Walking around Bar Sometimes.

 Over the past week I've been recovering from a cold, but it hasn't been too bad. As training rumbles on, it hasn't been physically strenuous, so I've not had to miss any days of studying. But most of my training isn't really photo-worthy... who ever wrote home about their school work? So in the past couple of days, I've been feeling better and took the opportunity to do some excursions into the city of bar.

Saturday night I played basketball with some local lads. I actually don't have any photos of this (sorry), but it was really great to connect to a demographic that churches haven't really been able to reach out to very well. Most of them were Orthodox Christians, but definitely leaning towards the ways of the world, so it was great provide some wisdom in the right things to aim for. We actually gave them all a bible in their language, and my friend wrote each person a personal message for them. Lots of them were really interested in the Bible and wanted to know where to start. So please pray that they will take initiative in their faith.

Yesterday I needed a day to relax, so in the afternoon I went out and about on a stroll to the beech with some friends.

So today, just before I'm writing this I played football with some locals. To be honest they weren't very good, but it was still super fun to run around after a rolling ball.

I have two more weeks of training, and after then, the real work begins! Super exciting!

Where is Bar, Montenegro?

 After I updated my blog yesterday, I realised that for many people, the location of Montenegro is not obvious, so here is an image detailing the location of Montenegro and the city of Bar, which Logos Hope is currently visiting:

Sitting beside the Adriatic Sea, Montenegro is merely a stone's throw from Italy. The country received it's independence from Serbia in 2006 after a narrow vote. Montenegro is part of NATO and is currently trying to gain entry to the EU. But even now, much of the country uses Euros, so there's that.

Most of the country is Orthodox Christian, but there are minorities of Muslim and Roman Catholics, mostly in the South. There are very few Evangelical Christians in the country.

I’m now in Montenegro

Righto!

The ship is now in Montenegro. The city is called Bar and it’s pretty beautiful.

But after every big sail, the ship needs to undergo some cleaning, so the engine trainees were roped into lending a hand. We had to clean tank tops… beneath deck 1.

It was messy. This is the aftermath…

But it was a lot of fun. I’m so glad we did it together!

In any case, I was supposed to have a small C-Day, but I’ve come down with a cold and was feeling pretty rough… so pray for that.

But I still had a chance to walk around Bar. I went to a massive church in the centre of town. It was pretty extra, but impressive nonetheless:

Building a Wall

 So in the port of Durres, the ship was connected with a family with some extremely autistic children. It wasn’t safe for one of them to go outside and their home didn’t have a boundary.

So the ship decided to help this family by building a wall, collaborating with a local believer as well.

On Monday was the last day we could do this, and some work needed to be done. So I volunteered with some of my friends to help out. 

It was really wonderful to get stuck into some practical work. I had spent the week stuck in a classroom, so I was so glad to be out and about.

The family was Muslim, but they were so appreciative of the help we provided, and we were invited in to their home.

We also met an old lady who lived across the street. She was very typical of Albanians, having a form of syncretism between Christianity and Islam, but one of my friends prayed a really beautiful prayer with her and she was so grateful. I didn’t take any pictures, but rest assured, we received many kisses from her.

I am really grateful that I was able to connect to some locals. Tonight we will sail to Montenegro, so soon I will talk about that.

Amerigo Vespucci

 Monday was my off day, and in the afternoon myself and some friends visited a famous ship called Amerigo Vespucci.

It’s an Italian Naval Training Ship, but it was open to the public.

In fact, they are moored just forwards to our ship. From their lifeboats we could see Logos Hope:

It was a very beautiful vessel, but it was rather funny to see classic design mixed with modern technology.

I am really grateful that I was able to visit. I know that some members of our own ship was able to see the engine room, but I was given a brief explanation of their mooring lines, shown here!

I haven’t been active in the blog for a few days, but I’ve actually been really busy. Tomorrow I should write another one about building a wall! Engine training is going well, and I’m learning so much, but of course, it’s a lot to take in, so please keep me in your prayers during this period of intense study!

Tea Time, Time for Tea!

 Sunday was a pretty mad day. Sunday and Monday seems to be break days from studying, so yesterday I led a party of Engine Trainees to explore the city of Durres together. Unfortunately I don't have many photos of the excursion, so when I get more, I can make a proper blog post about it.

Also, I crashed a Football C-Day. For those that don't remember, a C-Day just means connect-day and its an opportunity for Ship's Company to take part in Logos Hope's goal of spreading Knowledge, Help and Hope. 12 young plucky crewmembers took on some locals in a friendly game of football. It was 6v6 on two different pitches. I also don't have many photos, so when I get them, I'll be sure to share!

But I do have a photo of the tea which we (Brits on board) received. My teacher for Basic Training was from the UK, and he brought some goodies for all the Brits. The pinnacle was a whole bag of tea!

Every Sunday Lunch, the British people on board meet for Brits Tea, where we share, chat and chinwag all about our time on the ship. It was also after the Church service, hence the fancy clothes.

Also, in engine, we get our own stuff. These are my own Ear-Protection. On Tuesday, I'll be able to wear my own clothes that I measured. So that's gonna be so cool! I also intend to paint my ear-protection in funky Jotham style... so watch out for that!

I'm in Engine! (And a new port too!)

Right, so now I'm in Engine. What does that mean?
I'll be spending the next six weeks training and learning a crash course of marine engineering, hoping that by the end of it, I'll be semi-competent at NOT blowing up the whole ship.

But in reality, I'm so glad I was placed in this department. It's kind of awesome having the responsibility of seafaring, and I won't be spending all day in the sun, so hopefully I won't get super sun-burnt on a daily basis.

So the past few days I've been working hard in training, but this was really an extension of the Basic Training mentioned in previous blogs. Lots of common ground, but expanding nonetheless. I also did a proper fire drill in the full gear which I was worried about, but in the end it was pretty awesome.

Tomorrow I will start engine training proper, but this time, in a new location. Yesterday, Logos Hope moored in Durres, Albania. It's pretty epic, they welcomed us with a traditional dance.

Hopefully in the coming days, we can explore this city together!

Finished Pre-Ship Training!

Yes! We've done it! Today is the last day of Pre-Ship Training (while on the ship). It's super exciting, because tomorrow, I'm going to find out what department I will be in! Last night the PST made our own chant and tonight we will have a talent night! I'm going to show off my proficiency in accents (and poke fun at a few as well)!

Yesterday I was able to play Basketball in the port! It was super fun, but I've hurt my muscle, so I need to take a break from playing sport... easier said than done. So please pray for my recovery if you have time.

I also visited an Orthodox Church that was in the city. It was really nice and small, and there was an old guy that I chatted to. His name was Stefan, but I thought it was a bit rude if I started taking photos of him, so pictures of the Church will have to suffice:

I also have some super photos of me at the beach that my friend took on his camera. His name is David and he's from South Korea. You can find him at @ssungstudio on Instagram! Thanks David for the great pictures!