sal?m ‘al?kum is how you say hello in Arabic – it means ‘Peace upon you’. And to reply you would say wa ‘al?kum al sal?m which means ‘And peace upon you’. This week in the international cafe on Logos Hope I had the privilege of sitting with a local man who spoke relatively good English and who was able to teach me several useful Arabic phrases like ‘Thankyou’ and ‘You’re welcome’ and ‘The people here are nice’.
But even better still, yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the ruins of an old Roman town. Like much of the ancient world this country was occupied by Rome at the beginning of the common era. It’s one thing to read about it on the internet or to see exhibits in a museum (as I did last week), but to walk the streets of an old roman town, to stand in a real auditorium and to browse what was the market is a breathtaking experience. I should thank our wonderful hosts who arranged the outing for us and provided all the transport. Truly this is a very hospitable culture and I am very lucky to experience it first hand.

Today I had the privilege of visiting a museum in this country’s capital city. There were four floors worth of fascinating historical exhibits beginning from the ancient African inhabitants and their nomadic experience, moving through Phoenician occupation and roman occupation and eventually the settlement of Arab peoples and the nation’s modern history. Whilst many of the signs were in Arabic, there was enough English signage to give us a rich history of the country.
Better still in the evening our hosts made dinner for all 450 crew members and put on a cultural show for us. The meal consisted of four courses served to us in our seats by waiters – a far cry from our usual buffet experience! A wonderful soup, a plate of salad and some savoury pastries made up the delicious starter courses (unfortunately half these things were made of potato so I couldn’t eat them, but thankfully the people who cleared the plates were ship people so it wasn’t too embarrassing). Our main meal was delicious camel meat cooked in spices and served on a bed of couscous with an amazing sauce.
The band played for us two wonderful Arabic songs which I enjoyed, and then they went on to play several western classic songs in English and Spanish! Everyone was so surprised to hear them playing ‘Country Road’. Amazing.
Life in this part of the world is about give and take. We put on cultural programmes for local people, and they put on cultural programmes for us. Often during school visits the school will go up on stage and perform a song or two for us before we begin the programme. I count myself as very fortunate to be in this part of the world to experience such hospitality and rich culture.

“A whole new world, every turn a surprise with new horizons to persue” says a song from the movie Aladdin. And in many ways North Africa is a wonderous place with a hundred thousand things to see. The country is beautiful and the people are warm and friendly. There are many cultural differences but we have been well prepared and each crew member is careful to dress and act appropriately so that we can make friends and build bridges between cultures here. I really hope to be a light that shines brightly, for people here to see that we don’t live like the western people that they see on TV in movies and the media. We are here to promote understanding between cultures and to make good friends. Please be thinking of me in this time.

Catching a bus into the city on a Friday night I felt a little old. I was surrounded by young people from Malta and from abroad out for a good time in the city. We visited a party district where the streets are empty by day but packed with party goers by night. We were there to talk with people and to hand out flyers that had an anti-drugs message as well as a story of a life transformed by our father. We went with some local brothers, one of whom frequented the area as a younger man. As we walked the street our father led us to people who stopped to talk with us and some told us about their experiences with drugs and how they longed to escape the cycle. We were able to spend time with people and answer questions about him.

This week I have had the privilege of exploring the island of Malta, the very same island that Paul was shipwrecked on. It is a beautiful island full of amazing architecture that reflects a rich history in the centuries that followed. I have really enjoyed wandering around trying local food and taking in the sights. It seems that Paul’s visit had a big effect on the people, but since then life has become more about rules and traditions than about a real relationship with the heavenly father.
I had the opportunity to visit with a local fellowship and sing with them and pray for the people of Malta. It was great to experience their hospitality and their love for others. I also got to meet two really nice gentlemen from Malta who told me all about the country and it’s history – seriously look it up on wikipedia – and I was able to take them for a tour of the ship and tell them all about the help projects that we do in some poor countries and explain why we do what we do. They really enjoyed their time on board and I enjoyed talking with them.

Now is a season of change for Logos Hope, especially in AV. This September I said goodbye to many friends, and also to two of the AV team who finished their commitment on board. Sam, who is a talented audio and video technician has worked in AV longer than I have and returns home to continue his studies and to get married. Glenn learned a lot about AV in his time on board and returned home to Denmark.
Now with the new PST joining my old friend Greg has returned to the ship. Greg, who comes from Singapore came on board for 3 months as part of the Short Term Exposure Program (STEP) and decided to return for two years to work in the AV department. He is a professional audio engineer and brings a wealth of experience to the team along with Sam from the UK who joined in February.
I have been learning a lot leading a team of professionals and trainees in such a high pressure environment, and whilst I’m glad that God has been stretching me, I’m also very glad that he has now provided someone to relieve me. Catherine from the UK is an experienced team leader and organizer and she will now be the AV team leader – dealing with schedules, management, communication and team building – while I continue to spearhead maintenance and training within the team.
I am enjoying the freedom that this change has brought and it has allowed me to reflect upon my own character even more.

Flags in hand, every eye watched as the coach reversed to reveal 60 new crew members. “Viva Las Palmas, Ole!” Was the melodious chant of PST Las Palmas. Eager to join the ship they have been preparing for over 3 weeks to see, they rushed toward the human tunnel of crew members from many nations all holding flags. 3 of these new recruits join my ship family – a group of people centered around a married couple who act as parents to us. Together we will celebrate birthdays and other special occasions and meet together regularly. 2 more of them are now my cabin mates. One is from France and the other is from South Korea. They are settling in well and have now got jobs in their preferred department – the galley. I look forward to getting to know each of these new people who have heard the call to come to the fields.

Santa Cruz was a busy port for the AV department. Since two people had left the ship at the end of their commitment, and new people are yet to join we were down to four people. We also had three really big events – three nights in a row. The event I enjoyed the most was El Foresterro – a musical about my lord set in the old west. The musical was entirely in Spanish, written and performed by a Christian drama company from Santa Cruz. Whilst I didn’t understand the entirety of the musica, the parts that I understood I was touched by. Many people came to this event and gave a huge applause at the end. It was worth every moment of preparation to see it complete.