The tragic earthquake to hit Haiti has captured the world’s attention. While OM has no permanent presence in the Caribbean country, the organisation has links with churches and orphanages there. Investigations are already underway about how to extend that assistance in these direst of circumstances. Logos Hope is also in the Caribbean region and while a visit to Haiti is not feasible, crew may fly to the capital to join the relief efforts (the crew of Logos II assisted residents of Grenada after a devastating hurricane in 2004). Pray for wisdom in deciding how best to respond.
Editing OM UK’s Heartbeat prayer guide is one of Paul’s main roles. The quarterly diary features individual prayer points for every day and recent editions have produced some immediate responses. After reading a prayer request in the 2009 4th quarter for finances to send more Latin Americans to the mission field, several people contacted OM UK. Their generous gifts are now making that aim a reality. The first Heartbeat of 2010 has only just been sent to OM partners and is already attracting interest. An article about mission opportunities for the over 50s has already lead to two phone enquiries about joining!
As news about the end of Doulos spreads, OM Ships CEO Peter Nicoll shares his thoughts here. The hard decision to end the ship’s ministry had to be made at a speed no-one wanted, leaving the future of the 300 crew presently on board uncertain. The ministry leaders are discussing options with each of them for their next stage. All future port visits have been cancelled. Plans are also being discussed about how to replace Doulos, both in the short and long term. However, as Peter makes clear here, all those on board and at the OM Ships head office continue to believe God has something great planned.
Sad news indeed. After 30 years of Christian service and 95 years on the waves, the ministry of OM’s Doulos ship has come to a sudden and somewhat unexpected end. While the costs of maintaining the world’s oldest vessel have been increasing, recent surveys of what needs to be done to comply with international laws has suggested immediate work in the region of US$10,000,000! This is an unjustifiable amount to spend on such an old ship, so the Doulos ministry will draw to a close at the end of 2009. Please pray for the 280 crew who OM are helping to cope with this dramatic development.
The words “dry dock” are enough to reduce Paul to a jibbering wreck. These annual maintenance periods, required for all vessels, were not Paul’s highlight of serving with OM Ships. Once out of the water, onboard ‘luxuries’ such as running water, air-conditioning and toilets are no longer available. While most of the female crew minister on land during this time, those who remain behind work 12 hour days to minimise the time the ship is out of service. As Doulos continues to age, this present dry dock project has been a particularly gruelling several weeks. Pray for the crew and those volunteering to help.
The OM Philippines team know how bad the country’s recent flooding has been. The first of several storms, Typhoon Ketsana, dumped enough rain on Manila to leave parts of the OM office there under water. The team immediately sprung into action, working with local churches and national emergency services to help those most affected. The efforts so far have focused on assisting families in Manila’s slums – distributing food and blankets whilst securing materials to help people rebuild their homes. Pray that this work will communicate God’s love to those most in need. Please consider giving online here.
Hot from the presses, OM UK’s latest Global magazine has now hit the streets. Featuring a rather striking front cover, this edition focuses on women – women in ministry and women around the world being reached with the Gospel. Over half of all OM workers are female, so the theme seemed more than appropriate (and long overdue!). As editor, writing and finalising Global’s layout forms a large part of Paul’s work. Praise the Lord for new subscribers that have brought Global’s circulation to over 30,000. UK readers can sign-up to receive future editions, for free, here.
Folowing a successful launch last year, OM’s Just Christmas campaign is back for 2009. This initiative encourages friends, families and entire churches to replace the Christmas presents they give with practical acts of kindness instead. The money saved can then be used to make a real difference in the lives of those who need a helping hand. OM projects highlighted for this year’s Just Christmas include women’s literacy projects in Bangladesh, street children in Sudan and buying a buffalo for impoverished families in India! For more information, visit the website. Go on, have a Just Christmas this year!
Over 250 participants attended OM’s recent Global Orientation (GO) conference and together they represented a rainbow of nations. More importantly, those at the biannual event did not be returning home straight afterwards, but left to serve God overseas as full-time missionaries. Each had heard and answered God’s call to join the Great Commission – one lady from Trinidad had even sold her own business to join OM’s work in South East Asia. It’s exactly a decade since we first joined OM at the same event in 1999! Praise the Lord that many of those who joined with us are still serving in mission.
Ancient cultures still awaiting news of Christ’s love… Transform 2010 is a brand new OM initiative seeking to grow God’s kingdom grow in the countries surrounding the Mediterranean. Starting with a training conference in Italy next July, the hundreds of expected participants will then fan out across the region to destinations including France, Greece, Croatia, the Middle East and North Africa. Although the Mediterranean rim once contained a vibrant Church, today little of that Christian presence remains. Pray that God will use Transform 2010 to water these spiritually barren and thirsty lands. More details here.
“A week’s a long time…”, especially if you’re alone. Paul may have been the only member of OM UK’s Communications team in the office this week, but he’s taken comfort in the fact that his colleagues are involved in something even more worthwhile than holidays! Over 3,000 teens from across Europe have gathered in Germany for OM’s annual TeenStreet event and all of Paul’s team mates were needed on site to help with logistics and leadership. Such an opportunity, to impact so many of today’s youth with teaching from the Bible about relationships and serving others, is truly God-given!
