Out of her comfort zone, but being changed by God

Galya Batenina (Ukraine) describes her life before joining Logos Hope as, “A comfortable Christian life, where God had a place, but I had not made Him the centre.”

Galya says that serving on the ship has challenged her in many ways. The first thing that made her uncomfortable was the workplace she was assigned: the ship’s kitchen. The young woman who loves to be creative and lead others had to cut meat and clean tables next to people who were still strangers.

God showed her that He wanted to use this time to change her: Galya says, “I didn’t want to enjoy my work because I wanted to work somewhere else. I was open and friendly, but I wasn’t really interested in the people who weren’t part of my friendship group.”

Then she started meditating on love the way it is described in the book of Corinthians in the Bible. Galya says, “I asked God to help me to have the right attitude, no matter where I was, and I prayed for the attributes listed in 1 Cor 13: 4-8, like patience, kindness, trust and perseverance – so that I could show love to people around me.”

Galya came to realise that God was showing her how to be attentive to others through other people showing interest in her life by asking her how she felt and if they could pray for her.

Finding herself in a place she didn’t want to be made Galya think about the way she wanted to live her life. She says, “I want to be a vibrant Jesus-follower who can share God’s glory through my actions. It’s a desire of my heart now that it becomes a place concerned about other people, and I don’t want to be too focussed on myself. I am enjoying my work now, simply because I am enjoying the people I work with and I hope to be a blessing in their life.”

Another challenge for Galya was when Covid-19 paused Logos Hope’s public ministry. Having joined the Ship Ministry because she wanted to reach out to people on shore, she felt purposeless when the bookfair closed and the crew wasn’t allowed to leave the ship. She says, “I restricted ministry to a certain limit when I aimed to have an impact on only non-Christians. Step by step, God expanded my understanding of ministry and I realised that I can be a mentor and friend to people around me. Even Jesus ministered not just to strangers – but also to His friends.”

Galya plans to continue being involved in overseas work when she leaves the ship later this year, preferably in youth-centred work.

Share this Resource

Leave a Reply

You might also like:

Previous
Next
Logos Hope: Nurse Ships    Go & Live    August 2023Serve on board Logos Hope with an international crew of around 400 volunteers from many different countries.

We are looking for a qualified nurse to provide on board medical care and treatment for crew & guests under the direction of the ship’s physician.

Full Details
Doulos Hope: Repairperson – Long and Short Term Roles Available Ships    Go & Live    January 2023As a Repairman, you work as part of the Engine team, who is responsible for maintaining adequate and comfortable living and working conditions all around the ship.
Full Details
Logos Hope: Medical Officer (Doctor) Ships    Go & Live    As soon as possibleAre you a qualified doctor looking for an exciting ministry to be part of?  The doctor/medical officer on board Logos Hope serves in providing medical care and treatment to the crew, staff and guests of the vessel.
Full Details
Doulos Hope: First Engineer Ships    Go & Live    As soon as possibleJoin our international team of around 150 people from many different nationalities. Have the opportunity to invest in young people and use your technical skills to keep a life-changing ministry operating. Being part of the on board community you will also receive personal input through daily team devotions and other ship events as well as the opportunity to experience the culture of the international crew and staff and the countries the ship visits.
Full Details
LOGOS HOPE STEP Opportunity – STEP I 2024 Ships    Go & Visit    18 January 2024 - 20 April 2024Life on the ships is fast-paced and can be intense. Come with a servant heart, an attitude to learn, and willingness to be flexible and this could be the experience of a lifetime. Many who have been on STEP bear witness to the huge impact it has made on their lives, and to how God has worked in and through them.
Full Details
Doulos Hope: 1 or 2 years on Doulos Hope! Get on Board! Ships    Go & Live    AnytimeOM Ships International (OMSI) is a faith mission funded through gifts and revenue from the bookfair on board. All crew and staff serve as volunteers who raise their own support.

Volunteering on board Doulos Hope, you will be impacted as you participate in this life changing adventure

Full Details
Logos Hope: Graphic Designer Ships    Go & Live    February 2024Use your special ability to design communication to inspire and motivate people in our ports of call to visit Logos Hope and our audience around the world to be part of what God is doing in the Ship Ministry.
As the graphic designer in communications team on board Logos Hope you will help provide print ready materials for publicity and promotion and other design work for use digitally and in other ways to inform and inspire the public and our partners around the world.

Full Details
Logos Hope: 1 or 2 years on Logos Hope! Get on Board! Ships    Go & Live    As soon as possibleOM Ships International (OMSI) is a faith mission funded through gifts and revenue from the bookfair on board. All crew and staff serve as volunteers who raise their own support.

Volunteering on board Logos Hope, you will be impacted as you participate in this life changing adventure

Full Details
DOULOS HOPE STEP Opportunity STEP I 2024 Ships    Go & Visit    9 January 2024 - 8 April 2024This is a great and unique opportunity to join the first crew on Doulos Hope to get the ship ready for Ministry . Come with a servant heart, an attitude to learn, and willingness to be flexible and this could be the experience of a lifetime. Many who have been on OM ships on a short term experience bear witness to the huge impact it has made on their lives, and to how God has worked in and through them.
Full Details
Logos Hope: 2nd & 3rd Engineers Ships    Go & Live    As soon as possibleLogos Hope is known as the world's largest floating bookfair and sails from port to port sharing knowledge, help and hope.

We are looking for qualified marine engineers to help keep the ship sailing.

Required Qualifications:
STCW III/1 Marine Engineering
STCW V/3 Crisis Management and Human Behaviour

Full Details
Logos Hope: Dentist (Long-term or short-term opportunity) Ships    Go & Live    As soon as possibleAre you a qualified Dentist looking for an exciting ministry to be part of?  The Dentist  on board Logos Hope run and maintain the Dental Clinic on board and privides dental care and treatment to crew andstaff.
Full Details
Information and Communications Technology Support Engineer Ships    Go & Live    As soon as possibleThe overall goal is to support the administration of ICT functions in order to help ensure continuity of work for all users of IT.  As an ICT Support Engineer, you will respond to the daily help desk requests and deliver solutions in order to help ensure end users can operate systems with as little as interruption as possible.
Full Details