Sleepless In Shinjuku

After waving farewell to Doulos in Niigata, we’re now the other side of Japan. Tokyo was our home for two years and there are so many people to catch up with and places to revisit during our short stay here. Pictured above is Shinjuku, the beating heart of this massive city and a place Paul both worked in and spent time relaxing. Travelling around Tokyo with bags on our backs isn’t so easy, especially in sweltering June. The relentless heat is causing a few sleepless nights too as we acclimatise. Strange to think this was all second nature to us less than two years ago!

Hostess Of The Mostest

It might be a new Doulos record… Over the last week, several ex-crewmembers and some of our support team have stayed with us on board. Indeed, Nobby officially hosted no less than four different people in seven days! It’s been a busy time shuttling between the ship and the train station in Niigata to meet everyone, but also a real privilige to welcome them to Doulos. We’ve also enjoyed hearing from everyone how God is at work in their lives today and how they are presently serving Him. Pictured here are Tomoko and Hitomi, two of our supporters we hosted. See more of our support team here.

Nobby Goes National!

Japan’s national broadcaster NHK is back on Doulos – and this time Nobby is the star! The film crew were keen to take the same official tour of the ship that many members of the public have but unfortunately, the guides were all booked for the next two hours. Although off-duty, Nobby stepped up to the challenge. Her explanations of ship’s life will soon be news across Niigata and possibly all of Japan! Pray that this opportunity encourages many people to visit Doulos during the last few remaining days in port.

Needs In Niigata

Just 40 churches serve Niigata’s 800,000 people. Most of those fellowships have congregations of 20-30 people, making the situation more dire. However, local Christians have come together to organise and support the Doulos visit and that unity is sowing seeds for the future. Teams from the ship are also sharing in services across the city, encouraging those who are believers. Paul joined a group going to Niigata Bible Church and shared a message from Acts 12 about expecting miracles. Pray there will be breakthroughs in this town and the Christian community will grow in strength and number.

English Conversation Classes

One particular aspect of Doulos particularly impresses Japanese visitors – the crew’s ability to communicate in English. With many on board comfortable using a second language free English classes are part of the ship’s programme in Niigata, providing something that is normally very expensive in Japan. The lessons are an excellent way for crew to make friends with local residents and share their experiences of serving on board. Furthermore, the community here are excited that Doulos crew are meeting their needs in such a specific and direct way.

When Worlds Collide

A very unusual alignment is taking place. As a couple, our last eight years have been spent in three places – on board Doulos, living in Japan and serving at the ships office in Mosbach. Paul in particular has managed to experience all three totally different worlds in one week! Leaving Mosbach he headed to Japan and caught up with friends and supporters at MCC church during the Sunday service. Soon after he headed to Niigata to met up with Mrs. Beck after 20+ days apart. Following a couple of days with Nobby’s parents, we’re now together on board Doulos. Serving in OM Ships our lives are rarely boring, but not normally this hectic!

Gone to Japan…

 

After three weeks apart, we’re finally together in Japan. We’ll spend a month visiting supporters at our Tokyo church (MCC - link here ) and helping on board Doulos with the visit to Niigata. Nobby’s family live about an hour’s drive from where the ship is, so we’ll also see them. No doubt there will be plenty of sushi eating sessions and bathing in hot springs too. All in all, being on the road makes it harder to update this site – normal service should resume when we’re back in the OM Ships office in Mosbach from the beginning of July.