Christmas Shortie

The time usually gilded with glee
Is usually much more than you can see
A time symbolized by love and a tree
Always brings someone to their knees
The excitement of snow and love
Is sometimes shoved down from above
While the children’s faces shine bright
The abandoned try to slip out of sight

Weekly Update: November 27, 2008

As thanksgiving fever hits full force back home, and excitement builds for this time of year, things here in Denmark are much different. Thanksgiving is not a worldwide holiday if, you didn’t know that, and on the ship, celebrations are slim. There will be no football or rest for most of us Americans this Thursday (the football part is more important to me). With that said, Christmas time is in full swing here on board the ship and in the town surrounding us. There are decorations up all over as the hype that surrounds this time of year is in full effect.
A lot has been completed on the ship even since I have arrived, and it is very exciting! Today the ship celebrated the opening of the International Café that is opened on our Experience Deck. This is a place for crew and visitors alike to meet and buy things such as Ice Cream, pop, snacks, and others. Also, the book fair has been basically completed (to my knowledge) as the cash registers have been put in. This gives people the chance to use credit cards, and prepares us for ministry that much more. The coolest part about the experience deck right now is our program we are doing right now called “Christmas around the World”. This program involves many booths where different nationalities get to display what Christmas is like where they live. It is really cool to see all the differences in culture around the world. I plan on putting pictures of these up on my photobucket site at http://photobucket.com/ptownmissionary. Things on the ship are pretty exciting right now, and most are in a good mood.
This past weekend I participated in Fire Training which was both book learning and practical learning. On Saturday I spent half of the day in a room hearing things I thought I had already heard and watching videos on safety. The second half of the day was spent spraying fire hoses and putting on the fireman gear. Sunday wasn’t fire training, but it was very busy. I was involved in a guest church coming on board for our Sunday service. There were around 100 people, and I gave my first tour of the ship (with the help of KC). They were all very excited to see what was going on in this monstrous ship. Monday was yet another busy day (after a full week of watch) but was more fun than the prior two. I spent Monday at a compound used for training people how to fight fire. I got to see how fire spreads and how smoke rises to the top, and eventually even engage in combat versus a fire. It was fairly exciting, and I enjoyed the bonding time.
Yesterday marked my first day off in 10 days, but I can’t complain because many others had to work until the end of the week. I was graciously handed two days off in the light of recent events back home, and given time to work things out in my head and in prayer. Yesterday I went on a walk for three hours away from the ship, and I wish I would have taken a camera. I took a little path that seemed to be out of a dream, and eventually got to a highway which I took down past a couple of villages. The architecture here is so different and cool, that it caught me by surprise. I really enjoyed my walk just absorbing the beauty that God surrounds us with on all sides. Even the ugly things are full of beauty, and I need to start looking into the beauty of what God gives us, and not the ugliness we make it. What a week!

Teary-Eyed Warrior

Who am I to assault you in the night?
You have already lost the big fight
Why should I add to your injury with slander?
All I have to say is useless banter
There are no puns ringing in my head
Only words that shall remain unsaid
One cannot tear down a razed village
One should not steal another army’s pillage
I shall not throw gasoline into a blazing fire
I shall not cast you out into the mire
One must learn to forgive as he has been
That means I must forgive all I can
I will lead your army into battle
We shall pillage all the gold and cattle
We will show no mercy to our foes
We will not be beaten by our woes
I have your sword and your shield
Now let us storm this barren field
We’ll storm the gates of Hades herself
And make the Devil a fearful whelp
There shall be no more victory in this place
Now I long to look upon your broken face
For I wish to rebuke you yet still care
I want to show you my love is fair
It never ceases in the midst of failure
It is stripped of formality and is barer
There is only one path you should find
Go and cast all the others from your mind
Toil with the dirt you have kicked up
In the end we shall be picked up
Never more will our hearts be torn
Never more will we deal with scorn
Our flesh will burn and our spirits rejoice
We will all sing aloud in a resonate voice
“Hallelujah” will fill the barren planes
It will drive the enemy of us all insane
We shall sing songs of victory and peace
All of us will sing; from greatest to least
Oh, how I long for the final rest!
But first we must fix this bloody mess
Redemption lies in every breath we receive
Distraction rests on all that we perceive
Where will two ends find a common ground?
When will a plan of attack be found?
That relies on the king of your own heart
For the heart is beautiful yet still tart

