Independence Day and Farewell

Today was Trinidad and Tobago’s Independence Day. The day was complete with lots of loud music, crowds of people, street vendors, and fireworks. We had a nice Indian dinner together as ships company and met together in the Logos Lounge for a farewell/thank you service for our director onboard. Him and his family are going to be leaving in a couple of weeks and going back home to Australia to continue working with OM there. After the service we all gathered up on Deck 9 to take in Trinidad and Tobago’s fireworks. They launched them from the dock directly across from our ship. It was a pretty amazing show! Any time I see fireworks anywhere other than home I am always left a bit disappointed because no one can do fireworks like Bettendorf, but I have to say, Tobago put up a pretty good fight. I was very impressed with their finale, not only was it almost too much for the eyes to handle but they also set off some pretty loud explosives, it was awesome!!! We ended the night back down in the dining room with an ice cream sundae bar. All in all, it was a good day of celebration.

I'm still alive!

Wow! 2 Months. I am so sorry I have not been keeping you updated. Those of you who were actually following my blog have probably given up on me by now, but don’t give up completely. I’m back! And I will try to do my best to give you regular updates again so that you all can feel like you are sharing in my journey. The last 2 months in bullet form: a very brief summary…

• Participated in some great ministry in the port of Cardiff. I got to help in giving out food to some of the homeless and spent the evening in the streets talking with many of them. I was amazed at how much they opened up and were willing to share their stories. Both times I went I was given the chance to pray with someone and felt so much joy in my heart that I could give them a piece of hope. I pray that God will complete the work that was started.
• Survived a smolder fire that started in the toilet paper storage room onboard the ship while sailing from Cardiff to London. Our fire team responded quickly and got things under control with no one injured and very little damage.
• Spent a few weeks in London ministering to the multi-cultural population that exists there. Got to take a tour of the city in a red double-decker bus and prayed for the needs of the city and for God to intervene.

• Got to help lead worship for the official opening of our Hope Theater on Deck 3. This is where many of our onboard ministries and programs now take place. It can seat about 400 people.
• Celebrated the 4th of July with the American’s onboard in Cork, Ireland. Was great to celebrate our countries freedom but more so to celebrate the freedom we have in Christ and to pray for others to experience that freedom.
• Spent 14 days sailing across the Atlantic. What an amazing time together as a ship community. God did many great things during the voyage. We came together in unity and experienced rest and refreshment from our Savior. We enjoyed quiet days, work days, family night, barbeque’s outside on Deck 9, prayer nights, worship nights, movie nights, fun/talent night, saw dolphins and whales, beautiful sunsets, nothing but ocean for miles and miles and so much more. I think I have been mostly cured of my sea-sickness (praise the Lord) and was able to really enjoy the voyage. 

• Arrived safely to the Caribbean and just finished our first port of St. Vincent’s and the Grenadines. We had over 43,000 people come onboard the ship. We sold more books in that one port than we sold in the last 4 ports in Europe. We sent out 22 sports teams, about 30 church teams, and saw over 100 people accept Christ, Amen!
• Arrived in Grenada this morning and are preparing for the ministry here. We have our official opening tomorrow and are looking forward to all that God is going to accomplish during our stay.

