The Logo of the Nations

Isaac Chan

On 4 September, the Logos Hope docked at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal. The boat will be staying until the 27^th, when it will depart for the next city on its world tour.

The Logos Hope is owned by a German-based Christian organization and boasts the world’s largest floating book fair. They are a Christian organization with various outreach programs—the largest one being their book fair.

It was built in the early 70’s, but was only used as a ferrying ship between the Faroe Islands, during which it was called the Gustav Vasa. Then in 2009, the ship was bought by the aforementioned German-based Christian organization and renamed the Logos Hope.

All of the crew onboard the Logos Hope are volunteers and tend to volunteer for a period of two years. The crew is qualified to sail, so no need to worry if you ever decide to travel with them. Should you choose to join them, you need to be at least 18 years of age and be capable of funding yourself over the duration of the trip. All of the work, after all, is volunteer work. All profits made onboard the ship goes toward funding their other outreach programs.

According to their website, the goal of the Logos Hope is “to bring knowledge, help, and hope to the nations.” They bring knowledge with their extensive collection of books, which exceeds 5,000 titles. These books are not necessarily sold, rather, they may be donated to help build knowledge. They bring help by simply being in a position to… well, help. Whether it be by donating supplies, building a shelter, or playing with the children, they do it all with the intent of showing God’s love to mankind. They bring hope by sharing their testimonies with those who haven’t heard of hope. For them, hope is the driving force behind their choice to leave their families and come onboard this ship.

Recently, Dalat had four members of the Logos come and share a little about themselves and their lives on the ship. The representatives showed their diversity as a crew and their faith as individuals. The visitors came from different corners of the world: Switzerland, Ecuador, Malaysia, and Thailand. But it was faith that convicted all of them to leave their homes and go and be God’s witnesses to the nations.

Our visitors were warmly welcomed by the Dalat community. Dael Kim (8) says, “it’s cool, I kind of want to try living on that kind of ship.”

Others felt awe at their dedication to this form of ministry. “I was intrigued by the inner workings of a ship and how everyone has a role in the crew to keep the ship up and running,” commented Rahul Gill (10).

More still felt a personal connection to the crew. Miss Emily Peace’s mother lived on one of these ships. “I feel like all the people on these ships are really committed to what they do… They really have a strong heart for ministry,” she remarked.

The Logos Hope has certainly lived up to its name and reinvigorated a spark of hope in our own community. Thank you, Logos Hope. We wish you the best in your next endeavors!