Unity through DiversityThe international crew of Logos Hope

Representing over 50 different nationalities, the crew on OM’s ship Logos Hope truly reflects the diversity of the body of Christ. Each person serves as a practical expression of their Christian faith and together the ship’s company live out the Gospel in a way that words alone cannot express. Visitors stepping on board often comment that this sense of warmth, unity and purpose deeply touches them.

All those serving with OM Ships are helped to find, develop and use their ministry gifts and are able to participate in the two-year training programme. This practical course includes daily devotional teachings, participation in international Bible study groups and involvement in the weekly prayer evening. Each crewmember is assigned a role in an onboard

work department, such as the engine room, galley or book fair. Outreach activities and ministry skills’ training are built into the weekly schedule. This might involve completing a practical assistance project in the community, helping a local church with their youth work, performing evangelistic dramas on shore or sharing a testimony in an onboard teaching seminar. There are also regular opportunities to spend an extended period away from the ship, sharing Christ’s love to people inland.

All those who serve on board Logos Hope are volunteers – even the captain and officers receive no salary. Each person’s living costs are financially supported by their friends, family and church. This approach means that the ministry of all those on board is also covered in the prayers of thousands back home.

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For the last four decades, the vessels Logos, Doulos, Logos II and now Logos Hope have travelled the world supplying literature, helping people in need, motivating Christians, training people and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ at every opportunity.

Up to one million people from all cultures and walks of life – princesses and presidents, street children and the homeless – visit OM’s ships each year. For many, the experience is a unique and often life-changing encounter that brings them closer to God.

Knowledge Known for their floating book fairs, the ships have visited over 450 ports in more than 150 nations and welcomed over 44 million people on board (one in 200 of the world’s population). Visitors can select from over 5,000 book titles, covering a wide range of educational and Christian material. All are available at a fraction of their normal cost. Grants of books to schools, libraries, colleges, churches and universities in developing countries have also made a lasting impact.

Help Those caught in the grip of poverty often lack basic education and healthcare. OM Ships’ staff have undertaken a wide range of relief projects worldwide. Their efforts include constructing orphanages, building shelters for victims of natural disasters and distributing medical aid, food and supplies.

Hope In a world of uncertainty, true hope is only possible by engaging in a personal relationship with God. In every port, through word and deed, volunteer crewmembers share this message of hope with those they meet. Their personal stories speak of lives transformed.

A global ministry that has impacted millions…

2 transforming lives and communities

Over 4 Million visitors Kaohsiung, Taiwan: On Tuesday, 16 September 2014, the crew and staff of Logos Hope welcomed the four millionth visitor aboard. This significant milestone came just weeks before the ship began a six-month period of upgrades to ensure the 12,519 tonne, ocean-going vessel is ready to welcome millions more in the years to come.

Emma Lan, age 38, a Kaoshiung resident and local restaurant owner was welcomed on board by Director Lloyd Nicholas, Captain Chris Hughes and crewmembers in international dress. “I feel very honoured to be the four millionth visitor,” expressed Emma, who visited the ship with her children, mother, father, and her sister after hearing about Logos Hope from an advertisement online. “This ship is very meaningful to me as it brings much hope and resources to people around the world.” Emma was presented with a framed picture of the ship as well as a plaque and a gift voucher to spend in the book fair.

• visited over 450 different ports in over 150 countries• welcomed over 44 million people on board• distributed over 50 million portions of God’s word• partnered with 50,000 churches worldwide

SINCE 1970 OM SHIPS INTERNATIONAL HAVE:

THE MOST IMPORTANT STORY EVER TOLD:

Literature changes lives. Ship visits bring quality books to millions who lack access to educational and Christian literature. Thousands of titles are on offer, including reference, fiction, general knowledge, children’s books and language-learning materials. Bibles, commentaries and study guides benefit local believers and give others access to Christian literature they might otherwise never read.

LIBERIA While crewmembers were helping make a lasting difference in the country by way of building projects, book donations encouraged teachers and children beyond measure. Emma Magnusson (Sweden) helped organise the massive distribution of around 50,000 books to schools all around Liberia. Visiting the Elizabeth Tubman Memorial Institute she remembers not only the poor condition of the books, but also how outdated they were. Upon showing the teachers one of the new reference books with charts and coloured photos, it became clear to Emma that they had never seen a book like that before. “There was just an expression like, ‘wow’, and that was from the Principal.”