Indispensable Faith

Hebrews 11:6- "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarded of those who diligently seek Him."  Our relationship with each other is one based on confidence and confidence rests on character.  God is a being of supreme moral excellence, possessing in perfection all of the qualities that make up holy character.  He deserves and invites the unreserved confidence of every man.  Any good and proper relationship to Him must be one of confidence and of faith.  Where there is no faith, it is impossible to please Him.  The fallen nature of man began with a loss of confidence of faith in God.  Man questioned the very character and integrity of God and therefore opened the doors to every kind of evil and darkness.  Only a restored faith can bring a restored relationship.  John 8:12- "I am the light of the world, He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  1 John 5:10 says he who does not believe God has made Him a liar...  A God who lies is a God without character, and where there is no character there can be no confidence.  These things cause me to ask some questions.  Do you think there needs to be a balance betwee our confidence or faith in God and our fear of God?  Or is our fear of God something that we only experience at the beginning of our relationship with Him?  As we come to know God more and our love is being perfected and fear is cast out (1 Jn. 4:18), how do we balance coming before God in confidence still recognizing His position of being a Holy God deserving of our complete devotion and our position of being so unworthy?  Or perhaps we can come to Him as a Holy God in confidence because He has made us holy and clothed us with His righteousness.  Hmm...something to think about!  We need to repent and give a sincere apology to God for distrusting Him for so long and by faith, throw ourselves upon Christ in complete confidence and this will achieve reconciliation between God and man.  We need to allow the grace of God to meet us where we are and to change us from what we are sorry we've become into what we are fervently longing to be.  My soul is hungry for more of Him and I pray that I will learn more of how to be wise in the wisdom of God and that with the help of His Holy Spirit I can learn to follow and obey the Truth no matter what it may cost.  

Cherry Red

One part of ship life is being prepared for every situation. About once a week we have a drill to help us practice for these different situations and this morning we had a ‘cherry red.’ This is the type of emergency situation that requires us to get off the ship and muster at different stations outside on the quayside. Our biggest challenge if this emergency every happened is all the visitors we have on Deck 4, our ‘experience deck.’ Because I work in the I-café, I am considered to be deck 4 personnel and had to participate in this mornings drill. They sent all of ships crew down to our deck and then set off the alarm. I had to put on my bright orange vest and florescent yellow hat and escort everyone off the ship as quickly and as safely as possible while also sweeping the entire deck, checking every nook and cranny for any person that may be hiding or refusing to get off the ship and do my best to get them out. They purposely plant people in different places to make sure we check ever area thoroughly and also ask other individuals to be difficult so that we can practice our crowd control. I thought it went quite well and it was a good opportunity to get an idea of some of what we may have to deal with in case of a real emergency.

Northern Ireland

Once again, much time has passed since my last post. Life gets so busy and its hard to find time to share my stories with you, but here's the latest.  Yesterday was my day off and the first chance that I have had to actually get out and see some of the countryside of Northern Ireland. God blessed us with a beautiful sunny day and I very much enjoyed my explorations.  I am such a big kid when it comes to seeing new places and exploring God's creation.  I crave for adventure and am always so excited when presented with the opportunity to explore new places.  Yesterday I hiked around the Irish seaside and walked across a suspended rope bride over the sea to a little island where I enjoyed frolicking in the grass and flowers and taking in the fresh sea breeze.  I also had the opportunity to go to Giant's causeway: an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption.  Here I enjoyed the beautiful scenery, climbing on the rocks, and kneeling beside the sea watching the tides come rushing in and crashing into the rocks and enjoying the occasional splash of salty sea water on my face.  The last stop of the day was to Dunluce castle.  Here I ran down a set of stone steps to the side of the castle and was torn in three directions because there was so much to explore (the girls I was with laughed at my childish excitement).  After climbing a steep hillside and successfully getting grass stains all over my jeans in my attempt to get as close to the ruins as possible, I stood on the hilltop next to the castle wall (where one or two steps to the right would have sent me tumbling to my death on the rocks in the sea) I found myself lost in history.   This particular castle dates back to 1500 and 1600 (type it into google if you're really interested).  It was crazy to think that one day people lived there and fought battles to protect their land.  By the time I arrived back to the ship I was exhausted but thanking God for the amazing day and I am sure that He delighted in my joy of His creation. 

(Check out my facebook for more pictures!) 

Random Happenings...

Wow! Its been a long time since I've posted anything. Sorry to those of you who faithfully follow my blog and read my stories. The lapse in entries is due partially to my own lack of discipline and laziness but also in part to the fact that my internet access was extremely limited for the last few weeks and I haven't been able to get online much.  So in an attempt to try to catch you up on my life in the last 3 weeks (which is almost impossible), here is a list of some of the random happenings in my life lately.

