Ships :: As Doulos Hope serves countries in Asia, crewmembers have the opportunity to connect with people around the tables not just for food, but for so much more...
This Christmas, we celebrate more than just a season of Christmas gifts and family time — we celebrate God’s invitation to come to His table through the gift of His son, Jesus. As Doulos Hope serves countries in Asia, crewmembers have the opportunity to connect with people around the tables not just for food, but for so much more.
Celebrating strong connections
“We ate so much food, I thought my stomach was going to explode,” crewmember Phillip (Zimbabwe) shared. “And yet the food kept coming! They were so generous.”
What started as simple conversations grew into genuine friendships. Crewmembers Lubasi (Zambia), Ezra (Indonesia) and Phillip became friends with three port volunteers who are sisters. When the sisters’ parents visited the ship in Kuching, Malaysia, Lubasi happened to be their tour guide. Since then, the family generously invited them to eat together not just once, but more than five times.
“They didn’t know us,” Phillip said. “But they still went the extra mile — inviting us, picking us up, welcoming us into their home, eating with us and their extended family, cooking for us, listening to us, blessing us with gifts... They reflect God’s love. I felt so love[d] by their hospitality. I hope I’ve encouraged them as much as they encouraged me. We made strong connections just by eating together!”
God's love is a bountiful love, and His invitation extends far and wide to come and eat at His table.
Eating and celebrating together
Excitingly, Doulos Hope receives a group of volunteers like these three sisters in every port. They serve alongside crewmembers for weeks at a time and help the ship open her bookfair and café to the public. The volunteers often take their experiences from the ship with them, as they go back into their communities after their time serving on board.
At the end of their time together, Doulos Hope’s Port Volunteer Coordinator Urpi (Peru), invites them for a farewell party. “Before we go our separate ways, I want everybody to cherish the friendships formed during our [time volunteering] together,” Urpi shared, “It’s a time to reflect and express our gratitude for the effort, time and heart we’ve all invested.”
The farewell party is a potluck, where Urpi encourages everybody to bring whatever food they can share to the table. “The idea is to contribute something personal and offer a piece of ourselves to others — a symbol of unity and love. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small serving or big platter of food.
“We all bring our best to the table and when everything comes together, we have an entire table of food to share. Then, everybody is invited to eat and celebrate together!”
It is around tables like these, as we eat and celebrate together, that we get a taste of what it means for us to be invited to His table.
Did you know that Doulos Hope means ‘servant of hope’? As the ship sails from shore to shore, serving and connecting cultures and people, our crew seek to share knowledge, help and above all, the Hope that we have, in the invitation to come to His table.
You can be a part of enabling our crew to extend this offer of Hope to those they meet in port too! Support OM's Ship Ministry today and help more taste and see the goodness of God's invitation to come to His table.
Thank you for your support!
P.S. You can find out more about our ships’ work here: om.org/eng/ships/the-ships