Back In The ‘Dock

Dry dock on board OM Ships is always memorable… and it’s been several years since we last experienced life on a ship that’s not actually floating. With Logos II currently undergoing dry dock maintenance in Bremerhaven, north Germany, we made a flying overnight visit there from Mosbach. The time was well spent, with Paul training the new onboard journalist and Nobby meeting with the personnel leadership team to co-ordinate the next short-term programmes. All very productive, given that we were surrounded by the sounds of clanging hammers!

Nautilus Newspaper

Christians aren’t the only people interested in OM Ships… The shipping world also follows closely what happens to Doulos, Logos II and, especially of late, Logos Hope. The Nautilus Telegraph is a secular publication for those involved in the industry and Paul recently contacted them to see if they would publish an article he wrote about OM Ships. They happily agreed and gave us a whole page! See The article Paul wrote for Nautilus (here) . The publication has a circulation of 28,000 and OM Ships is thankful for their partnership and this free publicity.

Awe-Inspiring Okutama

Tokyo isn’t renown for its greenery… at all. However, for those in the know, at the end of the Chuo line there is a wonderful place called Okutama, where the beauty of God’s creation is on display for all who visit. This is a place where we often came to relax and be together – even when the weather is a little damp it’s still stunning. Up on the mountain sides there is a Christian retreat centre where MCC, our church in Tokyo, has an annual weekend camp. We managed to spend an afternoon in Okutama during our trip to Japan and can report that it’s still as tranquil, beautiful and awe-inspiring as we remember.

Self Catering?

Here’s a rather unusual image from our time in Japan – Paul at work in a noodle restaurant! Actually, this is the shop Nobby’s elder sister and husband run on the outskirts of Tokyo. We stayed with them one night and thankfully Paul didn’t try to cook Japanese food. Instead, we were treated to the finest dishes they serve, for free! When the restaurant became busy in the evening, Paul spent more time answering the regular diners’ questions about David Beckham and the English Premier League than eating… Happy memories indeed!

Joy To The World

Here’s a picture from the time we stayed on Doulos in Japan – Nobby (left), Yasuko (centre) and Joy (from the Philippines, right). Although these three ladies were all serving on board during 2000 and 2001, their lives have taken very different directions since. Nobby is based at the ships head office, Yasuko lives in Tokyo and Joy has been continuously based on Doulos - the only remaining crewmember from when we joined the ship in Papua New Guinea, back in 1999! Joy now coordinates the the practical and ministry teams serving on shore and she’s also been to at least 50 countries!!!

Back To The Normal Routine

After several weeks away, we’re safely back in Mosbach. Being in Japan was a real blessing, renewing friendships, visiting Doulos and attending our church in Tokyo. There are lots of stories to share, which we’ll be posting here over the coming days and weeks. For now, we’re thankful to be back home and life is slowly returning to a more regular and normal routine – if we ever had such a routine in the first place!