"Life is a journey, we're all going somewhere, but where are we going?"- it's the sentence on the front page of Logos Hope's Welcome brochure.For a book lover and LIFE lover like me it was more than enough to stir my curiosity and get me hopping from one bookshelf to another inside the world's largest floating book fair- LOGOS HOPE.
LOGOS HOPE, San Fernando City port "I wish all the world's battleships could be converted into Logos Hope."- Vice Governor Aureo Augusto Nisce as he formally opened the ship in San Fernando. |
~bringing knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world and comprised of a community of 400 unpaid volunteers from over 45 different countries living together for this purpose....
MV Logos Hope is operated by the German Christian charitable organization GBA ships e. V (Gute Bücher für Alle, English: Good Books for All). Built in 1973 as the ferry MV Gustav Vasa for service between Malmö (Sweden) and Travemünde (Germany), she later operated as the MV Norröna providing a ferry service to the Faroe Islands.
As the fourth ship operated by the organisation, The MV Logos Hope follows in the line of MV Logos, the wrecked hulk of which now sits on a rock shelf on the Chilean coast, MV Logos II which was retired in the fall of 2008 and which Logos Hope was designed to replace, and MV Doulos which was sold to a Singaporean interest in 2009.
~source~
It was MV Doulos which I was able to first see back when my dad was still on Earth and brought me there with my bro and a cousin who purchased a book for me which I am using to this day. I was gleeful the moment I heard the ship was scheduled to visit San Fernando City, La Union, Philippines from May 24th to the 4th of June. I could almost hear once more my dad's eager voice years ago. Our tour at Logos Hope yesterday was unplanned so I was not able to bring my cam and merely used my phone's reliable cam so please excuse the quality of the shots. I borrowed some photos from friends to better tour you inside the ship. Aaaahhh most of you I bet have been aboard Logos Hope, so this is for my kids to get them all excited to our trip to Logos Hope tomorrow.
Walk with me towards LOGOS HOPE, where one could meet volunteer workers who provide aid and relief in needy situations and bringing long-term change in each port, each with a unique story to tell about how they entered into a relationship with God who has given them hope and purpose.
It was fun seeing people from all walks of life heading to the ship and taking pictures...lots and lots of pictures....with every imaginable gadget...
photo borrowed from Junaz Licup
me all excited to go on board :)
my friend Winnie with one of Logos Hope's friendly volunteers
....let's go!!!
my friend Winnie purchasing tickets for a very minimal fee for each person- 20 PHP
the staff's smiles radiating peace, faith and caring made me think of angels and heaven itself
I can't wait for tomorrow to take my kiddos there, I can imagine my Roel's glee seeing this giant mascot/balloon
WELCOME ABOARD...
Before one explores the Book Fair one is invited to take a moment to sit in their unique lifeboat theater where one will learn about what it is like to live on such a unique ship.
One can also have a look inside a crew cabin and see an illustrated history of GBA ships!
Chinqui by the lifeboat theater (photo courtesy of Winnie)
Then there's the BOOK FAIR where you will find over 5,000 titles of books manned by the friendliest staff. The books are priced in units since they travel through so many countries but no worries because there are poster charts easily located in each book rack with price conversions into the local currency.
25 units= 25.00 PHP
50 units= 50.00 PHP
75 units= 75.00 PHP up to
1,000 units= 1,000 PHP
the books are affordable and all in the best condition, the hubby started complaining when the first book I handed him was heavy and begged that I stop buying LOL...I promised myself I shall return...without him :)
for every bookworm out there the place is heavenly!
it was so thrilling seeing people from all walks of life and varying ages exploring knowledge in pages...
and helping each other out in locating books and stuff, it smells like Christmas in there, what with everyone flashing dashing smiles and being jolly
a blurred shot of me checking out "gardening books" courtesy of the hubby
the first book that totally caught my eye was this one- "A
Child's First Story of Jesus" by Lois Rock and Anthony Lewis
it has beautiful illustrations and simple words that is a recipe for making a child learn his first lessons in
being obedient, humble and helpful....something the crew of Logos Hope uphold...
then there were the gardening books!
I love this one which is a modern guide to being self-sufficient, growing your own vegetables and fruits; re-using, recycling, consuming less and therefore helping save Mother Earth and making a huge difference!
scroll down for more of the kinds of interesting books on display...
falling in line to pay is a breeze with their efficient, angelic staff..
.
....moving on there still is so much to see at LOGOS HOPE...
Next stop inside the ship is the Journey of LIFE where you follow the prodigal son on his journey through life and watch as his adventure take an unexpected turn as he is faced with important choices..listening to the well told story makes one reflect on life and earn valuable lessons...
my friend Winnie's kiddos learning lessons in the journey through life...
Ianna and Junaz re-learning great values
...and then there's the theater where one gets a glimpse into the work of the ship and hear from crewmembers who have a variety of jobs in the ship...
