Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.

For our second Emirate port, Abu Dhabi is known as being more low-key than Dubai; although the tour through the opulent Grand Mosque was certainly anything but low-key, and not to mention an entire theme park dedicated to Ferrari (I was sure not to miss it), appropriately named Ferrari World. Other than that, this city seemed more conservative by holding strong to the Arabic culture. The people were as kind and hospitable as ever, and like Dubai, a major chunk of the population is from other countries.
Because of our short stay of less than two weeks, I only visited one church, which happened to be the first Anglican church I've ever been to in my life. My role was to explain what life is like aboard the Logos and speak about our focus as a ministry vessel including some detailed stories of our past ports in places like Sierra Leone, and how the people in Abu Dhabi can get involved. The couple that I'm standing next to in the second to last picture were members of the church, originally from England and Spain, who took me and three other guys out to the Crowne Plaza for lunch where I was able to enjoy amazing Chinese food for the first time in a long, long while! Another highlight was taking an educational trip to Heritage Park where I learned about the ancient civilization that formerly settled there, birth of the unique Abu Dhabi culture, and after enough peer pressure from an American with a camcorder, swung from a tree...now onto Qatar.

Two weeks in Dubai, U.A.E.

As our eighth stop in the Arab world, Dubai can be easily titled the city with the largest collection of cultures from around the world. Working on the visitor deck, I quickly learned just how friendly the locals are and had the pleasure of meeting many people from many places; even as close to home as Pennsylvania and Arizona. One of the local volunteers introduced me to her husband Craig, who was especially hospitable and offered to take me out on numerous occasions to key spots around the city. I joined him for church on Friday, which was in a hotel inside of a mall. The pastor was from Texas and the church (part of the 9marks org.) was planted by Capitol Hill Baptist in D.C. with a strong affiliation to D.A. Carson and Piper. Needless to say, the most solid preaching I've heard since joining the Logos Hope; it was like a breeze of fresh Reformed Living air!

The time flew by and it is hard to believe that two weeks can pass so quickly. A major highlight was being picked up by a guy from the U.S. and joining him to minister to some guys from Pakistan inside a building where 10,000 men live together whose day job is construction on any one of the countless skyscrapers in Dubai. This may seem like a lot of people in one place, but it is dwarfed in comparison by the desert camps 30min outside the city that house hundreds of thousands of workers in military-styled barracks; mostly from India, Philippines, and Bangladesh. The majority of the men left their own families to move here for work, but still financially support them by mailing their income back home. This situation creates (among other things) people who are very open and eager to not only start conversations with, but more importantly, hear the gospel for perhaps the first time. Knowing that their stay is only temporary, what people share with them now can be taken back to wherever they call home and spread even more.

Apart from the amazing opportunities to connect with people and build relationships, Dubai also boasts a mighty collection of the world's largest, tallest, biggest, and fastest...stuff. It felt surreal when one night I was watching the most spectacular water fountain and light show outside of the biggest mall, beside the tallest building (2,400+ft) with some local friends from 8 different countries. Dubai felt like a central meeting point of everything and everyone from everywhere.

Muscat, Oman: Arrival and First Day Out Exploring

Usually while sailing into a port, something new will catch my eye as being interesting. Or perhaps unexpected. But this rarely happens when we sail into a new port without leaving the country. Take Oman for this perfect example. The port in Salalah was strictly industrial, mostly flat terrain, and without any sign of civilization for many kilometers. As we approached Muscat, the first couple of things immediately noticeable would be the many intimidating peaks with multiple ancient towers and forts securing a white-painted city with a mixture of old and new architecture (that white spaceship-looking thing in the second picture is actually a massive incense burner!) creating a picturesque place, making it hard to believe I was still in the same country. The people here are just as incredibly friendly and hospitable as before, with a lot of them being from other countries like India and Sri Lanka. Even though we are scheduled to be here for only 5 days, I had the opportunity to go out Saturday morning before work with a couple of friends. The main sidewalk is very beautiful as it overlooks the harbor, very near to countless stores, restaurants, and coffee shops. I found out quickly that if you leave the main road, it is easy to loose your way as the city turns into a labyrinth of narrow paths and side streets, which is actually fun if you are in no hurry to go anywhere. Heading back in the afternoon, we decided to stop in the market place (I'll never forget the smell of frankincense) to learn more about the culture. One guy who seemed to only speak Arabic thought it would be in his best interest to show me how to wrap a turban, and put on a white robe, an outer robe and walking stick. Feeling a bit confused on what to do next because I knew there wasn't a chance I would purchase any of this (I imagined trying to get through airport security), the opportunity was taken for a few memorable pictures. I never know what I'm getting myself into after stepping off the ship.