“So if the teachers had never seen new books, then the kids surely hadn’t either,” said Emma. At another school she visited, there were quite a few children present but no sign of any books. “Just to see that we came with over 240 books where there were none before will make a huge difference,” she believes.

SRI LANKA When OM’s ships leave any port at least one thing always remains behind: the books that were purchased on board. The impact of these books, who read them or how they shaped a person’s life, is often never heard. Yet during the recent visit of Logos Hope to Sri Lanka, crewmembers heard first-hand how a book bought on the original Logos impacted the rest of one person’s life.

Ivor Poobalan recounted to those on board how in 1974, as a nine year-old boy, he had visited the original Logos ship with his mother. She bought the book The Man God Uses by Oswald J. Smith, which sat on the family’s bookshelf for years until Ivor became a Christian when he was 15. Besides the Bible, at that time it was the only book about following God that he had read. The text inspired him to reorientate his life toward being available for God’s call and today he is the Principal of the Colombo Theological Seminary.

“ Knowledge is the one thing that propels any

person, any group, any nation. So when you

come and expose us to the books you have, you

contribute a whole lot to our rebuilding process.”

Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia

This colourful comic booklet is a powerful resource that explains the Gospel in a way young minds can understand. Translated into over a hundred languages, crewmembers distribute copies wherever and whenever it is appropriate.Watch one story about this booklet’s impact at: logoshope.tv/video/69304336

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Bringing Knowledge

PRAYPray that all who visit will be impacted by God’s love during their time on board

Practical help is one of the most effective ways to show God’s love. Projects in developing countries include building work, disaster relief, medical help, AIDS awareness programmes and donating food, clothing and books. Help gives people hope, but often it is the ship people’s testimony, dedication and compassion that make the biggest impression.

“ If I just come here and do a clinic for a week I see so few people. But if I can come and train somebody, that can go on forever”

Dr. Louis (visiting dentist)

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Bringing Help

SIERRA LEONESpending time in a prison has never been more enjoyable as the five days at Freetown’s Central Jail were for visiting Logos Hope dentist Dr. Dale Louis D.D.S and his wife Mary Ann. They performed a dental clinic at the facility and were very pleased with the way the prison staff helped at every opportunity. With the onsite assistance they received, they were

able to see up to 20 male and female patients a day who required difficult extractions. Dr. Louis’s joy was made complete when Ibrahim, the prison nurse, agreed to be trained in basic dental procedures. “If I just come here and do a clinic for a week I see so few people. But if I can come and train somebody, that can go on forever,” said Dr. Louis.

PHILIPPINES Logos Hope’s visit to Subic Bay attracted one unlikely visitor, a former street kid who became a Christian, then an OM Ships volunteer, who now lives on the other side of the country. Janci Barrios was a street kid when Doulos visited Cagayan de Oro in southern Philippines, 25 years ago. Instead of giving him money, an engineer on board at that time brought Janci food each day and shared the Gospel. Janci accepted Christ and the crewmember was able to get him into Bethany Home orphanage. Years later Janci joined Doulos short-term and then for two years. “Now I have met him again after 14 years,” said Charlotte Nicholas (Germany), who served on Doulos in 1988 and when Janci joined as volunteer. Janci, now married with two children, works on a commercial ship. While in Manila, he heard Logos Hope was in Subic Bay and travelled down for the day. Janci has a passion for street children like himself and still volunteers at Bethany Home. When Charlotte heard how the orphanage’s water sources were

contaminated by floods in last season’s typhoons, she helped organise a donation of five water purifiers. “That story is incredible – how one person had an impact in another person’s life and how that life was changed,” recalled Charlotte. “It even has an impact today – he can now help the orphanage with these water filters.”

PRAYPray for open doors to serve people in many different countries.

Toyoko said. “Jesus is very powerful and he is able to heal you because he rose again. He cried so much.” Toyoko and a crewmember prayed for the man and he accepted Christ. “I hope the Holy Spirit will touch him and heal him from the disease,” Toyoko said.

JAPANA 30-year-old man walked up the gangway while the ship was in Kanazawa. Local port volunteer, Toyoko Banyama, greeted him. He had heard about Logos Hope through a television advertisement and felt a stirring in his heart. The man revealed he was in the late stages of leukaemia, but had received special permission from his doctor to visit the ship, travelling three hours from the Toyama prefecture. “I told him about Jesus, why he came and why Jesus had to die for our sins,”

Bringing HopeThe ship’s crew and staff is an international community of mostly young people growing in their relationship with God and learning to serve Him in every situation. Teams visit schools, prisons, orphanages or hospitals. On board, conferences and seminars offer teaching and encouragement for pastors, couples, youth and children. Through each encounter, our heart is to see people take the next step towards knowing and following Christ.

