What I Do Doesn't Make Sense

“I’m not out to make sense of everything.  But I want sense enough to fall back on You.”

~ Simon Hoskyn

Week 1 - What a week it’s been

Sunday

~ 5 minute car ride from the Oval to the train station

~ 30 minute train ride from Harpenden to London

~ 10 minute Underground Tube ride

~ 10 minute walk to the coach station

~ 2 hour bus ride from London to Southampton

~ 20 minute walk to the ferry terminal

~ 1 hour ferry ride from Southampton to Cowes, Isle of Wight

~ 20 minute walk to The Next Wave (a.k.a - my new home)

Monday - Friday

This past week I’ve been taking part of a training course which included basic first aid, sea survival, firefighting and social responsibility.  

All suited up

These 5 days were packed full of learning so many new things in theory and then practically doing them.  I jumped into the sea with a dry suit on learning how to maneuver around, pull people with me, flip over a life raft and get into one and a few other things as well.  I also got to go into a dark container learning to use the breathing apparatus, searching in the dark with team, putting out fires with hoses and extinguishers, and saving a casualty.  Because of this training, I now notice where all the fire extinguishers and fire escapes are on board the ship.  So that's good.

Saturday

Open Boat

Once a week the ship opens up to the public and people can come and get a free tour around the ship.  This is an easy way of showing people what we actually do here on the ship.  There were so many that came for the afternoon.  I got to give my first tour of the ship even though I’ve only been here for a week.  

Sunday

I woke up to find that we were no longer connected to the dock but we were out to sea.  The wind and rain was coming in so it was decided in the middle of the night for us to go somewhere else to get away from the dock and not destroy the ship.  So with this came my first anchor watch.  My job for an hour and a half was to sit in the wheel house watching the navigation system and radar.  We moved quite a bit, lots of figure eights through the water.  The wind and rain and current of the water was pretty heavy so the ship was rocking in every direction which meant that I definitely got my first little taste of feeling a bit ill at sea.  After spending the day at anchor, we brought the ship back in to another dock.  My job was to jump off and attach the lines to the dock in the wind and rain.  

Quite the day.

Sometimes I just can’t help but think that what I do just doesn’t make sense.

When I was doing the training course, almost everyone was there in hopes of furthering their chances at finding a job.  Some on pleasure yachts, some on cruise ships.  So when asked what I was doing, it was completely different than everyone else there.  It just doesn’t make sense in the world’s eyes.  I realized that I ALREADY HAVE THE JOB.  My job - loving God and loving others, helping people be the best they can be, staffing this DTS, working on the ship, living life to the fullest, serving in any way I can, being a blessing to others.  I can be confident in the fact that God has brought me to this place and this is where He wants me to be and what He wants me to be doing.

MY JOB IS TO BE JESUS TO PEOPLE.

The DTS starts next week.  That came up quick.  We already have a few DTS students with us on board already so in a sense, it’s already begun.  The rest of the students will be getting here this coming weekend.  

   
So it begins...again....