Please Pray

Hi guys. Thanks to those of you who actually frequent this site. :) Unfortunately, not all is rosy in my life right now, and I have a prayer request to share with all of you. Today, a relative of mine passed away unexpectedly. I'd really appreciate your prayers for my family and extended family as we go through this difficult time. Thanks. If you want to be more informed so you can pray more specifically, email me.

Sincerely,
Andrew

My Newsletter

Hey guys. Sorry for the long delay. But here, at last, is my newsletter:

Dear family and friends,

Greetings from the Logos Hope in Køge, Denmark. So many things have happened in the short time I’ve been here, I’m sure I can’t tell you everything, but I’ll do my best. =)

First off, a few basic facts about the Logos Hope. The ship is over 130 meters long, over 20 meters wide, and has nine decks, not counting the funnel. It is 35 years old, but has been owned by OM for only four years. It has a cruising speed of 12 knots, can house almost 500 people, and has over 600 square meters of book fair space! On board, there are over 400 people from approximately 50 different countries!

The ship is nearing completion, but remains in Køge while we finish getting the ship up to standards so we can get the required certificates in order to sail. Hopefully that will happen in January. I’m here as part of the Short Term Exposure Program (‘STEP’).

Anyway, here’s what’s happened since I came:

I arrived in the Copenhagen airport on the morning of September 2^nd, and was picked up by a member of the ship’s company. On the 3^rd and the 4^th (Wednesday and Thursday) all of us in the STEP group received training and orientation. On Friday, we started work.

I’m working in the Deck Department, along with two other STEPers, and 30-40 others. Basically, the Deck Department is responsible for the upkeep of the outside of the ship and some parts inside, and security onboard. As a deck hand (or ‘Deckie’) some of the things I’ve done a lot of are: painting, needle gunning, wirebrushing, sanding, compacting and disposing of garbage, and transporting deliveries to their proper place in the ship. I work 5 days a week, Monday through Friday.

Here’s an example of a normal work day for me:

I wake up and get dressed in my work clothes. I eat breakfast in the mess, then have morning devotions in the Logos Lounge from 7:30 to 8. Next is department devotions on the bridge, where we sing songs, one person gives the ‘thought of the day,’ and we pray for each other. One of the bosuns then assigns everyone their work for the day, and we get to work.

The last couple of weeks I’ve been working on the winches at the aft mooring station. So after Deck devotions those of us working there would head down. One of us gets the ‘PPE’ (personal protection equipment) gear needed for the job; in this case, face shields, ear defenders and gloves for everyone. Another person gets the wire brushes, needle guns, extension cords and air hoses needed. We plug everything in and start working, some of us using the needle guns to get the paint and rust off, and others using the wire brushes to get the rust and paint the needle guns couldn’t get off.

At 10 we have morning tea break, at 11:45 we have lunch for an hour, and at 3 we have afternoon tea break. Somewhere between 3:30 and 4:30 we start cleaning up, depending on the job. Keeping with the same example, we stop around 3:30 to clean up. One of us gets some brooms, a dustpan, and a bucket, and we start sweeping up the dust created by the day’s work. Another person, usually Endre, the leader of our group, mixes some paint, and gets some paint thinner and rags. We use the paint thinner to clean the areas wire-brushed that day, and then we paint those areas. We end work at 5, though sometimes we don’t time it right and some or all of us work a little late. Afterwards, a shower, then dinner in the dining hall.

Every weekend I have one ‘off day’ and one ‘e-day’ (‘experience day’, or ‘ministry day’). Every e-day is something different. One e-day, a few of us went around town picking up trash. Another e-day, a group of us baked cookies and then gave them to local shop owners, along with a little card with a Bible verse on it. One e-day a group of us went into Copenhagen and did street evangelism. Some e-days I have also received training in such things as giving my testimony.

