Open for Busyness
10 212.
That is the number of visitors that came up the gangway during our 3 weeks in Castries, St Lucia. This was by far the busiest we have been as a Bookfair Team since the pandemic started, and it was wonderful. Although we were still all learning how to work together amidst the new normal of COVID protocols and limited numbers on board, it was a delight to watch each person pitch in to make sure we succeeded together.
During this port we took a step closer towards the kind of team that we want to be in the future (and that I came expecting to lead when we joined 18 months earlier). With patience, perseverance, growing trust and a keen focus on clear communication we were able to handle long lines (COVID safely), sudden thunder storms and more than a few friendly but demanding customers.
One specific highlight was hosting a group of teenagers from a place called Boys Training Centre. The centre is a kind of half-way house/rehab centre for teenage boys who had been caught up in gangs on the island. Groups from the ship had made several visits to the centre, playing soccer with the boys and hosting bible studies. During their visit to the ship they were able to reconnect with crew that had visited and also received a book voucher and a missions biography.
Prayer: For the thousands of visitors who bought tens of thousands of titles – that the fruit of their visit and purchase would be seen for years and years to come.
Praise: That the Bookfair Team continues to grow stronger and closer together, especially since we have just received another 11 people!
Photo by Caleb Albertson
Family is Forever
During our time on board, our ship family has always been a constant source of comfort and companionship, while also being my (Dané’s) primary place of ministry. When we met our family for the first time during our Pre Ship Training in Montego Bay, Jamaica, we were 17 strong, from 11 different nationalities. Over the past year and half, we have welcomed a few more into the fold (short term joiners) but have said goodbye to so many more.
Saying goodbye is, more often than not, incredibly hard, but when I really sit down to think about it, family is forever. We did not choose each other (much like biological families – you get what you get) but over time we have grown so close. These lovely people are an every day reminder that family in God’s kingdom works much the same. We don’t choose each other, but we choose God, and he gives us to each other, to love, to celebrate life together, to mourn together, to carry each other during hard times. So often we take for granted the small things, but choosing to do family God’s way helps me to keep my perspective. Loving my “kids” well has a lasting impact in the world, and sending them back to their home countries (or on to new ones) takes a part of my heart with them too.
And so I want to challenge you. Who is God giving to you to include in your “family”? Where does God want to use YOU as an example of what the family of believers should look like?
Prayer: Please pray that God would continue to use our family as a way to show His love to the crew on board.
Praise: Praise God for the amazing times of fellowship and personal investment that we have within our community and particularly in our ship family.
Looking Ahead
When we left for Logos Hope more than a year and a half ago, we knew that this first 2 years in missions as a whole family was going to be a time of discovery. Discovering whether the ship was a long-term field for us. Discovering more about our skills, gifts, talents and passions . Discovering what it meant in practice for us to follow God’s leading to care, coach and encourage other missionaries while serving alongside them.
As we look forward, we see 2 things in particular.
Firstly, the fact that we still have 4 months left on board and at the same time only 4 months left on board. We have come to the realisation that 2 years is right amount of time for us to serve on Logos Hope. We will end our commitment along with most of those that we have invested deepest with. We feel incredibly privileged to know that God called us for this unique season in this wonderful, challenging and vibrant community, but also recognise that it would not be healthy for us to stay longer.
Secondly, that God is very clearly leading us to continue full-time in missions and full-time with OM. As we have journeyed on board, engaging in trainings, building new friendships, hearing people’s concerns about the church in their countries, we have felt a growing sense of God nudging us toward Europe, and the need for missionaries to both secular Europeans and non-European communities across the continent. As this was happening we received an invitation from a friend I served on board with who is now the field leader of OM in Austria, “What about coming to serve with us? We have needs in our team that we believe you would be a good fit for.” That invitation has turned into a conversation and we believe strongly that this where God is leading us to live and serve next. In order for both us, and OM in Austria to be more certain, we are planning a vision trip in March next year (2022) to see the ministry and spend some time with the team based in Linz.
Praise: For God’s faithfulness and sustaining love during this challenging and growing time serving on board and for all the lessons He has taught us and use us to teach others.
Prayer: That we would make the most of our time left on board and continue to invest deeply and consistently into the lives of those we are journeying with.
Prayer: That we would continue to seek God and His guidance as we keep moving forward in this adventure that He has us on. That each next step towards serving in Austria would be clear.
The Benns 