Weekly Update November 19, 2008

Life on board the Logos Hope has been great. I am working in the deck department, and for two weeks straight I was chipping rust off of a wall in a room that houses our Steering Gear units. This job was frustrating at first, but I eventually warmed up to it. I can’t say I’d be too disappointed if I never saw the room again, though. During these weeks I engaged in some training to prepare me for our launch into ministry in January 2009. I am learning to talk to people through life and through experiences. I also attended a church in Copenhagen (about a 30 minute drive) that was full of people from around the globe. One guy I met there even came by for a tour of the ship! Last weekend I was involved in the filming of a movie that one of the women on board is producing. It is called “The Calling” and is about a woman realizing what she is meant for. Once the video is complete, I will post a link to see it. I was an extra “shadow” in the movie and even got to dress up. We had a good time filming and the film looks good so far.

Romance

Open the window and let in the breeze
The mornings aren’t mornings unless you’re with me
You watch me sleep and I hear you speak
You’re in my dreams and in my mind
You’re in my second and in my week
You steal my heart every time
You are such a mystery and such an illusion
You are so beautiful and full of confusion
You read the book of my soul like a Sunday paper
We laugh and cry and share in all we feel
You heat my tears until they are naught but vapor
My heart is stamped and marked with your seal
I am yours and you are mine until the end of time
A more passionate sign one cannot find
You would give your life for me now I see
I see the brightness of me and what I could be
I see all of this in your name
I see naught money or fame
I see a life of solitude
I equip a new attitude
You stood at the door and knocked until I came
I cheated and cheated but you love me all the same
No gift could ever repay what you give me this day

Time Marches On

The most wonderful time of the year approaches yet again, and excitement build all around the world in anticipation for this event. Christmas really is a wonderful time, but it is also a very hard time for those who have lost much. I have always heard that the holidays were one of the biggest times for suicide, but I never really understood why. I think I have a small grasp on this concept now with the massive changes in my life. Thanksgiving is always a big day in my life, and I’m scared that here it won’t be very special. I don’t think football will happen on it, or anything like back home. I will probably think about the time I spend with my family and my baby nephew (who I miss like crazy) and the time I spend with friends as they are all home from college. Then in comes the Christmas season, and the closeness of family and friends along with it. I already feel sad when I think of not being able to be with my family. What makes it worse is that my brother head out to a new life in a few days, and my parents will be wrecked. I fear for them, and pray for their comfort a lot. One last thing I already miss from this season is snow! I have heard that it doesn’t snow too often here, and it is hard to imagine a Christmas without snow!

Christmas on the ship will still be magical and great, but it could never compare to the experiences I have had back home. On the ship there will be a lot of cheer and decorations for the season. One thing we are doing is a display for us and the community about Christmas around the globe. People will build displays of what Christmas is like in their home. We will open these displays to the public to come have a look at all the different traditions around the word. We will still be in Denmark for this, and a new schedule is put up in our prayers. We plan on leaving sometimes in January and to maybe stay around in Europe for a couple of weeks, after that we head to the UK for a tour around thanking some supporters and raising ship familiarity, while ministering to the millions of lost souls in the UK. After that we want to look east toward the Caribbean, but God would really have to do some miracles for that to be possible. The leadership here really believes it can happen as do I, but some are skeptical. It has been in God’s hands and will continue to be.

I’ll finish with a little wisdom from Dr. Patch Adams; look past the problem to the solution. I need to focus on my new life here and my new life in Christ more than I need to focus on my past and all the good memories. Of course, this is easier said than done!