Tobago

We have arrived in Scarborough, Tobago. Time flies so fast, it's crazy. This is our second last port with the Logos Hope, next port we will be leaving. Although we still don't have our tickets we plan to leave the 24th, fly to the states, visit my realitives in Huntsville, Alabama for 3 days and fly out of Atlanta the 28thto arrive in Singapore the 29th around noon time. Then hopefully someone from the Doulos will pick us up and drive us down to Malaysia where we'll totally exhausted will fall in our (hopefully bed-bug-free) beds. Ben will start working the very next day... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH sometimes live happens a bit to fast for me, somehow my brain can't really keep up with thinking!!! The good thing is that Ben and I both feel and know that it is the right next step to take to join the Doulos. What a new adventure... on an old ship..... that's where it all started, ahhh, sigh.... :o)))))

AUTSCH!!!

When I was little I loved play-fighting with my dad. And I can clearly remember one of my mum's memorable sentences: "Stop fighting, or someone will cry!!" I always presumes that she meant me, when she said someone would cry, but today I discovered, that she actually might have meant my dad.

Well, today I was peacefully sitting in our only easy chair in our cabin and had Ned on my lap. We were playing around a bit and at one point he was standing on my lap and I was holding his legs. All of a sudden he "folded" over and banged his head into my nose. He didn't mind at all, I was in tears and was happy that the fridge was next to me, so that I could get the cool pack immediately!!!

Then, after dinner we were still chatting around the table and he was playing with a 10cm big wooden toy bee. All of a sudden that said bee came flying my way and hit me with full force, yes you guessed it right, on my nose (again)!!! So, here I'm sitting, trying to type and cool my nose the same time, and coming to the conclusion that my mother all those years back wasn't so much worried about me, but about my father and that all those things you are suppose to have in your first aid cupboard aren't for the children but for the abused parents.

bizzzzzzarrrre!!!!

Well, which pictures comes to your mind when you hear the word CARIBBEAN???? Beaches?? Beautiful blue water??? Warm (or better hot!!) climate??? Reggae music??? At least those are some of the stereotype things which pop up in my mind (and they're actually quite true) but today I had this little bizarre thing happening which destroyed that stereotype picture. Well, in absence of a playground to walk to we went to a beach in the morning (it isn't toooooo hot in the morning). We took one of those thousands of little van-buses-things to get there and had a great 2h at the beach (Ned dug through the sand like a little wombat, not that I've actually ever seen a wombat digging through anything) and then we took one of those van-bus-public-transport-thing back to town. And there it happened: We had this wonderful Caribbean scenery (blue sky, palm trees and everything) and were sitting in this van with a picture of Jesus spray-painted on the ceiling and the driver was listening NOT to Reggae music, but American COUNTRY music!!!YAY!!!! It just did NOT fit together :o)))) But ou well, it made me laugh and made my day :o))

Well, I'm off to work as Ned is peacefully sleeping now

eye poker

Well, today was a special day. Today I was able to finish my diving course, YAY!!!!! I had 3 dives in total, while leaving Ned with the babysitter in the morning. The plan was, that Ben would take Ned back at noon, have lunch, stick him in bed and then after a nap another babysitter would cover until I was back from finishing my course.My diving was really great fun. It took my breath away (thankfully not literaturelly, that would be bad under water)!!!!!! My highlight was diving to a wreck which was down at only 12m. Words can't describe the wonderful world under water. WOW!!! And just to think, that God created all of this, and for thousands of years no one could enjoy it, except God alone, amazing!

Anyway, after arriving back on the Logos Hope (pretty exhausted but very happy..... I still have that odd feeling as if I was still in the water) I expected to see Ned and babysitter #2 in our cabin. I was rather a bit surprised when I found Ned and Ben instead, because Ben was

supposed to be busy picking someone up from the air port. My surprise grew when I noticed the biiiig white patch over Ben's left eye. To be honest, before I felt compassion for my poor, suffreing husband, I had to laugh, as he looked really misserable and rather a wee bit pathetic (sorry Ben).

The innocent looking offender of the crime played peacefully at the victims feet, before storming over to me and not wanting to let me go again for quite some time (mother's heart melting away, off course!!!!) What happened??? At lunch time Ned was "conducting" an invisible orcetra when Ben happened to get his head in the way and Ned's finger nail cut out a piece of Ben's cornea, so he had to go to the clinic and

have it patched up. Poor husband. Hopefully good rest, pain killers and an early night will help heal it.

P.S. Although I wrote the reason for the eye patch ON the eye patch still many people would not believe it and ask:"Is is true????"

