Logos Hope crew reaches out to children in Bel Ombre |19 August 2023
• Crew members collaborate with SAF for activities
When a ship calls to port in a small island state, it is an attraction for the population anticipating its arrival, more so when that ship is the most extensive floating library.
That was the case on Friday last week when Logos Hope docked into Victoria harbour with over 5,000 book titles on board and over 300 volunteers from more than 40 countries.
Sarai Marquez and Arione Miguel are two crew members who turned up at the Bel Ombre community centre on Wednesday, where the Survival Ark Foundation (SAF) hosts its holiday club for children aged four to 12 years old. It was part of their journey to conduct outreach activities in the community. They spent the morning directing several activities with the older children, including sharing words from the gospel related to forgiveness and engaging them in some physical outdoor activities.
“It was great to share the words of God with the children, they are the next generation, and we need to take care of them. We must show them how we love them and share that love with them every day. Moreover, we were in the sunshine, and I could say praise the Lord out loud without fear of being sanctioned; that felt so good,” admitted 18-year-old Sarai from Spain, after recently experiencing restrictions in certain countries.
Living a spiritual life is essential for the Logos Hope crew members. Upon their arrival in Seychelles, they linked up with religious groups and other non-governmental organisations such as SAF whose members are great believers, to conduct activities with their groups, as it is part of their mandate.
“Working with the kids this morning was a special moment for us; coming from the ship, we needed to make an impact, and it was easy to do so with those kids. They were engaged during the presentations while we shared biblical messages and asked questions that demonstrated their curiosity. As for the physical activities, they dived right into it; they participated actively. I hope they remember me and the messages we shared; for me, it was a special moment,” said 23-year-old Arione from Curaçao Island in the Caribbean.
SAF vice-chairperson, and programme manager Vivianne Julie said their group welcomes such initiatives, as they are always open to partnering with other organisations.
“Any organisation wishing to do so, they are most welcome, as it has been a pleasure to have the presence of the two crew members of Logos Hope who came to share their experience with the children. We wish them all the best as they continue their journey,” said Ms Julie.
Sarai works in hotel services on the ship. However, she will soon change to take up administrative jobs, whereas Arione started in the galley as a cook, then moved on to the deck department and later on to engineering. He is now the worship coordinator of the band on board Logos Hope.
Though young, both are full of talents, enough to teach communities worldwide. They left Seychelles on board Logos Hope on Thursday evening bound for their next port of call, Mombasa, Kenya.
Contributed by Lina Laurence
