Is it July Already?

What has happened in a month…Let’s see…We traveled to Bethesda MD for the EPC General Assembly. we were commissioned as EPC World Outreach Missionaries (that was exciting!), I helped out with our churches Faith Fellowship Week (VBS) in the drama before each night started, we spent this past week at East Florence Mission doing an outreach to about 50 kids in their summer program.  I shared with students inside while Matt (the guy who took over my position at Trinity) led the games outside. We had about 15 students from our youth group help the whole week. We have also been trying to continue to raise support before August (if you would like to give, or if you would like for me to come and share with you church, Sunday School, small group or youth group, please email me!).  All and all it is pretty busy around here. not so busy that I can’t get some road time on a motorcycle.  Dad, the Fellowship Riders and myself, rode on a VFW run this past weekend and we are scheduled to do another ride this Saturday. I love to ride!!! Laney and Janay started dance camp this week. They go from 9am until 5pm. A long day, but they love it so far.  Oh yeah…I connected with a friend that I have not spoken with in 14 years.  It is awesome to see how God moves in peoples lives and brings you back together for seasons in one another’s lives.  You never know what God is going to do in and through you…so be alert and never miss an opportunity to show grace, truth and love.

Father’s Day

It is amazing how God can turn things around if you allow Him to do the work.  Celebrating Father’s Day is a wonerful experience for me these days.  Waking up this past Sunday morning was awesome. My girls were so excited about getting me out of bed to see what they had done.  First, the come in and layed in bed with me and I had some great hugs and kisses.  After that they ran downstairs and fixed me breakfast.  Laney had made me an egg and Janay had fixed coffee.  Sophia, only being three, made sure that Laney and Janay did things the right way.  When I finally made it downstairs they were pleased with their accomplishment.  The food was great and our morning was very pleasent. After church we took my dad out to eat.  Being able to enjoy a morning with my own girls and then sitting around a table with my own father was such a blessing.  I am glad the Lord has done such a great thing in our family.  I can remember years of not wanting anything to do with my father, but I am thankful that God has healed my heart and brought my dad and I to the place where we are today.  Are you able to enjoy simple moments with your dad?  I know now how rewarding it can be just to have them around.  Thanks dad for all you do. May God give me the grace and strength to always love my daughters the way He does.

Golf anyone???

Thank you Scott for inviting me to go golfing this past weekend.  I am not a great golfer, nor would I say that I am a goof golfer, but I love to go out and chase the little white ball around.  I figure if I find more balls than I loose…it has been a great day.  I have never felt this much discomfort in my whole body, EVER! Those guys that he plays with are hardcore.  We played 6 rounds of golf in 4 days.  Let’s just say that my game did not improve that much, but the courses will never be the same. 

June already

I cannot believe that it is June.  We are still in the process of raising support to begin in full time missions with OM Ships.  I would say that the only new news is that we are moving forward with a cooperative agreement between OM Ships and World Outreach (EPC Missions arm).  We love the EPC church and would love to continue to minister with them.  check out the EPC website www.epc.org.

More news

Well here is our newest family photo.  O.K. here goes a little attempt of sharing some news about ship life.  We were on board for 6 weeks…not long enough…and it was life changing!  Upon our arrival, we had to get settled into our new home.  The cabin was small considering we are a family of 5.  We also had to share a bathroom. I am thankful that in our home here in Florence we have 2 bathroom’s.  We also had no air condition.  We used two fans to cool the rooms.  Margaret had to homeschool Laney and Janay which was a little bit of a challenge, but it worked out alright.  Margaret was able to take the girls to the ship’s library.  The library is used by ship’s company only, so they were able to have a quite place to do their work.  Sophia was able to be on the Fun Deck form 9am -noon.  She loved it!!!  It was not until the second week that we jumped into the life of the Doulos.  I worked in the Book Shop the second week of our stay in Port Moresby, PNG.  The place was packed with people.  Everyday we had more visitors than the day before.  Here is just a peek…

It was amazing to see how many people they could cram onto the aft section (back of the ship).  While I was standing between two book cases, a young man in his early 20’s approached me and began to share his heart.  He thanked mefor coming to his country.  With tears welling up in his eyes, he began to share his desire to serve the Lord like us. After his father left his mom while he was very young, he was taken in by his Aunt and Uncle.  He lived with them and was getting his education.  He also was a believer and felt God’s call on his life to be a missionary.  The ship being close to his home was an encouragement to him.  I was able to give the young man a tour and pray for him.  As I began to show him pictures of the ship and the different aspects of the ministry, I found myself being overwelmed that God has chosen us to serve with this wonderful ministry.  This young man was another way of God showing us that this is exactly what we are supposed to be doing.   

