The Power of a Seed

By -
This week we have 19 students attending the Basic Safety Training class here in Texas. This group of students leaves to join the Africa Mercy in Tenerife next week. One of the students is a young lady who will work in Reception. On the first day of the class the instructor asked where the students came from and Hannah told that she comes from Santa Cruz, California.

The instructor, Dan Connors, and I have memories of the Anastasis visit to Santa Cruz because the ship was anchored in the Monterey bay; crew and visitor had to use launches to go to and from the dock; also for the beauty of the place.

Hannah’s parents were among those touring the Anastasis. I asked how old she was then. She replied that she was not even bourn. I asked how she decided to join Mercy Ships. Her siblings told her about the visit when she was a child; then one summer she hear about the ships in a camp she worked. When she told her parents that she wanted to volunteer her parents told her that they had toured the Anastasis themselves.

This story fascinates me because it demonstrates God’s purpose working generationally. A seed that was planted in the heart of a family three decades ago is now developing into a unique story in the life of Hannah.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Forty Years With Mercy Ships

By -
Image
  Today marks a milestone in my career. Forty years ago, on July 2, 1983, I joined the Organization #MercyShips. Back then, the dream to bring hope and healing to the forgotten poor was mainly work, a lot of hard work. But as my parents used to tell me, work doesn’t kill anyone; I’m here to say that they were right. In those forty years, I sailed the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Visited three continents and ministered in 42 countries. Countless volunteers from around the world worked without ceasing on the first Mercy Ships, the Anastasis, and the other ships that followed her, the Good Samaritan, the Pacific Ruby, the Caribbean Mercy, the #AfricaMercy, and now our newest ship, the #GlobalMercy. #Mercy Ships has delivered services to more than 2.86 million beneficiaries during this time. Provided services and materials in developing countries valued at over $1.77 billion, including the following: Performed more than 108,000 life-changing or life-saving surgical procedures
Read more

A Tribute to Pelé

By -
 I was 15 years old at the time of the buzz about Pelé’s 1000th goal. The countdown began on the 910th. Local, national, and international media followed his team, Santos FC, everywhere. The conversation at the offices, factories, bars, street corners, and the no-grass soccer fields was about when, where, and how the historical feat would happen. At the time, the closer goal scorer was four hundred goals behind. We wanted to know who would go into history by association just for being under the crossbar at the wrong time for them but at the right time for the rest of the world. Our imagination wondered what kind of special magic Pelé would use to score a goal that would be in our memories forever. Would he score with his head after rising a foot above his marker? Or would he score after controlling a crossed ball with his chest, looping it over a defender before kicking it to the back of the net? Would the goal happen after a spectacular run from the mid-field leaving behind counte
Read more

Happy Father's Day!

By -
It is a beautiful East Texas Sunday. A perfect day to celebrate Father’s Day. No matter if he is your biological father, an adopted father, a stepfather, or just someone who has the role of a father figure in your life. Today we celebrate fathers. I can’t resist reflecting on my father, Mr. Manoel Barbosa Dos Santos, a hardworking man who was always there present in my life. He brought me to my first day of school, took me to my first soccer game at Maracanã stadium, was with me when I joined Merchant Marine Academy, and helped me to fix my first house. It is hard to remember an important event in my life when he was not present. He was always there. And he did it without saying anything. He was from an era when it was unnecessary to say to those you love; I love you. I know of his love for me not because he said it but because he demonstrated it. I remember one time when I was playing soccer at the local fire station’s futsal court when I glimpsed my father with a grin on his fa
Read more