Port Mercy...

I'll just post a short note here to let everybody know I arrived at Port Mercy safe and well last night. My old car made the 1600 mile journey without any issues. Pretty good for a 30+ year old car! Today I got settled in a bit, stripped a couple radar units and welded some kleats for the Mer Sea's shore Launch. It's cool to be back doing this stuff. The Hope and Mer Sea should be sailing both in about a week, the Hope for Nevis Island in the East Indies, and the Mer Sea for the Mosquito Coast in northern Nicaragua, to respond to the devastation of the recent Hurricane Felix. It is then planned for both ships to head to Roatan Island in Honduras. I will post more when I know which ship I am on. It looks like it will be the Hope. Whichever I am on though it will be fine. Thank you all for your prayers and God Bless. Jacob

Funny, That...

"God is the God of the 11th hour..." I've heard that a lot lately. One friend added the other day, "God is the God of the 11th hour and 59th minute..." It is so true. As I go about the details of preparing to go down with Friendships, I have a tendency to want to start worrying about all these things... How can I afford this, will this sell in time, What about this, and that, etc. This morning though I went and sat down at Timmy's for a while and thought and prayed about things over a coffee. I like to do that. And I just really felt God's presence there. And you know, I just really had this sense that He wasn't worried about all those details. He knows my needs, before I even ask Him. And I have been asking. And I really believe that what I am doing and how I am going about it is in obedience to what I feel Him leading me in. And He is God. Jehova Jireh, God our provider. Even as I am here right now, thinking well I was supposed to be going today, well I just have this sense that a man makes his plans and the Lord determines His steps. Maybe there's a couple more things I need to do here before I go. Well a couple other than just cleaning up my apartment. I know That needs doing. I better get to it!

Friendships- Hurricane Felix

Well if you've read earlier episodes here you know I have been praying about going down again to serve with Friendships for quite a while now. The date is set, I head down there this Friday, Sept 14th. The plan that has been in effect is to sail Oct. 1st on the Hope, visiting St. Kitts and Nevis in the East Indies followed by Honduras and possibly Haiti. Now, with the recent destruction of Nicaragua as a result of Hurricane Felix, They are looking very seriously at heading there with the Mer Sea. I will post info on that as soon as I have any. Here is a quote I just brought from the Friendships website:

Report just in from one of the areas greatly affected by the recent Hurricane Felix:

"Our People Miskito Indians, including so many of my relatives died with horrible hurricane Felix category 5, hit directly to the Miskito Coast of Nicaragua 3 days ago. Now estimated about 3,000 died or disappeared. Entire villages disappeared, including their domestic animals, farms, domestic fruit trees, dead animals, human dead body everywhere. Almost 90% villages with nothing to sleep, nor food, nor clothing. Severe critical health risk."

Anyways I will be down there serving Friendships regardless of what we do or which ship and/or mission I am on. I want to ask everyone reading this to please pray for the people affected by this disaster and also pray for me as I go about final details in preparation to go. Please also pray for Friendships, in that all details would be smooth in preperation for these outreaches, that we would have the crew God appoints for both ships and the finances needed for fuel and whatever for the ships. My plan is to drive down on Friday, but if I am able to sell both my cars I will take the bus. Either way, I am just praying it would be God's will. If the door opens for me to be able to afford to keep one of the cars that would be an awesome blessing, But my prayer is for God's will to be workd out in this. I am happy to take the bus if need be. Please check out friendships website for more info on what we will be doing: http://www.friendships.org I would like prayer also for the finances I will need for this trip, as it is a 100% volunteer run ministry, we are each responsible to raise our own support costs for living and working on the ships. Thank you and God Bless!

Jacob