P.P.S. He did get TLC after all, so not to worry :o))))

cruise liner

well, for the first time here in the Caribbean, we have a cruise liner parked (I should better say moored, because that the right word) next to us. And I'm shocked!!!!! I really don't want to be associated with a cruise liner and the guests aboard a cruise liner. I watched them invade Grenada. Sorry if i generalize a bit, I'm sure that there are many really nice people who are going on a cruise. Many of the men display their big (fat) beer bellies without bothering wearing a shirt and many of the ladies wear bikinis and maybe some short over them or a bikini and just atiny, little blouse. I mean hello... do you run around like that at home????? Somehow, behaviour like that doesn't show any respect to the cultures you're visiting with a cruise liner. I also saw behaviour like that from tourists in other places, and I am ashamed that many of those people are Germans. That's the picture many people in the Caribbean or other tourist places around the world have of Germans. Great!! I do like to see the nature and culture of the different places we have the privilege to visit with the Logos Hope, but I also want to respect them and not only "abuse" them for their nice beaches or other nice things... after all, we are ambassadors of Christ first of all!!!! That's WHY we are here and do what we are doing.... do I make any sense??? I'm not so sure if I was able to capture my feelings in words.... but it just upsets me. I guess that's one of the reasons why I strongly object if locals call us a cruise ship. Off course first of all we are NO cruise ship(but a GOSPEL and a book ship) but I also don't want to be associated with obnoxious tourist behaviour (maybe that word is a bit strong.... but well, I'm upset!!!) And i try my best to show love and respect to the people I meet (unfortunately I don't always succeed)

About monkey(s?), telefons and other interesting things

Well, our cabin really isn't big (it REALLY isn't... only if you consider 15 square meters plus 1.5m2 bathroom and 4m2 kid's room BIG, then our cabin would be big... anyway...). One would think it is small enough to keep ones eye on ones kid. I was proved wrong today!!!! Well, I sat at the computer and behind me Ned was busy playing. He threw a book here and houled a toy over there, threw his new book over the "Ned-stop" in the door... well, he was a busy as a 14 months old can be. I wasn't watching for maybe.... 1,5 minutes and suddenly I hear this metallic noise behind me. Well, sometimes it is very hard to be a disciplined parent and NOT laugh at the ingenious ideas offspring comes up with. Well, what need did was, he moved the almost only movable piece of furniture, an IKEA easy chair, to the sink, and quickly climbed on the easy chair, pulled himself up with one hand on the backrest , so that his feet were like 20 cm off the chair's seating part, and with the other hand he threw down the cutlery on the sink (happily I intervened before he reach the crockery!!!)Well, I decided it's time for bed (for him, not for me)... but despite being not very happy with him, I'm amazed how smart and ingenious he is :0)

Telephones!!!! Although I do admit that they are quite useful, nonetheless I don't really like them... much (as most of my friends, work colleges and family know). Unlike offspring!!! He is intrigued with telephones!!! EVERYTHING is a telephone in his eyes... the remote control in the TV room, the computer mouse in the office, mum's hair brush, even the string on his pull-along-toy-thing goes straight up to the ear (I'm hardly ever on the phone, so I don't even know how he knows what a phone is). Well, he knows the phone goes to the ear, but up until yesterday he didn't really know what to do with it besides putting it next to his ear. Every time some grandparents called and we passed the receiver on to him he was dead silent and fascinated by the phone itself. Well, last night he got hold of our phone and he was talking and laughing away.... but maybe best I show you a little video, that's easier than explaining.

Now we just need to try this with a person on the other end, if he's still as talkative as just conversing with a "PEEP".

Well, what else could be interesting... maybe my frustration with the English language???? Well... I tried to figure out the plural form for MONKEY. So I go to a rather useful web page called www.leo.org, I type in the German word for plural monkey: "Affen" and what does the silly thing show me??? It translated it to "simian". NEVER heard of that word.... what in the world is simian???? I just want to have the plural of monkey. So I try to guess what it could be..monkeies, monkeys, monkies... to be honest, I really thought they all looked wrong (that's why I started a search to begin with), but well, after a while it dawned on me that the plural might just be monkey... just like sheep... or donkey....!!! Did those people who decided to invent English do it with the purpose to frustrate us poor foreigners who try to learn the language??? I mean, how in the world am I to know if "monkey" means one monkey or 5000 monkey. One small little, humble, beautiful "S" at the end of the word would help immensely!!! And it doesn't hurt anyone, I'm sure of it!!! So my proposal is, that from now on it is sheepS, monkeyS and donkeyS

