Liberia was an exciting port to visit for all of Logos Hope’s crewmembers, but for one of them, it was more than just a visit: it was a return to her roots.

Angel Bella (USA) was born in Liberia and raised by her single mother. But, as the Liberian civil war broke out, life became difficult, with Angel being moved back and forth between her mother’s home and an orphanage. When taking care of Angel seemed not to be possible anymore, Angel’s mother decided to put her up for adoption. She was officially adopted by an American couple.

She grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvenia, in a warm and caring home and with a foundation of faith. Angel says, “I always appreciated what my birth mom did for me, to give me up so I could have a better life. While I grew up in America, there was always an appreciation for Liberia.”

Angel joined Logos Hope in September 2020 in Nassau, Bahamas. Initially she wanted to join the ship six months earlier, but due to the pandemic, her plans didn’t go as smoothly as she wanted. When she arrived, she first joined the accommodation team, amusingly called ‘angels’ on the ship, and later the maintenance team, in which she is one of the two plumbers on board.

When the director announced that due to COVID-19, the ship’s schedule would change, the 26-year-old was excited and curious about visiting Africa, the continent where she was born. She was even more excited when it was confirmed that Logos Hope would visit Liberia.

Soon after the ship docked in Monrovia, Angel went to the Daniel Hoover Children Village Boarding Mission School, built for children orphaned in the war and other vulnerable children. The school was founded by her American grandparents and is now run by African Christians Fellowship International. She was welcomed with open arms and hearts and later, other crewmembers visited to spend time with the children and to donate toys. The children who currently stay in the orphanage also came to the ship to visit the bookfair. Angel says, “It was awesome to have all the children and the workers on board to visit me on the ship!”

Some days after Angel’s visit, the orphanage director managed to find Angel’s biological mother. After so many years, Angel met her biological mother and some of the extended family.

Angel says, “All my life I said to God that I would trust Him that he would bring me back to where I come from one day and now, I am here. I was so frustrated when I couldn’t join the ship when I had planned it as I was really looking forward to being in Europe with the ship as originally planned. But now, I see that God’s timing is always best and that He really makes the best out of every situation.”