Qwerty and other amazing things...

'Man with no legs bums around" Confucius says.

So... I don't know what to write, only I know that i should update this.

The last thing I wrote was to say that I plan on remaining on my floating home till "the official end" but that could be as long as getting it to a location and then leaving or... sticking around to remove stuff off of the ship. Meh. I've not really decided that much yet. I just want to get off before they remove the floor from beneath me :).

Today is Tuesday. Like many Tuesdays, nothing much is going on around here. We're open to the public, so there are many people in the book shop, and due to an odd communication between the Engine and Deck people, an outting that was planned by one but not communicated has given our Deck department the afternoon off. Joy. BUT... I am on Duty, so my joy stays within the ships boundaries. It does include the quayside right next to the ship, but I have to be able to report to any situation that arises. Joy. Really.

One of the officers and I [because we are stuck onboard] were about to watch a movie but he didn't realise he had a meeting so... here i am waiting. Its a bit of a miserable day though, for Singapore. In Singapore, even if it rains, its still warm. Its crazy. I think the only way you can get cold around here is if you have a 'cold' shower and then lie on your bed with a fan on and no blanket. That's it. Otherwise, you usually have a trail of sweat running somewhere. Yay.

Its strange around here. Its the week of Christmas and I don't feel that we can even be there yet. There is no commercialism slapping us in the face for not buying at the latest sale [which is no sale]... or anything. We have some Christmas decorations around the ship, sure. We're right next to a mall with enough reminders about the commercialized Christmas, but it isn't a disease like it usually is back home. Its great! It means I can think of Christmas for the REAL reason... that Jesus is the reason for the Season! And not because I bought everyone a present onboard. My gosh, if I did that, that would cost so much!

Also, there are many people leaving on the 27th. Many of my good, close friends are going home. So, that takes a little of the joy out of the Christmas week. The ship's community is shrinking in size, and that's not a bad thing, but it does make one sad when you realise that many of these friends were friends because we were doing something, together, and that from here on, many of them I will never see again. BUT... we will meet again... one day.. in a heavenly place...

So - these days are numbered for some and unknown for many. I'm trying to make the most of the time that I have left with people, but when so many people are leaving, you have to prioritise so that you spend quality time making memories with the closest people you have. Oh my...

BUT - let me not end on a sadder note! These are the days of Elijah, preparing the way of the Lord!!! These are really exciting days and its such a great time to be alive! I am young [yes, still!!!] and I have many things that will happen in my life and many of them I am yet to do and will have to be patient to wait on the right timing of the Lord. But even then, of the things I've done already... these will be great stories to tell my grandchildren if I'm not senile already, haha!

So - have yourself a very merry Christmas... and I will pray that your life is touched by all the many great things you ahve seen and experienced this year.

Blessings to you and your family,

Carola.

What's the story...

Well... just to quickly let you know where my brain is at... i have prayed alot about what I should do in the light of the current situation, where I should go, where I feel called to... etc... and honestly, I feel no calling anywhere else but here. To you this might sound whack, thinking "The ship is ending... why stay???"

Well, the ship still needs people. I committed to 2 years onboard the Doulos, and as I feel no pull to any country or ministry... I feel peace to stay, so I would like to stay. I believe my supporters will support me in this, too. They rock my socks off. And, the ship cannot go on for much longer past the 'due date' anyway... its just to get the girl to the last stop on her journey - be it a new owner or the scrap yards.

So, that is where my heads at...

[loving life and every possible moment within it...]

I Choo-choo-choose...

So - when i last updated, unexpected events arised, and I've not attempted to update until now.

If people weren't aware, I live on a ship that is 95 years old. That's a pretty old ship. She's even in the Guiness Book of World Records for being the oldest floating passenger liner still in use. That is a pretty big achievement, especially as most ships these days don't make it past 30 years or more. And, if you looked at our ship - you might not think she is very old judging solely on appearance, and think that the other ships which look rusty and really... crap... must be older. Well, its not true. We take good care of our 'home', while others just allow their ship to rust out. Sad really.

So - this old girl who we have been doing the BIG maintenance on, well, she was heading for retirement but it seems that retirement has arrived earlier than expected. Most of us saw September 2010 being the end of our dear ships life, but due to many reasons and many things that we cannot control, she will retire on the 31st of December... this year.

For some - this has rocked their world - and they aren't even on the ship. Those of us onboard seem to be more chilled and at peace with everything more than people who were, say, preparing to visit, or join, or used to be onboard, or who just know someone who is currently serving onboard. Whatever reason, some people are simply struggling with the concept that this ship has past her prime. But, for me, these are the days we are living for. The days that we don't understand what is going on, the days that the only place to turn to is to God. He has EVERYTHING under control, way before this happened. And now, we are being a missionary bomb; from one place we are displaced to many corners of the world, for training, ministry, work, or the next step in our journey. These are exciting times. And i'm SO glad that I'm apart of it all.

Is this easy? Heck no. I had my meeting with our Personnel people to discuss what we are thinking and the possibilities of the next steps. I'm very happy to stay till the end. And, so are they. And then after that, who knows but God. Will the end be on the 31st of December, or the end of January... February... June??? Hopefully soon we will know what the future looks like more clearly.

All I know is, there is NO place I would rather be right at this time.

I didn't know where I might've been anytime in the next year when the ship was still functioning, and now I still don't know where I'll be, but I can tell you that wherever I will be is where I am meant to be.

So - sorry this is a few weeks later than I had expected. There has been alot of thinking times, of talking with others about their ideas of the future and where they think they will be going. Everyone will be in a different place in a different role in a new opportunity. So please keep us in your prayers.

And... I will let you know more when I can.

GB