An Endless Process

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The endless process of preparedness is constant on board the Africa Mercy. Every day the Galley prepares the food breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hospitality prepares the rooms for new crew and guests. The Deck prepares to sail. Engineers prepare the engines to run. The teachers in the Academy prepare lessons for the next day. It is not enough that one person or department to be ready and the other don’t. Everyone needs to ready in its proper time.

But what it means to be prepared? To prepare is to make ready for a particular purpose. There is also the act or condition of readiness, being prepared. In one hand the crew is preparing the ship to sail, but in the other hand they need to be in a state of readiness for any emergency.

The apostle Paul instructs Timothy to “be prepared in season and out of season“(2 Timothy 4:2. King Salomon states that there is a season for everything. The docking and shipyard work, the surveys and inspections are part of the season of preparation for another year of service.

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