They came, they saw, they conquered! (and now they are gone)

What an amazing week it has been having 12 members of our church in Edinburgh here on board as project workers. Some were very good friends and some we didn't even know but by the end of the week we had all had a great shared experience working and playing together.

The team were surprised at how much work there is still to be done on board. When told they would probably be doing some painting, they had imagined doing a bit of decorating in some of the rooms. But on a ship, the main thing we paint is steel and they got involved in painting lots of new bare steel that formed a stage, a store for aid and a store for onshore sound equipment.

The other big task we took on was starting to convert an old storage room full of heavy equipment and tools, including 4 spare propellor blades, into a new baggage locker for everyones luggage. This included moving at least 3 tonnes of stuff on their first day, then ripping out all the old shelving and then "rust busting" the deck with needle guns.

On a number of days some of the team also helped in the engine room with cleaning, painting and stripping out old pumps and steel frames to make way for the new generator.

Steve and Ian who have more practical skills joined the carpentry team and helped put up shelves and build cabinets to go around some of the piping in the main meeting room.

There was a great sense of fun and lots of banter among the team. One of the highlights was the day many of them helped painting the steel for the stage in the Logos Lounge, which will be our main meeting area and cafe. The music was turned up load and they were all singing along to classics by S Club 7! There goes their credibility. One of the team, Jonny did a few great solo spots at the mike as well.

On a number of the evenings, we headed out together and went to a local coffee bar or cafe. We discovered a great place on the waterfront where you can sit outside with blankets and patio heaters.

It was great to be able to relax and chat with people you know and can relate to. As the week wore on and everyone got more tired, the energy levels started to drop but on the last night, half of the team still sat up until nearly 1am enjoying a last chat.

Saturday has come around again quickly and just like the day they arrived, it is a beautiful sunny day. There was just time for a few quick photos before the team left.

Check out all the pictures from this week at

http://picasaweb.google.com/stehevpackwood

Our church had raised over £6000 to give to the project and the team had decided that they wanted that money to go towards the outfitting of the school which is a massive help.

We as a family have been so encouraged having the team join us and we look forward to another couple from the church, Nigel and Lyndsey arriving with Nigel's parents for a week, next weekend.

Carrubbers Team arrive on Logos Hope

It was very exciting on Saturday afternoon as the team of 12 from our church in Edinburgh (Carrubbers) arrived in Kiel. After picking them up in 3 cars at the bus station they got their first glimpse of the ship as they came along the waterfront. I am sure they were as excited to be here as we were to have them.

After checking out their cabins and dropping off their luggage, everyone had a tour of the ship and saw the scale of the work that still needs to be done on board. After supper we all headed out into Kiel to see the sights and catch up over a drink or two.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny. We all enjoyed the church service onboard and then finished the previous days tour with a visit to the bridge.

After lunch we headed out along the waterfront in the suprisingly warm sunshine. Everyone was making the most of the sunshine and it seemed like half of the population of Kiel was walking, cycling, roller blading, jogging or skateboarding along the waterfront. Kiel has some lovely cafes by the water so obviously we had to check one out.

Today the work started for the team and we split up into different teams. Steve M and Ian P joined the carpenters, putting shelves into offices and fixing phones on cabin walls.

Steve H, Rachel, Phil and Ian A all headed down to the engine room. They politely declined the opportunity to clean out some sewage pipes and opted to do painting instead.

The team with the biggest challenge of the day were Louise, Laura, Lisa, Karen, Brian and Jonny who worked with me clearing out a store room that is going to be the baggage locker. We probably moved at least 2 -3 tonnes of scrap steel, chain, shackles, block and tackle, wood, glass, tools and hundreds of other items. The store is on deck 2 and some items had to go as far up as deck 9. At least the lift goes up a few decks.

Today was Brian's birthday - what a great place to celebrate. He had the experience of some 300 people singing "happy birthday " to him. By the end of the day, he was probably thinking he would remember his birthday for other reasons - how hard he had worked.

Today has been a lot of fun and hard work. Some of the team are just not used to so much hard physical work and getting so dirty or tired.

There has been lots of opportunities for giving the team stick, like Lisa's purple mitts, Jonny dropping and shattering a huge pain of glass and Ian A and Steve H trying to get the paint off their faces with thinners which stung like mad.

4 more days of exciting work ahead. Everyone will sleep well tonight.

New recruits and Liam's birthday

It has been an exciting week for us here on Logos Hope.

On Monday it was Liam's 8th birthday. He had a fantastic day.

It all started at 9am with an emergency evacuation drill where we were all instructed to leave the ship and line up on the quayside. That was the first time Liam had "Happy Birthday" sung to him that day. Then a few friends joined him for a McDonalds lunch and birthday cake and the whole ships company singing happy birthday in the dining room.

Then after school all Liam's friends came to the cabin to watch a DVD. We had our ship family together for dinner with more birthday cake. He did very well with birthday presents, particularly Pirates of the Caribbean toys.

Check out all the pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/stehevpackwood/LiamSBirthday

On Monday and Tuesday, I undertook a Crisis Management and Human Behaviour course which I passed. This is designed to help deal with emergencies on board the ship.

Then on Tuesday we had 55 new recruits arrive on the ship from their PreShip Training. Twice a year we get a new intake of recruits and it is always an exciting time on board. They got a big welcome when they arrived and then in the evening we had a Scottish Ceilidh to welcome them.

It was very emotional for them to come onboard the ship.

For the rest of the week they have been doing their basic safety training which they need to pass in order to sail as crew. This has included coping with getting off a smoke filled ship and going to a pool for liferaft training.

Also this week, our friends Alex and Beth and their kids came up to Kiel from Mosbach for a few weeks. This is the family that we lived with in Mosbach during the Summer. Liam and Kara loved having their friends Nick and Amy around to play with. I worked with Alex for a couple of days sorting out the furniture for the offices. Heather enjoyed having Beth on board to talk to.

Friday morning I spoke in the team devotions at breakfast time.

Then today the team of 12 from our church arrived - more of that in the next blog.