are useless.
The Atlantic crossing has so far been an amazing experience. We have had a Caribbean reflection day where we gave God glory for what he did in the Caribbean and then we each found a place to be quiet and reflect on our time there. We get to experience a little of each other’s culture through evening programmes and special dinners. I am looking forward to the Japanese Experience.