Since coming here, I have learned that the STEPers have the option of extending our time here onboard by up to 3 more months. After praying and thinking about it, I have decided to do this. As a result, I’ll be leaving the ship February 28, 2009 instead of early December. Because of this, I still need more funds to pay for my time serving here (contact me if you would like to know how much). I thank the Lord that all the funds needed for my first three months, plus plane ticket, etc, were all covered, plus enough to cover more than half of my extended time. If you would like to help with my remaining expenses, instructions for donating are located at the bottom of the page.

Thank you so much for praying for and supporting me and this ship. Your prayers are deeply appreciated. Here are a few ways you could specifically pray and praise God:

Praise:

• Praise God for all the donations I have received enabling me to be here!
• Praise God for the skilled and unskilled workers who come to the ship for a couple weeks or a couple months to help get the ship ready.
• Praise God for the mostly positive attitude on the ship despite the delays (Most people expected the ship to have sailed by now).

Prayer:

• Please pray that the remaining funds I need would be provided.
• Please pray that we will get the ship up to standard soon, so we can sail. Humanly speaking, the earliest we could possibly sail is February, but with God, all things are possible!
• Please pray for more skilled workers to come volunteer on the Ship.
• Please pray for good health for myself and the Ship’s Company in the cold weather.

Mobilisation Fellowship (M) Bhd
B1222C 12th Floor
Wisma Merdeka Phase 2
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Phone: 315-316

Website: www.om.org



Mailing address:
Mobilisation Fellowship (M) Bhd
356 Block A Kelana Centre Point
3 Jalan SS7/19
47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Phone: 03-7803-5303

A New Adventure

Tomorrow I embark on a new adventure. I'll be flying to Denmark where I'll join the Logos Hope.

For those of you who don't know, the Logos Hope is part of the ship ministry of 'OM', or 'Operation Mobilization'. It sails around the world, from port to port, with a crew of volunteers. Onboard there is a book fair, where visitors can purchase Christian and educational books and materials. Also, at each port the crew put on various programs and outreach events, and participate in helping the community. You can find out more about the ship at www.logoshope.org.

I'll be on the Logos Hope for just over 3 months, arriving back in KK in early December. I don't know if I'll be able to update my blog while I'm away, but periodically I'll be sending out a email with news and prayer and praise items. If you'd like to recieve a copy, please email me to let me know. I'm not going to post my email address somewhere where bad guys can get ahold of it, so if you don't know my email address, ask someone who does. =) If you can't get a hold of my email address, just post a comment on this post that you want to receive a copy of the email, and I'll try to check every once in a while. Of course, if you don't have my email address, chances are I don't have yours, so... =)

I guess that's all for now. I don't know when I'll have time to post about my trip to Canada, but I'll post when I can. For now, I'll just say that I had fun, and that my finger's pretty much healed (the nail's still pretty ugly, though.)

ósanwë goes public

As of now, this blog is open to anybody to read, since it was getting anoying having a readership of only 1 or 2 people. =) So, if you're a first time visitor, WELCOME! =)

I'm afraid I may not be updating a whole lot in the near future, however, since I'll be in Canada for the next 6 weeks. I'll be sure to post when I get back, if not sooner. =)

Sue the sun

Just thought this was kinda funny. =)

To Canada or bust!

For the last several months, we have been hoping that Laura and I can go back to Canada for the summer. However, we didn't have the money, so we prayed, and prayed, and... you get the picture. =) Anyway, we now have enough of the money needed, that we can say for sure that we are going! We're going to visit friends and relatives while there. In addition, Laura will be attending the 'Leader In Training' program at a summer camp there (Ontario Pioneer Camp, in case anyone wants to know). While she's there, I'll be volunteering in maintenance at the camp. So, yeah. Please pray that the rest of money we need would be provided. Thanks.

Penang

Sorry this comes so late. I had planned on blogging right after coming back, but Wednesday was really busy, Thursday the internet was extraordinarily slow, and from Friday till this past Friday I had no internet at all! I /am/ sorry, though, that I haven't blogged between then and now, but at least I'm doing it now, right? =) Anyway, to my tale...