Kids Alive: Beirut, Lebanon

It is always an amazing privilege and wonderful opportunity to visit children from all over the world in one central location; almost like a miniature, land-based Logos Hope. In Beirut I visited Kids Alive, which is an orphanage for about 70 boys, as well as a school for at risk boys and girls. My trip began when one of the friendly staff members (like the Logos Hope, all teachers and staff are volunteers) met me on the quayside in the port area. During our ride up the mountains, I learned that he was from Minnesota and has been serving with Kids Alive for a few years already. He heard about it through his father who actually grew up in one of their locations. He also informed me that the orphanage is for boys from Sri Lanka, Africa, Lebanon and everywhere between, and the school is for the boys as well as local kids whose families own next to nothing.
After arriving, I was impressed with not only the view of the city from being up so high, but also the well-kept grounds of the property. My team and I put on a program and spoke about our lives on the ship, why we joined for such a long time and the purpose of sailing from country to country. One ship person had a clever idea to bring a Logos Hope soccer ball, which when he asked during the end of the program if they wanted to play, caused a mad rush of a stampede out the doors to the adjacent playground where a larger-than-normal game quickly began. Not only did the children behave especially well inside (very quiet and always raising their hands for questions is rare for me to witness), but also interacted surprisingly nice with each other while playing a sport. People can learn a lot from children...learn not to judge others by ethnicity or disability. Learn to coexist peacefully. Which is why I'm thrilled to see organizations like Kids Alive thrive throughout the world.

Port Said, Egypt

For the second country visit in the Arab World, the Logos Hope is docked in downtown Port Said (sigh-eed) for two weeks before journeying onto Beirut, Lebanon. During our stay, we've had the help of many local volunteers for tasks such as: translating, welcome desk, crowd control, and promoting different ship events, which were all sold out rapidly. Our main attraction, "International Night", features an array of cultural costumes, dances, music and entertainment in the Hope Theatre and is a crowd favorite. Last Friday we were only open the second half of the day and still experienced over nine thousand visitors, which explains the need for crowd control. The next day, we were even more blessed with twelve and half thousand people, making it a record day for the Logs Hope. Ever since I left the engine dept. to pursue the new role as Hope Experience shift leader, I've had the opportunity to meet countless locals and learn that Egyptians are more friendly than I'd ever imagine. Their desire to know more about America and share thoughts on their own culture can be enjoyable, yet overwhelming at times. Working on the visitor deck is as far opposite as you can get from working in the engine room (and more challenging in a lot of ways), but I have absolutely no regrets on this decision, and look forward to even greater challenges in the upcoming ports.
Despite the busy, busy days on board, crew members also share wonderful stories off the ship from being involved in children programs (pictured) to handing out information flyers to people throughout Port Said. The next blog post will be from a wonderful trip to Cairo which made my time in Egypt feel complete. Ma'Salema for now!

Leptis Magna, Libya

While at all three ports in Libya, a local charity hosted the ship's community to many special outings. The first one I signed up for was the Roman ruins known as Leptis Magna (or Lepcis Magna). The city is believed to be founded by Phoenicians and restored around 1st and 2nd century. The intricate road system and beautiful structures are some of best preserved Roman ruins in the world. Don't be fooled by the pictures, this place is a small city! It was surprising to me that every inch was open (for walking or climbing) to tourists...there wasn't a single "no trespassing" sign to be seen.
Visit http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepcis_Magna for more details!
After we left the ruins, our host treated us to a special lunch which included camel as the main dish and no, it doesn't taste like chicken...or anything else I've ever had.

Bible Baptist Church in Gżira, Malta

Sunday was my last Church visit while in Malta (and Europe for that matter). A group from Sweden visited the ship for a few days, and came along to do some singing. Other friends from Russia, Taiwan, and Australia also came which made quite an interesting array of represented countries. Since other groups from the ship already visited this church in past weeks (being largely Catholic, there are very few evangelical churches in Malta) , we decided to mix things up a bit and start off with a flag game. The idea is to have the audience realize we are holding the wrong one, and they have to match each person to their country after hearing small clues. This really helps people have a grasp on how multicultural it is on board. And you guessed it, the thick Russian, Asian, Aussie, and American accents gave it away too easily (it works better on children). After that, the team from Sweden sang (in Swedish) and I concluded with a Logos Hope quiz, handing out books as prizes. We say farewell to Malta on Tuesday morning after three wonderful weeks.