1) Spent a couple days exploring the beautiful country of Scotland with all its historical buildings, beautiful lochs, glens, forests, hills,  and castles that made me feel like I had stepped back in time.

2) Worked in the cafe onboard

3) Celebrated my 26th birthday and felt very blessed with the many friends that God has given me on this ship that helped make my day special.

4) Celebrated Easter Sunday with a sunrise service out on deck 9 followed by an amazing brunch with all of ships company.  Was a great time to reflect and remember the sacrifice God made in sending His Son to die in our place so that we can live with Him by faith because of His grace.

5) Spent more time working in the cafe

6) Set sail for the Faroe Islands and tried to enjoy the couple days of relaxation despite the uncomfortableness that sailing seems to bring me.

7) Spent 16 hours with some locals being taken all over the islands.  Saw some historical sights, beautiful scenery, had a picnic lunch, climbed along waterfalls, saw lots of sheep, had a successful whale hunt, went bowling,  climbed rocks and hills,  jumped on a jumping pillow, and had an amazing dinner and time of fellowship with a Faroese family.

8)Work, work, and more work.

9) Tried whale meat for the first time.  Wouldn't really recommend it but at least I can say I've tried it.  My trip to the Faroe's would not be complete without trying whale :)

10) Going out tonight to a women's gathering with 3 other girls from the ship and we'll be sharing some testimonies, ship stories, doing some special music (done by me), and just enjoying a time of fellowship and encouragement.

And there you have it.  A brief summary of my last 3 weeks.  For whatever reason, the internet is not letting me post any pictures on here right now but for those of you who are interested and haven't already seen them, I have most of my pics in different albums on my facebook.  All my Scotland pictures are up there and my Faroe Island pictures will hopefully be there within the next week or two.

Deeply Engaged

There are times when I find myself deeply engaged in thoughts of God and my life in Him.  Deep thoughts that take me to new places and help me in beginning to discover more of who God truly is.  Today has been one of those days and I am choosing to share my ponderings in hopes that they will encourage you to think more deeply and to take time to discover anew all that God is and wants to be in your life.  In my writing, I do not mean to draw any sure or solid conclusions, but rather to simply share where my mind has been and would openly receive any of your reactions or thoughts on the matter.  

The phrase 'the unconditional love of God' has become cliche and is something I think we use all too often devoid of any real meaning, and it therefore loses its power and we end up with hearts that remain unchanged by its truth.  It is so easy to gain intellectual knowledge of God without allowing it to affect our hearts.  "Until the love of God that knows no boundary, limit, or breaking point is internalized through personal decision; until the furious longing of God seizes the imagination; until the heart is conjoined to the mind through sheer grace, nothing happens.  The wild, unrestricted love of God is not simply an inspiring idea.  When it imposes itself on mind and heart with the stark reality of ontological truth, it determines why and at what time you get up in the morning, how you pass your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, and who you hang with; it affects what breaks your heart, what amazes you, and what makes your heart happy."  The thought that God loves me as I am and not as I should be requires a re-thinking and a readjustment of my thoughts of myself.  As I grow in my life of faith, I feel a shift in my images of who God is and who I am.  How radically my image of God is changed when I begin to take seriously how deeply and passionately and unconditionally He loves me.  And how radically I must work through my own self image as I try to accept myself as loveable by God.  Christ emptied Himself, cried out from His heart with nails in His hands, and poured out His blood for us that we might believe in His deep love for His children.  How is it that we have come to imagine that Christianity consists primarily in what we do for God?  Our Christianity should never begin with what we do for God, but should always begin with what God has done for us and what He has achieved for us in Christ Jesus.  In a moment of prayer to my Father this morning, lifting my hands to Him and declaring myself as belonging to Him, I felt myself being embraced in His loving arms and being given the desire to live in His smile and to hold tight to His every word as I continue engaging in the battle of letting go of myself and clinging to the one who loves me unconditionally and has come to claim me as His own!  Abba, I belong to You!