Thursday, August 4, 2016
S/V Ruach
I spent the last few days in Newcastle Australia helping YWAM leaders to set up Fleet Support for their new vessel the Ruach (means Spirit in Hebrew)
Update from Australia
Dear Friends
I want to
thank you for your prayers and support. My
time in Australia has been very fruitful.
Here is a
summary of the Ship Equipped Ministry conference from our YWAM Ships Kona
Director, Brett Curtis:
“We
discussed issues of communication, crisis management, interfacing with
Government and developing marine training to better meet future regulations, as
well as having various Fleet Support offices helping new ministries come online
with things such as insurance and technical assistance. We learned that we now
have 24 vessels in our fleet. Our fleet is growing in both size and influence
and we all agreed upon the need to develop very intentionally as we move
forward. We heard the first day from Loren and Darlene Cunningham, the Founders
of YWAM, as they recounted the early days of pioneering with difficult lessons
learned: Listen very carefully to God, keep Jesus central, don't quit, and grow
in strength together - referencing the UofN and Ships' twin vision.
In
typical YWAM style vessels of all shapes and sizes are being used depending on
the local need.
Lessons
being learned in the PNG theatre are proving instructional for other locations.
God is giving us a training ground to engage in a nation together as twins. “
I was able
to meet with leaders who also have Maritime training as their Primary focus and
we are moving forward as a team.
From
Townsville, I rode with new friends, Hal and Cathy, to Airlie Beach and encouraged their vision to use their 50 foot
Ketch in Missions in Melanesia. I stayed at the YWAM Whitsunday Base and was
excited to see how God is growing his network of mariners.
A short
stop in Brisbane allowed me to get my visa for Papua New Guinea (PNG) and make
more friends at YWAM Brisbane.
I was
picked up at the Newcastle airport by Mike and Karen Thorpe with their speed
boat in tow. After a delicious lunch of
fish and chips on the beach, they launched the boat and gave me a grand tour of
Port Stephens. The sights, sounds and
the smell of outboard motor exhaust brought back so many memories of of my
childhood, cruising in the San Juan Islands in Washington State with my
family.
My first
three days in Newcastle were Rest and Recreation while seeing many sights in
the area. Then we had two days of very
productive meetings with the “Ships” staff at YWAM Newcastle. I shared my experience in Ship Equipped
Ministry and Fleet Support and they created a structure that will help them
move forward with their new ship the S/V Ruach (Ruach means Spirit in Hebrew).
Tomorrow I
fly to PNG. Please pray for my health
and safety as I serve as Ship Manager onboard the M/V Pacific Link for a month. I will be updating my blog where you can also
find information on how you can partner with me in reaching the isolated with
the Love of God.
Blessings,
Captain Ann
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Captain Ann goes to Papua New Guinea
Sailing from Oahu to Kona on a 44 foot sloop last month, God
showed me how far he has brought me. Crawling on the foredeck to rig the storm
jib in 30 knot winds and steering through 12 foot waves in the Alenuihaha
Channel, I felt home again. My amazing crew helped with all the repairs and
preparations before departure. The six
day sail, with a stop in Lahaina, Maui, provided real ocean sailing experience.
Your prayers over the last 18 months have made a difference!
Would you prayerfully consider partnering financially with
me as I continue to follow God’s lead this year? In July, I will be attending the Ship
Equipped Ministries conference in Townsville, Australia. Leaders from Youth with a Mission (YWAM) who
use Ships to reach isolated areas are networking to create a long term vision
and work together to be more effective.
The biggest need in all ship equipped ministries is trained and qualified
crew. I will be developing on-board training and documentation to help our crew
advance and fill the crew needs within YWAM.
If you know anyone who has deck or engineering experience, please pass
on my contact information.
From Australia, I will fly to Port Moresby, then to Madang
in Papua New Guinea. After nearly a year working behind the scenes in the Fleet
Support office, I am excited to be going to serve as the Ship’s director on the
M/V Pacific Link for 4 weeks. The ship has been operating out of Madang since
January. You can read about the amazing
results of our medical outreaches at
http://ywamships.net/new-vessel/
.
I return to Kona just in time to lead the School of
Navigation and Seamanship (SONS), a twelve week course, which includes 3 weeks
of on board sailing, beginning September 29. http://ywamships.net/sons/
All of us in YWAM are volunteers. Your prayers and financial support make the
difference in the services and training we provide If you would like to receive a receipt for
your tax deductible donation click here http://www.ywamepj.org/donate/#how
. If you don’t need a tax deductible
receipt click here PayPal.Me/AnnFord.
I would love to hear from you. Please let me know how I can be praying for
you.
Blessings,
Captain Ann
catching up Winter 2016
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