P.S. I'm utterly confused!!! I'm a smart girl now and then, so I just started a little spell check program. And this smart thing did NOT consider the words monkeys or donkeys for wrong... so does that mean my proposition for the change was really, really quickly dealt with or or did the leo.org translation machine just made a fool out of me and put me in utter confusion about monkeys and donkeys for nothing??? I don't get it... i should spend my time more useful than writing and thinking and contemplating about donkeys and monkeys and other similarly silly things... anyway... if there is a English speaker out there who could enlighten me I would be very thankful..... gotta go..... seeya... over and out

swin flu thoughts

somehow, I really can't stand the word swine flu anymore. Yes it IS a pandemic influenza, YES, but they come and they go and then a different one comes and goes again and yet another one.... we live in a fallen world. Here, in Grenada (we arrived today) they are a bit.... how to say... over careful . We all had to fill in little health update forms, we have little signs up on important places around the ship how to prevent spreading a flu and at the bottom of the gangway we have a disinfectant dispenser for ship's visitors to disinfect their hands before they walk up the gnagway. I still remember the panic about the bird flu a couple of years ago, and now it's all forgotten. I am sorry for those who lost loved ones, but I hate the panic making about it. A bit of balance would be nice........

Kid's ministry!!!

Today I had the chance to go  out and help in a vocational bible school!! To be honest, doing kid's ministry REALLY is NOT my "thing", but still I was glad I had the chance to go. The bible camp today was outside and it wasn't raining, which was good, but it was extremy hot and sunny, which wasn't so good for me personally, because I felt like melting away. 

When the program eventually started they began with worship and singing. It was rather interesing, that they (the church running the vocational bible school) had prizes for the kids who praised God the best. Someone told me, that they also threatend the kids with some kind of punishment for those who didn't praise God good enough (I hope that wasn't true, as I didn't really praise God good enough in the Caribbean styl, which is... rather outgoing, loud and expressive... and slightly off key) It's a weird thought to get awarded if you praise God good enough on the outside and punished if you don't. Isn't it about a heart's attitude????

I know I'm a pediatric nurse and yesssss, I AM a mum, but still I feel very awkward with foreign kids. Others do it rather natural, just hang out with them, love them, have fun with them..... it isn't natural for me. I was happy I had a "job". I made balloon animals :o)))) and the kids loved them. My "speciality" was a laybird or a little turtle which you can attach to your wrist..... and it made me happy to see them happy this way (although there were those lovely little comments like:"NOOOO!! I don't want a blue one. I want a RED one", "Can I have pink one???? I don't want a green one!!!")

And despised the weird praising God rewards/punishments and feeling awkward, melting hot and sticky sweaty, I had a really awesome time. I loved those smiles on those pretty little faces and the sparkles in their eyes...... but best of all I loved the smile and sparkle of Ned's little face when i came back to the ship. Being a mum really makes you all weird and a wee bit guey inside :o))))

...but we are not here for a holiday

Sometimes it's so easy to only think in terms of nice beaches, tropical fruits and beautifully clear water.  It is God's wonderful creation and if we have the chance we will go and enjoy it, but we are here for and with a purpose, which is to share the good news of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins with people. Most people here know the "Christian" things and know what Chrsitans ought to do or not do, but many of those do not live the knowledge (and to be honest, I also struggle in areas... who doesn't??). 

Most of my time abaord though I spend with Ned and trying to be a good mum, but there are opportunities to go out as well, and to b honest, sometimes those opportunity freak me out. For example next Saturday a couple of mums are helping out in a vocational  bible camp. WE'll be making balloon animals for around 200 kids. My ballooning skill unfortunaltey are VERY rusty, so we had a freshening up today which was great fun (but I'm always afraid those balloon-sausages pop on me while I create amazing wildlife like a giraffe or dog (depending how long the neck is it's either a giraffe or a dog). But all in all it's great fun doing and I'm looking forward to Saturday, although I'm not very much into children's ministries.... and talking baout kids, I guess I should stop waffling now and get my kid of the stools he just climbed and save him from any damage

Living aboard ship does something to you....

... especially to the kids ( I mean that's the only kinda life they know). Well, the other day one of our girls on board came over to me with a water filled balloon. she told me: "this is a water bomb and it shall be my pet and I shall name him Bob!!" (Reminds me of a scene in "Finding Nemo... hmm, something with a Squishy) weeeeeeellllllll... I told you, ship's live affects you in a weird way at times. But then again it is also really great for kids. Yesterday we had the opportunity to catch a ferry from St. Vincent to one of the Grenadine islands, Bequia (but but strangely you pronounce it "beck-way"). it was kind off the first time for Ned to be on a beach. At first he was scared of the sand, than he was scared of the water but after he while he got used to both of them. In fact he enjoyed the sand so much, that his scalp had a thick sand crust (it almost looked like a Schnitzel) and the rest of him was also almost entirely covered up with sand. at the end of the day we had a very happy but also a EXTREMELY exhausted little bloke. It was great fun. But to be honest, I think I prefer Western Australian beaches over Caribbean beaches (sorry, but that's how it is!!!), because the sand is so much finer and whiter :o).