Sitting in a room with 9 Chinese people and one German friend politely listening to a language I cannot understand is not my usual way to spend a Sunday evening, but it seemed like the thing to do. Over the last few weeks I have taken the time to study and learn some Mandarin – the most commonly spoken language in China – with some Chinese friends onboard. The teacher of the class has a passion for connecting with and sharing the gospel with Chinese people living in the countries we visit, who are often very isolated from the community around them. I came along on this outing to make friends, practice some Mandarin, and to show that it is not only other Chinese people who care about them. Specifically I met one man who enjoyed practicing his English with me and was very encouraged by our visit. Others in the group took the time to share the gospel with them. I hope to learn a lot more so I can actually have a basic conversation with Chinese people, and hopefully my friends on board will help me.
Author Archives: Chris Young
Back to school
While the ship was in Bermuda, my colleagues and I asked for donations for school supplies – pens, notebooks, pencils, erasers etc – for school kids in Africa. Today I had the chance to distribute the gifts that the people of Bermuda had donated. First we shared with the kids where we came from, about the ship, and then the Gospel. They were all very receptive to what we had to say. Then they all lined up and each of us gave them one item of stationary to help them with their studies. We also gave some more tools to the teachers and for each classroom, these included an atlas, a bible, scissor sets, highlighters, a blackboard and wall charts. Though these donations will not last for very long, we hope that we have shown that God loves them and cares for their needs, and that they have listened to the message of hope that we have brought.
Bush Church
No electricity, no running water, mud hits with thatched roofs and two unique languages. This is the church that I visited yesterday morning. The pastor of this church was a truck driver before he was saved, and felt called to pastor a bush church. The church itself was several miles down a crazy dirt road – quite a distance from the city. The people here enjoy a simpler living. They grow produce and sell it at the market at the junction with the highway. The pastor encouraged them saying ‘Think about where you are. You are not in the city, you are far away in the bush, yet God has brought people from all over the world to visit you this morning – he has not forgotten you’. I was introduced as the senior pastor of the group and we were praised as wise white people. I made sure to take some time during my ship presentation to remind them that we are all regular people, and we are from many nations including African nations and we all have the same Holy Spirit inside us. Another in the team shared a message, and yet another shared her testimony. After the service they gave us many gifts of coconuts, cacao, and oranges. It was an amazing experience.
A helping hand
“Seeing the way you guys ran AV for this event made the last three years of my life worthwhile”. Those were the words that AV system designer Andrew Lightoller left us with after watching a youth event on Logos Hope. Andrew spent two and a half years onboard Logos Hope designing and installing the extensive Audio Visual systems that we use today. The Hope Theatre is fully equipped with state of the art theatre lighting, screens, cameras and audio systems. Youth Events give us the opportunity to utilise all of this equipment and all of our learned skills to provide a program that will impact young people in each port we visit. The whole event is relayed onto big screens for the large audience to see every detail and the theatre lighting helps set the mood for each act, ultimately leading to a life changing message and a call to respond. Almost a year ago I inherited the responsibility for the people and equipment in the AV department onboard – it’s a daunting responsibility but it’s so worthwhile. This visit to Logos Hope might be Andrew’s last as he moves on in life to be a primary school teacher, so his job was to assess the state of the AV team and equipment. Whilst things aren’t perfect on board I am encouraged to hear that he is happy with what he has seen – and also that some problems we had will move towards a resolution. My prayer is that for the next year-and-a-bit I can continue to be a good steward of the wonderful people and mind-boggling equipment that God (and the ship’s leadership) has entrusted me with.
New Ship Presentation
“Just as we tie the ship to the land with strong ropes so that we do not drift out to sea, so we each tie ourselves to the solid rock – Jesus – that we might not drift away”. Having left the Caribbean region where a large percentage of the population were believers, where we urged the local body of believers to “pray to the lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest field” – a new ship presentation was called for, and I was delighted to present it for the first time to a local church in Africa.
The church itself was held in a primary school (sounds familiar doesn’t it?) which they had decorated. The congregation was spit into two groups. One group at the front were the english speaking congregation who listened to the pastor preach in english. Behind the last row of this group there was a translator wearing headphones who fervently repeated his words in Twi, one of the common languages of Ghana. Whilst we spent around 15 minutes on stage, there was also teaching, bible reading, a sermon, an offering or two and a few old hymns like It is well with my soul. Here is our new presentation.
