Dear friends and co-workers,

I write this from Logos Hope at the exact hour when one year ago the ship sailed into ministry from Koege, Denmark. It was at fifteen hundred hours European Standard time on Thursday the nineteenth of February 2009.

We have just had a time together where a number of those still on board have recounted some of their experiences through the project phases up to the sailing. The clear message was God’s faithfulness in protection and provision of all that was needed to do the work. Now it is also possible to see the funny side of what were then very difficult and challenging circumstances.

Gareth Kirk remembered the tears as he sat in one of the life boats with two pages of notes of what would take four years and ten months to repair and replace. Andy West recounted the challenges of cooking fries in a pot of oil on a charcoal fire on the deck. Capt Dirk Colenbrander relived the “adventure” of the first storm they sailed through to discover among other things, that many of the beds were not even attached to the bulkheads…!

In this first year we have seen more than five hundred thousand people coming on board in the 23 ports and 18 countries. In Montego Bay alone, the previous port, we have seen some fourteen thousand school children attend a Gospel presentation in the ‘Hope Theatre’. We rejoice in the more than one million books sold during the year, of which four hundred thousand were Christian books and Bibles.

Gian Walser, Director of logos Hope, who was involved in the project from its early days says: “We remember that one year ago it was through God’s hand that we were able to sail, we are thankful for the Logos Hope and we praise him for this first year of ministry. We have seen his faithfulness in the past and we trust God that he will lead us through the challenges and opportunities ahead of us.”

Thank you for your prayers and ongoing partnership with us. We rejoice in God’s faithfulness and anticipate ongoing fruitfulness in the future.

Peter Nicoll

CEO, OM Ships