“Before I came to the ship, I knew my purpose would be to serve God with strangers who might eventually become my family. I knew I would have to come out of my comfort zone, so I held on to the principle of being flexible, adaptable and teachable and I knew that if I had these things, I would survive ship life.”

Twenty-one-year-old Ezra William (East Asia) works in the marine operations department on board Logos Hope. He joined the ship in Montego Bay, Jamaica, two months ago; excited and ready to share knowledge, help and hope. He had already experienced challenges on his journey to even get up the gangway:

“I had a few hurdles to get over before I could come to the ship,” says Ezra. “To pay for my vaccines, I needed to make the tough decision to sell my expensive new motorbike. I wrestled a lot with this, because I really loved my bike and I’d made several unique modifications to it, but I knew it had to be done. My friends asked, ‘How could you sell your bike?’ and I responded, “Yeah, I love my bike, but I love my Jesus more!”

Ezra’s journey was hampered when his application for a transit visa was rejected and he couldn’t pay his insurance costs, but God put people in his life to resolve each situation.

When Ezra finally made it on board, he was ecstatic to begin life serving God amidst a floating community; expecting the unexpected. Within a matter of weeks, public ministry had to stop because of worldwide restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“I was sad that the ship was closing to the public because I had just arrived. I complained to God, but I remembered I came here for Him and I’m still here for Him,” Ezra reflects. “God was so faithful to me in getting me here, there is nothing that I should complain about.

“I think it’s our time to serve one another as a community now and to equip ourselves more through training so that later, when we open to the public again, we can do something exciting. I am learning to support my fellow crew, to adapt and be humble in difficult circumstances. It has been a huge blessing to be in such a supportive community and I have received such a joy and peace from God about being here now. My family and supporters encourage me to keep serving on Logos Hope and I stay because I want to be part of what God is doing with this ministry, during this time and beyond.”