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Flags When you first visit the ship you might notice we have a tall mast with a few flags flying on the top. We use these to communicate with other ships and ports about where we come from and what we are doing. We also have over 45 different nationalities of people with their own flags on board – but we all fly under the one banner, the banner of Jesus Christ. |
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Charts Sea charts provide the knowledge we need to avoid rocks and other dangers to ships. We bring knowledge to the places we visit in the form of the books we sell in our book fair. We have over 7,000 different titles of books. We also provide training conferences on board. |
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Life Ring Sometimes everyone needs some help. A lifering helps someone to float in the ocean. We like to help people by building buildings and giving dental care and other forms of practical help. |
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Mooring lines These strong ropes hold us to the shore so we dont drift away. Just as these strong ropes keep us attached the the shore, we each attach ourselves firmly to the rock – Jesus Christ – so we won’t drift away. |
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Captain On board we have many professional sailors, but also many regular people. None of us are more spiritual than anyone else, we are people just like you who are obedient to God’s calling to bring in the harvest. |
Football Fever
Cherith Hamman (USA) uses the coloured ball to explain the Gospel at the World Cup event held in the Hope Theatre. Photo by ship’s photographer
My first time to Africa is also the FIFA world cup’s first visit to Africa. Football fans in their hundreds flocked to the Logos Hope to watch the world cup on our big screen in the Hope Theatre. During half time, Logos Hope crew members interacted with the crowd using simple games and testimonies to communicate the Gospel. The world cup proved to be a stressful time for me as the technical challenges involved in getting satellite TV coverage on board a ship seemed almost insurmountable, but with prayer and a little faith the coverage was achieved. Satellite TV however is not invincible, and in one match shown on board with only 10 minutes remaining a heavy rainstorm set in outside, completely obliterating our TV signal. Many people stayed in the hopes the signal would improve and while they waited for the signal to come back on Cherith took the opportunity to explain the Gospel using the coloured football pictured. Gold reminds us of heaven where God lives, and God is perfect. The dark patch reminds us of sin, the selfish acts that our perfect God will not abide with. Red reminds us of the blood of Jesus – the payment for our sin, so we can be friends with God again. White reminds us that we are purified from our sin and are called to live a righteous lives. And Green reminds us that we are a new creation.
First African Experience
Sitting on a bench beside a dirt road in Africa surrounded by curious locals, I began to tell my testimony. Some of them only speak Creole, so every sentance needs to be translated and every response translated back again. Many local people had crouded around this odd looking white fellow figuring he must have something important to say. After telling them about Australia, I told them of a time that I called out to God before I even called myself a Christian and He sent my Dad to rescue me. Then I shared the Gospel with them. Everyone was very interested to hear what I had to say, even if they didn’t agree. I remember I was so out of my depth and if I had time to think about it I would have been scared, but God carried me through it and gave me the words to say. Though none of these people accepted Christ there and then, many said they would come to the evening programme at the local church.
As part of an e-day team I was paired with a local Christian lady who led me around the village introducing me to people and translating for me. Everyone was quite happy to invite me into their home to sit down – as I recall none of them had doors, yet we still called it door to door ministry. We also had the goal of inviting people to an evening program at the church which other ship people will share testimonies and preach. I had the opportunity to challenge one man to go back to church, since he had been going to church but stopped lately. Annother woman said she would like to pray with us, so my friend and translator prayed with her.
It sure is an amazing experience talking to African people – they actually want to hear about Jesus. Thankyou God for this amazing day.
Atlantic Crossing
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.
Leaving The Caribbean
Last night at midnight the Logos Hope – My home – left the last island in the Caribbean on our schedule – Roseau, Dominica. The Caribbean has been my home for 8 months now, though the Logos Hope is where I spend most of my time so every time I walk out the door I experience some culture shock. If I were to use only one word to describe my experience of Caribbean people – I would say alive. Alive in a way that European and even Australian people can be dead. People want to talk to you, to say good morning to you as you pass in the street. People are not afraid to ask you spiritual questions. In this way they are friendly, but in another way they can be rude. Sometimes the staff in the book fair struggled to deal with the demands of insistant customers who asked for discounts, demanded service and rarely smiled or said ‘hello’. Christians here are not afraid to spread the Gospel – and I have learned a little boldness from them. The nations I visited gain their income from tourism, hosting wealthy white tourists on sandy beaches – while their populace often live in abject poverty. The contrast is frightening to me, and it scares me that the tourists don’t see the poverty as they are wisked away from their cruise ships in a taxi to a nice beach.
In the Caribbean I spoke in front of another church body for the first time, handed out gospels on the street for the first time, performed an evangelistic drama for non christians for the first time, told a story to a group of kids for the first time, and started really trying to talk about Jesus one on one with stranges in the cafe. I have become accustomed to introducing myself as Chris from Australia – the land of Crocodiles and Koalas and Kangaroos. I have learned the hard way how to lead a team with love and patience – and discovered in me and weeded out a competitive spirit that doesn’t support the body of Christ.
The Caribbean has been a special time for me, and I will never forget it.
Sabbath Week
“72 Kilograms of tinned tomatoes are the main ingredient in tonight’s dinner”. For one afternoon I volunteered to work in the galley – the ship’s kitchen. Food is cooked in large amounts and served buffet style to the ship’s crew, so amazing amounts of food such as 30 tins of tomatoes, giant boiling pots and power tools for mixing come in to play. The end result was pasta with tomato and meat sauce which the crew enjoyed – and nobody got sick!
Volunteering in the galley was my way of pitching in to give others some time off during Sabbath week on board Logos Hope. Every year, the ship’s crew takes a week out from our busy schedule to reflect, recharge and reconnect with God and with each other. Since the ship is closed to the public, those who work in events, book fair and office jobs will work in other departments to spread the load and give everyone some needed rest.
During this week I have really learned the value of forgiving and loving other people. We are a community of Christians from over 45 different nations working together to bring in the harvest. If we work as individuals we will ultimately fail in both our purpose and our example. I have identified people whom I have forgiven – the next step for me is to approach them and tell them.