On Tuesday, the 6th of May, at around 6:30 am, I boarded an Air Asia flight for Penang. (For those who don't know, Air Asia is the local 'low cost carrier'. In other words, it's by far the cheapest airline around, in both senses of the word. =) ) Well, I made my way to the friends with whom I was staying, and devoted most of the rest of the day to cramming for the AP Calculus exam.

At about quarter to seven in the morning (on Wednesday, May 7th), I walked over to Dalat School, about 2-3 minutes walk away, where I was to take the test. After doing some preliminary form-filling, I took the test (AP Calculus AB), from about 8:30 to about 12:30. I spent the rest of the day relaxing. =)

Nothing much happened till Friday. Friday afternoon, there was a food fair at Dalat, which was yummy. =) After that there was a games night, hosted by some of my other friends. That was fun. =) Saturday afternoon, I went over to the their house for more games (can you tell I like games? =) ). Sunday, we went to the local Anglican church, then went out for Dim Sum for an early lunch. (Dim Sum is a type of Chinese food.)

Then came Monday. I spent the morning, as I had much of the last several days, cramming, and after lunch (about 12:15 or so) I went over to the school. This time, I took the 'AP Physics B' exam. It lasted till 4:30 or so. Afterwards, I went over to my other friend's house again, for dinner and even more games. =)

Tuesday morning, at 10 something, I once again boarded an Air Asia flight, this time bound for home! =) I arrived without incident, very glad to have the whole incident over, but not sorry I went, mostly because of my friends, both those I stayed with, and the ones I played all the games with. =)

Oh, before I forget, there is one more thing of interest that happed while I was in Penang. I don't remember what day it happened on, though. =) An Indian religious procession passed by on the main street near where I was staying. There were a lot of people in native Indian dress, a couple with hooks in their bodies, with weights on the ends of the hooks. Some kind of penitance, or the fulfilment of a vow, I think. The worst ones, though, were where the guys has a strap hooked into his back on both ends, with another man leaning back in the strap. That's got to be painful. :/ Also, a couple people walked by, who seemed to have been drugged or something... And there was a baby dedication-type thing. All in all, an interesting experience. =)

I'm back

Hey all,

I got back to KK on Tuesday, safe and sound. I'll blog about it tomorrow, I hope. =)

Goin' away for a bit

Hey all, sorry it's been so long... :(

Tomorrow I leave for Penang, where I will take an AP exam on Wednesday, and another on the following Monday. I'll be back here on Tuesday the 13th. And I promise I'll update after I get back. =) I'm too busy cramming right now... :(

BTW, if you want to know specifics: I'm taking the AP Calculus AB exam on Wednesday, May7th, at 8:20 am; and I'm taking the AP Physics B exam on Monday, May 12th, at 12:40 pm.

We're back

Just a quick note to let you know we arrived back safe and sound last night. I promise I'll write a post about the trip as soon as possible. =)

I'm going away for a bit... again

Hi guys,

Sorry for the lousy lack of updates lately. Very early tomorrow morning, my family is flying to Penang for some meetings and a company retreat with my dad's company. While there, I expect to have very little or no internet access, so see you when I get back! BTW, we'll be coming back on Thursday, the 3rd of April. I promise I'll try to find time afterwards for a few updates, though with major exams coming up in May, I may not update much until after that.

The Union University tornado

I know it's been almost a month, but I feel compelled to write about the recent tornado that hit Union University in Tennessee, in the US.

On February 5th, 2008, 82 tornadoes touched down in several states, including one on Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. The tornado destroyed 80% of the dorms, touched every building on campus except one, and causes approximately 40 million dollars in damage. Miraculously, no one was killed. 51 people were taken to hospital, including several that had had to be dug out from the rubble. Here are some photos of the wreckage:

That night:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41208530@N00/2246266794/in/set-72157603861654921/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41208530@N00/2246295156/in/set-72157603861654921/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41208530@N00/2245497877/in/set-72157603861654921/

The next day:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41208530@N00/2246923331/in/set-72157603889216109/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41208530@N00/2247681024/in/set-72157603889216109/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41208530@N00/2246855095/in/set-72157603889216109/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41208530@N00/2246830215/in/set-72157603889216109/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41208530@N00/2246774519/in/set-72157603889216109/

Here is the official flickr page of photos of the aftermath, and the recovery effort:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41208530@N00/collections/72157603889196007/

Union University Tribute

The official Union University blog can be found at http://www.uurebuilding.com/

Please continue to pray for those at Union University, as they continue to try to cope with the massive changes this brings. Also pray for everyone else affected by the tornadoes. There were no deaths at Union, but elsewhere, 50+ people died from the many tornadoes. Please pray for their families and friends, that they would turn to God in this awful time.

