Joshua was expecting to join Logos Hope but ended up on Doulos Hope – a change of plans he had not foreseen, but from which he has learnt a lot.
He first heard about God at an early age through his family in Southeast Asia, but last year at 17 years old, the end of a relationship led him to seek Him in a personal way, as he learnt more about God’s perfect love.
Coming to the end of his schooling and looking for his next step, a friend of his mother then shared about the opportunity to join the ships. At first Joshua rejected the idea, but eventually he was convinced to join and applied to become a crewmember on board Logos Hope in South Africa. He had chosen Logos Hope because of her bigger size and had wanted to learn a lot of things there. But God had another plan for him.
With no South African embassy in his country, Joshua travelled to a neighbouring country to apply for his visa. Unable to provide all the documents required, Joshua returned home empty-handed. He was sad and stressed, but realised there was little he could do, so decided to keep praying and trusting God.
After two weeks of waiting, Joshua's mother asked him to consider joining Doulos Hope, which was moored in the Philippines – a closer and a more familiar region to them.
And today, Joshua is serving on board Doulos Hope in the hotel services department!
As well as adapting to unfamiliar tasks, he has learnt many faith lessons along the way, including being more open and trusting God to intervene in seemingly impossible situations. His word of encouragement for those going through unexpected situations:
"Leave it to Jesus and keep praying. Sometimes things turn out better than you expected. Be more grateful, trust God and just do your best."
God is at work answering prayers in the unforeseen and in unexpected ways.
Your financial gift to support the Ship Ministry this Easter can help more people like Joshua to grow in their faith and gifting, as they step out to serve on board and discover more about God and His plan for them. Thank you for your support!