Mission update letter

Hello and blessings to you all. I really want to thank every one of you who have been supporting me as a missionary with your prayers, emails and also the financial donations which God uses to allow me to be here doing this work. I have now been down here in Louisiana with Friendships Unlimited for the past six months, in addition to another 7 month period following Hurricane Katrina in 2005/2006. As many of you will know Friendships Unlimited is a non-profit organization which operates a small fleet of ships which bring humanitarian relief and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to impoverished nations both in the Caribbean and overseas. We do disaster relief, in response to Hurricanes, Earthquakes and the like both here in the US or wherever our service is needed. Other relief voyages have been to Israel, Africa, Russia, Haiti, and Honduras. Relief supplies have also been sent worldwide via commercial shipping lines. I am currently serving this missionary organization in the position of Bosun and 3rd Mate. My role is as a volunteer with the deck department. So far I have primarily been involved in the upgrades and renovations to the F/V MerSea as well as overseeing the deck maintenence, preparing her for service with our organisation. In addition I will be sailing as 3rd Mate on the F/V Hope on our upcoming voyage to do a medical outreach on Nevis Island in the West Indies during May and June and then on the F/V Coastal Pilot when we sail her from Seattle to our base in Louisiana later this summer. In Los Angeles we will be picking up a 75 foot motor yacht which our base there is currently converting to use for doing advance work for our larger ships and Pastor's seminars in the Caribbean region. I expect it will be based out of our ministry centre in Honduras. I will be heading out to L.A. in the next few days to work on this vessel. I cannot well enough express my gratitude for those of you who have sent me out to do this work. I cannot imagine anything in this world I would rather be doing. My biggest prayer requests are for wisdom in desicions regarding my role here as I have been asked to take on this yacht as her captain, director and maintenence overseer. It would be a big step up in responsibilty to say the least. I just keep saying wow. This really is beyond anything I could have imagined right now. Please pray for wisdom for me in making these decisions, as well as pray for me to do really well at what God has placed before me. I am SO honored. Finances is another prayer request I am really seeking God for right now. I don't think I have ever been quite so stretched but I know God loves to build our faith through these things. I am looking up to our father, who is our Lord and Provider. I am in a place where I am very aware of my reliance on his provision. I am praying for a miracle. Please pray with me. Although I very much love where I am at right now, I do miss you all and the fellowship we have shared at different times. May God's richest blessings rest on you each. Email me anytime. Love in Christ, Jacob Blondahl