More Funny Videos

I interrupt my series on recent events in my life to bring you two very funny videos. =) Thanks Aunt E for the first one. =)

The Mississippi Squirrel Revival



Hilarious Chrysler Dealership Training Video

Our trip to the Philippines

Hey all,

Sorry I've been so lazy in updating. This one's about our trip to the Philippines. An entry about our trip to Thailand will be following soon. =)

Anyway, on the first of January this year, my family flew to Clark International Airport, in the Philippines. From there, we took a private van we had hired up to the city of Baguio, several hours away. Baguio is a city in the mountains in norther Philippines, and is therefore much cooler than here, or Manila. We spent 2 days in Baguio, during which we went to a replica native village, a museum, a weaving place, and a couple other places, which slip my mind at the moment. =) We had a good time, except that late on the last day, as we were walking in crowded downtown, our camera was stolen, with all our pictures from Baguio, plus our Christmas pictures. :(

Early in the morning January 4th, we took a van down to manila, arriving there in the early afternoon. While there, we stayed at the SIL (the organization we are with) guest house. Most of our time in Manila was spent in malls, though there were some exceptions to this. On Saturday the 5th, we visited the Lees, friends of ours who used to live in KK, but we hadn't seen in something like 9 years, so that was fun. =)

The next day, the 6th, we went to Corregidor Island, and spent the night there. Corregidor Island is an island in Manila Bay. It was fortified by the Americans in the early 20th century, and was a major player in World War II. Most of the buildings on the island got bombed, either by the Japanese taking the island, or the Americans when retaking it. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating place to visit, incredibly full of history.

To start off, we had to take an hour or so long ferry ride to the island. After disembarking, we all (everyone on the ferry) got on buses, and started the 'day tour'. On the tour, we visited several batteries, a couple barracks (mostly bombed-out), a museum, and the Malinta Tunnel. Malinta Tunnel is a tunnel that cuts several hundred feet from one side to the other of the island's main hill, Malinta hill.

We relaxed in the hotel for an hour or two after the tour, before going on the 'night tour'. On this tour, we watched the sunset, and got to visit the bombed out ruins of the 1000-bed hospital. Then, the highlight of the trip, we got to explore almost all of the Malinta tunnel (we only got to see a bit of it during the day tour), including it's many side-tunnels, several of which comprised the other 1000-bed hospital. Would you believe they only had one bathroom for that entire hospital?! =)

Well, that almost concludes my post. We went back to Manila, then left the Philippines on the 9th, without much happening in between. All in all, it was quite fun, and a nice family time together, but it was a big disappointment to lose the camera. And that's all till next time! =)

We're back, again

Well, we're back from Chiang Mai now. We got back safely last night. I don't have time right now, but I promise that soon I'll post about /both/ my recent trips. =)

See you,
Andrew

We're off again

This is just a quick note to let y'all know that from today (18th) to the 27th, we'll be at a conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Should have internet connection, though, so I should get any emails you send me. See you,

Andrew

I'm back!

Well, we're back from the Philippines. Got back Wednesday (9th) evening. I'll post about the trip... when I have time. =) Please pray for Laura and I. Laura started throwing up at 2:30 this morning, and threw up about every hour for the next 8 hours or so. And I've been feeling sick all day, though thankfully I haven't thrown up at all.

See you,

Andrew

UPDATE: Laura and I are both completely better now (in fact, Laura's been better since Sunday, and I should have updated sooner). Thank you to all who prayed.