Twenty-year-old Wise (Borneo) was working in children’s programmes in his home country before joining Logos Hope. From childhood on, he grew up with an understanding of the love God had for him, but relied on his parents’ instruction and understandings. “I felt that something was missing. When I turned 15, I realised that I needed to commit to follow and obey God, not because of my parents or society, but because I understood that God loves me. I am trying to live my life according to His will and not my own anymore.”
This led to Wise developing a heart to share this love with others. “I know that God’s love isn’t only for me, but for every single human being. I wanted to share this through my life every day.” Having heard about the Ship Ministry when he was young, Wise decided to join Logos Hope as a volunteer to help ‘share knowledge, help and hope’, despite having no prior experience or qualifications.
As everyone on board serves in a full-time role, Wise was placed in the accommodation services team, who are affectionately known as ‘Angels’ by crewmembers. “My job is to make sure everything around the ship is clean and to prepare cabins for guests. Part of my job is also training new people who’ve just joined the ship.”
Despite the hard work, Wise feels as though he has grown a lot through his experiences in his work and ship life. “I believe my time on board has changed me a lot. Working on the ship is quite tough sometimes, but you learn a lot of small things about your life that you didn't realise before.”
Of course, travelling from country to country is one of the many benefits of living on Logos Hope. For Wise, this means exploring new places and practising his photography. “I had this passion for photography for a long time, but I was able to really use it on board. I usually took my camera with me and photographed the city. Sometimes local people would approach and ask me to take a photo of them. Through this I was able to begin building connections and share God’s love through normal conversation.”
But Wise quickly realised that the ports were not the only places he could experience other cultures and people groups. “Everybody on the ship comes from different nations, different backgrounds and are of different ages. We came together to serve God. Personally, I am encouraged by this. I now have a lot of experience and have learnt a lot through people in this international environment on the ship.”
Wise added, “Working on the ship has given me a different perspective in this life. Everything you do, even the small things, are about sharing God’s love. Every single person has different needs, but fundamentally, it’s about hope. Hope is so important. Hope gives you something different in your heart, the way you look, the way you think, and the way you act.”
To anyone considering joining the Ship Ministry, Wise would say, “Leave your fear behind and trust God.” Take a leap and apply today!