There actually is so much to explore at Logos Hope, the books, the people and yes an International Cafe!
photo courtesy of Winnie- enjoy an ice cream cone, a drink, a popcorn and other snacks while you relax in the I-cafe...it is awesome having the time to converse with crew members and learn about their culture and story...it seems like travelling to 45 countries in a day :)
Chinqui with a Logos Hope crew
.....as one gets off the ship a certain warmth of happiness is felt...
|
...that somehow in your own little way you have helped people from across the globe and made a difference...
..if you haven't been there yet please support the vision of LOGOS HOPE and...
help them in
Bringing knowledge, help and hope
to the people of the world
Upcoming ports - Logos Hope |
Following is a list of the current and upcoming ports for the Logos Hope.
Click on a port name for detailed information. Please note: All ports and dates are subject to change. Ports and dates in orange italics are not confirmed yet.
|
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News.
Rom. 10:15b
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from my humble world to yours....
-kulasa-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looks like a wonderful place to visit with all those friendly people around. I loved the photos, it certainly is a wonderful place for any booklover!!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day Zen :)
Nice set of pictures to let us seeing the the inside. Yes, you are right, I would not pass up the chance to tour the ship. I didn't expect a book fair and a cafe inside. The ice cream looked yummy!
ReplyDeleteOh, I missed coming to MV Logos Hope when the vessel and its crew were here in Cebu last year. I hope to be able to catch them when they're back here again this year.
ReplyDeleteI never heard such a thing existed! Ive heard about trisikad being used to bring books to little children(efren vilafuerte? the cnn hero awardee, i dont know his last name haha) but a ship for a bookstore surpassed my imagination! (i may have a little imagination you can tell) This is truly wonderful. I love all the pictures. And I do have that book(in the pic) "my first book the human body" which i used as my visual aid for my P.E. reporting in high school. lol. I wish we could have that logo ship here in our city. I would love to volunteer!
ReplyDeleteI've never had a chance to check the Logos Hope. In fact, this is my first time to hear of this thing :) Hehehe Great photos!
ReplyDeleteI would like to experience Logos Hope too Doc. Kaso, never ko talaga maabutan yan. I hope it sets sail here in the Middle East, barring any political rift and religious hula baloos Aside from that, the crew seem to be very, very nice and love what they are doing. Tsaka, ambabata nila at pogi! hahaha
ReplyDeleteRia C
Oh, that is so nice and a brilliant idea to turn this ship into something educational and entertaining at the same time.. This is something that I want my family to see when we visit there.
ReplyDeleteOh my God! BOOKGASM!!!!
ReplyDeleteAte, you are so lucky to be there. How I wish Logo's Hope will come in place too. The price are affordable as well. Plus, the crew are so nice.
If you aren't, step it up and join software. PTN provides you with a virtual prospecting and managing contacts system as extremely well.
ReplyDeleteMy webpage - pobierowo
Baby locks prevent little kids from opening the washing
ReplyDeletemachine the actual wash cycle. Solar power systems can
take weren't forms, shapes and types.
My webpage ... pobierowo
Wow. I would love to support them. I hope they can visit somewhere in Europe.
ReplyDeletearen't they coming to Sg??? more photos with the kiddos please... yabyew!
ReplyDeleteBook fairs! It is always fun and you can find treasures in these events if you look hard.
ReplyDeleteWow! National Book Store by the sea.. plugging pa .. Sayang, it would be great to be part of the Book Fair. medyo, hindi flexible ang schedules ko eh. Hayz..
ReplyDeletewow, book fair on cruise ship, that is very interesting, and practical as they move from one place to the next. good thing you are close to the harbor Zen
ReplyDeleteOne reason why training for kids is great for the children is its
ReplyDeletehealth improvements. Procedures careers depend
inside the success of people they manage.
Also visit my web site tanie wczasy nad morzem
I have never been to Logos ship before though I heard them dock at the pier back in CDO :-) I would love to explore the ship and buy books for myself and for my kids.
ReplyDeletei'm happy its finally there...we had great time when they visited here in Bangkok, I wish they will come back here soon! before we went, we were saying to the kids (knowing they love to hoard books)...one to three books each only but when we get out we got almost 2 dozens of books, it was fun...K and I even got something for us. i agree, the staff are nice and always ready to help...we enjoyed staying in the cafe too, Isabelle enjoyed the corner for kids and the balloon twisting...:)
ReplyDeleteThat’s a ton of pictures.. you captured interesting books anyway, most of them I haven’t seen when I went there.
ReplyDeleteakoyprobinsiyana.blogspot.com
Hey, nice blog of yours. My friends and I had fun at Logos Hope as well. (http://www.arisonlinenow.com/2013/06/welcome-on-board-our-logos-hope.html)
ReplyDeletehow exciting! I have never heart of this before, I am impressed by the books variety and choice...happy they tour+make people happy! happy reading from me:-)
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures ... and books are always such a joy.
ReplyDeleteHow very different. I love life and movies, books seemed to take too much still time.
ReplyDelete