Along with his trademark world jacket, OM founder George Verwer is still going strong! Despite having stepped down from leadership, he still takes 300 meetings a year where he challenges Christians into action. Never one to hold back, his motivating speeches have literally inspired thousands of people into full-time ministry. George’s decades of championing world mission were recently acknowledged by southern California’s Biola University, which bestowed an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity on him. Even then, he used the occasion to challenge the students there to build the Kingdom of God wherever they can.
Step aside Carpe Diem! During our days on board Logos Hope in London, we did more than seize the moment – we throttled a whole week. While Nobby helped out at the visitor’s cafe, Paul was telling visitors about ways to partner in OM’s global work. In the end, we both had many conversations that encouraged non-believers and challenged Christians. There were plenty of media around too, which saw Paul relive his old Doulos role of public relations officer. We also hosted staff from OMF who were keen to experience the vision of the ship’s ministry. And now… we’re taking things a bit easier!
Following in the footsteps of 60,000 people is hardly something to shout about. However, Paul is about to go where tens of thousands of British people have already been and visit Logos Hope. With the ship about to arrive in London, he wont be stepping on board as a regular visitor though. In each port of call there is an official opening ceremony for the book fair and Paul has been involved in all the preparations for the event in the UK’s capital. Those still curious or unable to visit the ship can still get a glimpse of activity on board through the following Logos Hope webcams.
Or is it the other way round? The new OM International Facebook site was launched just two weeks ago and has already attracted 3,000 fans. The page has quickly become a reunion point for ex-OMers, who have found it an excellent means of keeping up with all that is happening across the incredibly diverse range of ministries. At the same time, details about upcoming short-term mission trips and prayer points for far-off countries featured on the site have also been attracting other visitors who are keen to learn more. All in all, it’s a great way of getting the word out about all God is doing through OM!
The Logos Hope UK visit is halfway through! So far, during the stops at Edinburgh and Belfast, tens of thousands of people have visited to choose from the educational and Christian literature on board or speak to the all-volunteer crew. Many churches have also welcomed presentations about God’s plan for global mission. Although the hard work needed to make the visit a success is ongoing, the fruit is already evident. Enquiries to the OM UK office about joining the ship or serving with OM’s onshore ministry teams have increased significantly. With visits to Cardiff and London still to come, may that continue!
Life goes on… For most of 2008, the OM UK team were waiting for confirmation of when Logos Hope would visit the UK. The other regular work needed to support OM’s global ministeries had to continue though. Thus, this weekend Paul is flying to Belgium for a training course on web design that was planned months ago, even though Logos Hope is currently touring UK ports. Trying to focus on the forum will be tricky, given that the publicity for the upcoming ship visits to Cardiff and London that Paul is very involved in are at a crucial stage. C’est la vie!
With the cost of fuel now much lower than a year ago, OM is launching an appeal to help fill up the Doulos and Logos Hope tanks. This source of power not only provides the means of moving from destination to destination, but is also vital in port for the generators that supply the vessels’ energy. The ships’ schedules for 2009 are dependent on there being enough funds to buy fuel. Impoverished islands in the Caribbean are awaiting Logos Hope, while needy communities in South East Asia are ready to welcome assistance from Doulos crew. Donations can be given securely online at www.uk.om.org/fuel.
Everything’s going online these days! With Logos Hope now in the UK, a website has been set-up to make all the details about the visit easily accessible. Those browsing www.hopestartshere.info will first of all find a range of videos about the ship’s maiden voyage and be able to take a CGI tour of the vessel’s interior. Digging a little deeper, visitors to the site can find details of the book fair opening hours in Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and London as well as a programme calendar of onboard events. There are also maps, contact details, technical facts about the ship and more!
Where would be without our car? For a long time, we lived in places where the local public transport was more than adequate: The trains in Tokyo are second to none and in Germany we pretty much walked everywhere. However, OM offices are famous for being in the middle of nowhere (money being better spent on mission than high rents!). With OM UK based in rural Shropshire country, we really need a set of wheels to get around. It has taken two months since our car was written off in an accident (not our fault), but we’re grateful to now have an identical replacement (except it’s purple not red!).
India’s outcaste Dalits have faced millennia of discrimination and oppression. However, OMCC (Operation Mercy Charitable Company), the development wing of Operation Mobilisation India, oversees 80 education centres for the ‘untouchables’. After ten years, the first 28 students to begin and complete their studies at the schools have just graduated. Each Dalit Education Centre hosts adult evening classes, health seminars and self-help groups too. Whole communities are thus being empowered for a brighter future. Information about the Dalit student sponsorship programme are at www.daliteducation.org.
Logos Hope is heading to the UK! After a concerted effort from all on board, the vessel has obtained a Passenger Ship Safety Certificate. Edinburgh will be the first UK port to welcome Logos Hope, from Thu 2nd to Mon 13th April. A brief stop in the Faroe Islands, the vessel’s home port, will follow. From Thu 30th April to Sun 10th May, Logos Hope will be open to visitors in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After calling at Dublin, the ship will then dock in Cardiff from Thu 28th May to Mon 8th June. The visit to the UK will then conclude with a stop in London from Fri 12th to Sun 28th June.
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