Still Hopeful on Logos Hope
Ship Visit to Ireland Postponed
By Julie Knox
(From the April - June 2020 issue of VOX)
Plans for the first visit of the Logos Hope to Ireland since 2010 have been put on hold following the coronavirus outbreak. We bring you a message from OM Ireland leader Alastair Kerr, an update from the OM Ship Ministry and an opportunity to meet two Logos Hope crew members from Ireland.
OM Ireland leader, Alastair Kerr (from Donegal) said, “We are excited to have Logos Hope visit Ireland and are sorry that the visit has been postponed this summer. Much work has already been done in preparing for the Logos Hope visit and we believe these preparations will be invaluable for moving forward quickly when the visit is rescheduled. We are delighted that so many people have been involved in the plans to date and hope that many more will join us when we get future dates, perhaps for 2021. Please pray for wisdom for the OM Ship ministry as they adjust current ministry and look at future port schedules.”
Logos Hope closed to the public as a precaution against COVID-19
OM’s Ship Ministry has responded to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by closing Logos Hope to the public. The ship is docked in Kingston, Jamaica, while next steps are being decided. A response team has been put in place to monitor developments and make decisions in the best interests of the community on board and in accordance with the advice of all relevant authorities. At this stage, it is expected that the ship will remain in the Caribbean region for the next three months; not crossing the Atlantic as planned. Teams from the ship, which were due to travel overseas during that time have also had to be cancelled.
One knock-on effect is that Logos Hope’s planned calls in Ireland and the Faroe Islands are being postponed. “We are indeed in unprecedented times,” said OM Ships CEO, Seelan Govender. “We have paused our usual ministry model and will spend time training and equipping our crew for future opportunities. Please continue to pray for the situation around the world.”
Meet the Logos Hope crew members from Ireland
The story of how Isaac O’Shea (23) from Leap, West Cork, joined Logos Hope differs according to who’s telling it…
Four crewmembers who toured Ireland in 2017 to speak to churches and youth groups say he was surely inspired by the presentation they gave at a meeting in his church. In fact, Isaac doesn’t remember the touring team (whose Singaporean and Caribbean members saw snow for the first time while they were here.)
As he finished his mechanical engineering degree, Isaac was challenged to offer some time to mission by a CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) camp leader. Exploring various options, he found out about Logos Hope’s Short-Term Exposure Programme (STEP) on the OM website.
Isaac funded the three-month venture to Latin America himself and set off for the world’s largest floating bookfair. It was the first time he’d been beyond Europe and his first experience of travelling alone. Two years and 16 countries later, he’s still on board.
OM has operated four ocean-going ships since 1971. Forty-nine million people have stepped aboard Logos, Doulos, Logos II or Logos Hope in 155 countries and territories worldwide. The vessel is manned entirely by volunteers: from the captain, engine and medical officers to the teachers, galley staff and outreach coordinators – everyone serves without pay.
The majority are young people, sponsored by their home churches and friends to give a couple of years out. The buzzing international community is a unique place to explore God’s plan for their life and see the world through His eyes, as crew live out their Christian faith in practical ways, learn skills and grow through all sorts of experiences together.
As well as offering affordable literature on every subject under the sun, crewmembers share knowledge, help, and the hope of the Gospel in ports around the world, through events on board and outreaches on shore.
They dig wells, renovate schools, visit prisons and hospitals. The vessel draws crowds of people from all walks of life and all levels of society: individuals, families, church groups, young offenders, shipyard workers, civic dignitaries, homeless and hurting people. There’s always someone on board who can relate and connect. The crew’s desire is that each visitor will encounter the God they serve: the ultimate captain of the Ship Ministry.
Isaac was assigned to the bookfair. “I was put at the bottom of the gangway in the port of Barranquilla, Colombia. I had to welcome visitors on a crazy busy day, and I didn’t speak Spanish. Of course, my Irish skin quickly got sunburnt and I was easily identifiable!”
He also had the distinction (at that time) of being the only person from the Republic of Ireland among the 400 volunteers drawn from nearly 70 countries. (Five hailed from Northern Ireland.) Laid-back and with a ready grin, Isaac bonded well with his group of 17 short-termers and became immersed in the ministry.
“A day at an orphanage in Guatemala sticks with me,” he recalls. “I remember the kids wanting me to lift them up high; they just needed some fun and to be shown love.”
The big white floating home to a diverse, inspiring community is a fascinating concept. Thousands testify to it being Christ’s kingdom in microcosm. People disembark challenged and changed. But Logos Hope is merely a platform, insists the ministry’s CEO, Seelan Govender (South Africa). It is a neutral space, where all are welcome and a jumble of Jesus-followers strive to demonstrate unity, acknowledge their dependence on the Lord and serve wherever they’re led.
“In many ways, we live a miracle every day: the only reason this thing works is because of God,” says Seelan, who spent 14 years on board the organisation’s ships before taking charge on shore. “There’s nothing attractive about us except the fact that young people come together to learn, grow, love and forgive one other.”
A key thrust of the Ship Ministry is mobilisation within the Church. In recent years, Logos Hope and partner organisations have spearheaded an initiative to inspire 2,000 Latino believers into mission.
Isaac took that mobilising message home after his first three months. The presentation team bound for Ireland needed another member. He filled the gap and shared OM’s vision to see vibrant communities of Jesus followers among the least reached.
“Stepping out helped me look back in to the situation at home with fresh eyes,” says Isaac. “I’ve been taken out of my comfort zone and gained self-awareness. I now have some perspective from other cultures and churches. People who don’t know Jesus aren’t only in far-off lands.”
Isaac sensed there was more for him to do on Logos Hope. The bookfair department had seen his leadership potential. He committed for a further year, then extended again. His home church, Bantry Christian Fellowship, is delighted to support him.
In February, the number of Irish crewmembers doubled when Isaac was joined by Patrycja Ozdzynska, who has lived in Cork city since her family emigrated here from Poland when she was nine years old. Now 22, she’s also working in the ship’s bookfair. Having just embarked in Jamaica, she’s still getting her sea legs – but has already been challenged about sharing her faith more openly.
“Being here has made me realise how many people haven’t heard the gospel. I feel like God has really put Ireland on my heart.” Patrycja remembers that mission involvement seemed more common among those she knew in Warsaw. It was there that her family first encountered OM’s ships.
Isaac and Patrycja would love to be on board the ship when she visits Ireland although this is less certain now that plans for this year’s visit have been postponed.
Visit www.om.org for more information about OM Ships and the ministry of OM in Ireland.