My friend George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilization (OM), recently shared about his visit to Logos Hope, a ship owned and operated by OM Ships. Logos Hope travels to ports around the world, acting as a floating bookshop. (They report that, on average, over one million visitors are welcomed on board each year.)

OM Ships also provides training for those who work onboard, as well as volunteer opportunities to serve by providing supply aid and community care in the places they dock. Their international crew represents over 45 nations.

George encourages those who are college-bound (and those of any age) to consider dedicating 1-2 years to volunteer on the ship: “If I were talking to an American thinking about going to Yale or Harvard, or a Brit thinking about Cambridge or Oxford, and they asked me, ‘Should I go to the ship or to the university?’, of course I would say both.”

He continues, “We believe the Bible is true…and this leads me to say that just the education and training aspect of the ship is worth more than anything you will get at some anti-Christian institution. So if you have to choose, I suggest the ship. …So many young people have no clue what the ship is.  It is not primarily for missionaries or those who want to be. Yes, it is for some and that’s great. It’s a life-changing, character-building work training experience to prepare people for whatever walk of life you're going into.”

If you’re interested in learning more, go to www.omships.org.

Thanks to Stephanie Anderson for assembling most of the info in this blog.