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BRINGING HOPE TO BETTY Logos Hope :: Keelung, Taiwan25-year-old Betty Lo is one of 30 local port volunteers who helped on Logos Hope during the visit to Keelung. Her connection with the Ship Ministry began in 2009, when Doulos visited the country. At that time Betty visited the ship daily. “I met many friends on the ship and they shared the Gospel with me, always telling me Jesus loves me and encouraging me to go to church,” Betty recalls. A month or so after that visit she did go to a local church where she accepted Christ and was baptised.

Later, she was unable to attend university because her parents needed her to earn money for the family. During that time, while working in a factory for 12 hours a day, her relationship with the Lord was crumbling.

Over a span of eight months in the past year, Betty lost four family members, including her father, to a battle with cancer. She questioned why God would allow these sad things to happen and her faith eroded.

When Betty heard that Logos Hope was coming to Keelung, she gave up her job and signed up to be a port volunteer. She knew her priorities needed to be realigned. “Sometimes, I lose my faith, but I [wanted to] come back to God on Logos Hope,” shared Betty. “That is why I wanted to be a volunteer here, I would like to experience more of God’s love.” Having renewed her relationship with God, Betty hopes to join Logos Hope in the future, after the experience has made such a profound impact on her life.

PRAYPray for strong partnership with the local church and for all the work involved in planning the ship visits to each port.

“ That is why I wanted to be a volunteer here, I would like to experience more of God’s love.” Betty Lo

Kanazawa, Japan ::

Captain Ed Verbeek

(Netherlands)

presents a gift

to Honored

guest Mayor of

Kanazawa city Mr.

Yukiyoshi Yamano.

Yes, I would like to help make Jesus known;

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Support the Fuel Appeal A gift to the Fuel Appeal helps keep the ship running whilst in port as well as sailing from port to port.

£125 of fuel powers the ship for one hour while in port, during which time up to 800 people can come aboard.

£64 will help move the ship one mile at sea to reach the next port on her itinerary.

Join the Monthly Giving Programme Your commitment would help us to keep bringing the knowledge, help and hope of Jesus Christ to millions of people all around the world.

£13 per month will enable Logos Hope to welcome 30 visitors on board each month, or 360 over the course of a year!

Partner with usThe adventure of a lifetimeServing on board is an amazing opportunity to learn, grow and develop in a multi-cultural environment – with more than 50 nationalities represented. Crew and staff engage in two years of practical daily work, discipleship training and faith-stretching experiences on board and on shore. The study programme enables personal growth and participants can also earn credits for further theological studies.Whether captain or cook, administrators or part of the book fair team, all of our crew and staff are dedicated volunteers. We always need new personnel, from our short-term exposure programme and our one- and two-year opportunities to specialised project workers, qualified crewmembers and long-term staff.

To discover more, visit www.omships.org or call us on 01691 773388.

“ Living alongside people from so many

countries at the same time has been

the best experience of my life!”

Short-term participant Nicole Pitti, Panama

• www.omships.org

The OM Ships’ website not only offers up-to-date news stories and details of Logos Hope’s schedule but also includes information about the crew and how to support the vessel’s work financially.

• Currents

This fortnightly email update from OM Ships provides highlights from each destination as crewmembers bring knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world. Subscribe at: www.omships.org/ to/subscribe

• Vision teams

Regular accompanied trips to Logos Hope from the UK are open to church groups and individuals interested to experience life on board for a one-week to ten-day period. Call 01691 773388 for further information.

• Ship to Shore

A quarterly newsletter, containing in-depth reports of Logos Hope’s ministry in different regions of the world. Call 01691 773388 or email info.uk@om.org to receive this free newsletter.

• Logoshope.tv

A whole website dedicated to videos of this unique ministry. The site shows videos of the latest happenings on board Logos Hope and can be found at www.logoshope.tv

• OM Ships DVDs

Fully edited movie clips suitable for showing in church services, to youth groups and at prayer meetings are regularly updated and always available. Call 01691 773388 or email info.uk@om.org to request free copies.

Keeping you in touch with all that God is doing through the ministry of OM Ships – online, in the post or even on board!

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“ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free.”

LUKE 4:18 (NLT)