Back in the States

Well, we all made it back in one piece with all our luggage.  It is still a little difficult to unpack all the things we saw and experienced. I am sure after a week of catching up with friends and family, my communication will consist of more than, “amazing…life changing…there was a lot of ministry happening… we met some awesome people.” Right now that is all I have…sorry

We found Janay

 

The title seems a little discouraging…while on board the ship, we have allowed the girls a little freedom.  If they leave the cabin and end up at a friends or somewhere else, they have to call us and let us know where they are.  Today I got a phone call from Janay, “Dad, I am working.”  “Where are you?”, I asked.  “I am in HOLD 2.  I am working. Talk to you later.”  Interesting enough, I got the camera and went to HOLD 2.  Sure enough, there she was with a pricing gun and putting tags on books.  Janay will not be bored.  I love her ability to just go after things, and have no fear. Laney was with me and she joined in for a moment, but that’s only because Janay was doing something Laney had not done yet.  After a couple more slaps of the gun on the front of the book, she was finished and we went back to the cabin to get ready for dinner.  I wonder where Janay will be tomorrow? 

computers

If you are reading this, then you have a computer.  Well, my computer went kaput on the ship.  I will be using one of the Doulos’ computers until mine is fixed (hopefully before we return to the states).  So, my updates will be mostly text and no pictures…sorry.  Anyway, we had a great afternoon today.  I took the family and 9 young people from the ship to a nearby cove for some teaching time and then swimming.  It was awesome. Typical tropics weather…we had an afternoon shower that lasted about 10 minutes and then it cleared up again and was simply amazing.  Everyone had a great time. The girls are excited that there is a swimming area about a 7 minute walk away from the ship.  Praise the Lord for answered prayer. Blessings to you all and keep praying for the ministry in Vanuatu and our family.  

Life onboard the Doulos

 

Well, the Sinsel’s have been on board for almost two weeks.  This journey is amazing so far.  Our cabin is in the belly of the ship.  We have a porthole in our room that is right above sea level.  I can’t wait until we sail so we can watch the water out our window.  I know some of you are wondering about the food…We  are currently waiting on a container of food, so we have been eating a lot of cereal, grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna fish, salad and rice noodles. It has been a little difficult for the girls, but they are doing great.  We eat cafeteria style (Margaret’s favorite thing to do…haha), and sit with the ship’s company.  The girls are being home schooled by Margaret.  They have found that going to the library helps them get out of the cabin and has some space to do their work.  Sophia is able to go to the Fun Deck and play with Kids her age while Laney and Janay are in school.  You can be praying for little Sophia because she has had an upset tummy for about 3 days now.  We need God to heal her so she will be back to sweet, adorable self.  Margaret was able to go to a church and minister to a group of local women.  They blessed the Doulos ladies with gifts.  Margaret was given a traditional skirt that is hand made and takes a long time to make.  I will post a picture of that later. The people in PNG are amazing. They are so generous with the little they have. 

I have been working in the Book Ex.  We open about 9:30am and close the Book Ex at 7pm.  They have averaged about 6,ooo people a day.  That does not include special school groups and church groups.  It can get really crowded on the ship during open hours.  I also am having opportunities to do some teaching and preaching.  I have net some great locals and have been encouraged by their stories.  It is also amazing to see a bunch of 20 somethings running a large sea going vessel.  From Galley, to programing, to outreach, to engineers, electricians, deck crew, welders, customer service to the Captain….everyone is focused on one thing…advancing the Kingdom of God.  I know I will never be able to comprehend the full extent of the tasks on board, but I do know the impact that it is making in the lives of those who serve and the people that we touch. 

We were invited by a local church to come out for some food and activities.  This is a special treat because not in every port do the churches plan something for the ship’s company.  We loaded up in trucks and set out for the mountains of Port Moresby. It was a long ride, but oh was it worth it.  The mountains are beautiful and the waterfall was breathtaking.  We arrive after changing from a paved, one lane road to a dirt road that took us into a picnic area.  We unloaded and were able to swim for a bit.  After a long, hot ride, the water was cool and refreshing. After about an hour or so we loaded up and went to the church for fellowship and a meal.  When we arrived, we played some games together and then they called us together to welcome the crew.  They sang the whole time we stood in line for food and even while we were eating.  They did not eat until all of us had finished.  It was amazing to be in the presence of such a generous, loving people.  I will never forget that day. 

Stay tuned for more updates of Life onboard the Doulos! Blessings

The Doulos in PNG

 

Well, we have arrived! After a year of praying,  planning, paperwork and 30 hours of flight time…we are here in Port Moresby, PNG.  The island is beautiful from the sky, and we cannot wait to have a day of exploring to see more of this beautiful place.  The people are beautiful and have such wonderful smiles.  The ship life is exciting.  Since we have been here there has been a constant flow of people coming aboard and the ministry teams are buzzing around with welcoming hands and powerful life stories about how God has changed them and how they desire for others to receive the same love.  our cabin does not have any air condition, so we are using fans to keep the rooms cool.  The girls love ship life. They think that it is really cool how there are people from all over the world on the same ship.  Margaret is homeschooling, so it is a little difficult to make friends.  We have only been on the ship 72 hours, so there is plenty of time to make friends.  Keep praying for us and we will keep everyone posted.