no i have not left the county...

Sorry for leaving you all hanging, here is an update on my plans. Enjoy!

"For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord…"
God has a plan for each one of us and it takes us giving up control and follow God recklessly to really find that plan.

As you all know, I am doing my best to follow God's leading back to the Logos Hope. Over these last months I have been raising support with plans to leave for the ship in November. It is now November and I unfortunately do not have enough support to leave as planned. I need a total of $1200 a month and I currently have $789 a month commited, which means I still need $411 a month.

I was getting extremely stressed out about my support and it was weighing quite heavy on my shoulders. But someone helped me realize that it is not a matter of now or never, it is a matter of finding God's timing. It was becoming clear that it wasn't God's timing for me to leave in November and that was something that I needed to accept and move forward having peace about.

God has given me peace and shown me that he wants me here at home a couple of months longer and that he has purpose in it. I see now that it is important for me to have a bit more time to build a better foundation here at home with my church and my community. It will also be a blessing to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family again before I leave.

I truly believe that the Lord is working out his plan and he is just asking me to give up control and follow him recklessly. At the end of the day I know that if I am following him he will lead me and in turn I have nothing to worry about.

Thank you all for sticking with me on this journey and supporting me and praying for me. The journey is only beginning and I hope that you will all continue to join me through it all.

I would also ask you to pray and consider supporting me financially, I still need $411 a month in order to join the ship in Spring of 2012. I truly need the help of my brothers and sisters to make this possible. Please pray.

In love,
Krysten

Greeting from rainy Washington!!

I really love this time of year, fall is my favorite!!

Last night I went out to dinner with a friend who I met on the Logos Hope back in the Caribbean.  
Over dinner we had this wonderful conversation centered around God's faithfulness in all aspect of our lives.
Being reminded of how God has been faithful in my life and hearing how God has been faithful in her life gave me a fresh sense of peace.  
I am going to be honest, this whole "raising support and preparing to leave again" thing is hard and at times really scary.
But a lot of my fears are being calmed by the constant reminder of Gods faithfulness.

My support raising has been been slow to start but I have actually been really encouraged by those who have committed to support me.
I am hoping to leave in mid-November and thanks to recent gifts it looks to be more and more realistic as the days go by.
Currently I have just over 50% of my monthly support committed, which means I am half way there!!!
I have been really encouraged by peoples generosity and I am confident that God will continue to provide the support I need to leave in his timing.

I would very much appreciate continual prayer for my support and also for God prepare my heart for what he has for me.
Please pray that thing would start to fall into place for the timing I should leave and that plans would begin to finalize.

I almost forgot, I have some other news to share with all of you.  
With the hopes of my arrive on the ship in mid-November the ship have let me know that they hope to send me to Cebu, Philippines as my first line up!!!!
Knowing that I might be on my first line up in Cebu in just in just a couple of months excites me greatly.  
The newsletter below is from OM Philippines and it shares stories of the impact that Doulos (one of OM's previous ships) had on Cebu and it shares about the upcoming visit of the Logos Hope.
It is excited to see a glimpse of what God has already done in Cebu and I am very excited to be a part of what God is going to do there in the coming months.

The ship will visit Cebu January 13 to February 14th, 2012, be excited!! I am!!


With love,
Krysten

Headed home: to a ship.

"Expect the unexpected with God."

The rumors are true, Krysten Rapozo is going back to the Logos Hope, God willing.

Coming home from the ship in September last year I had no idea that in just 6 months I would find my self preparing once again to go to the ship. God's plan has a way of being so unexpected but yet so perfect. It was a couple of months ago while I was serving at the 2011 OM Ships Partner Weekend that God began leading me back to the ship and towards the plan he had set out for me. I prayed and prayed, sought advice and prayed some more. God has been making the way for me to go back, opening all the doors and given me peace that this is what he wants for me. So now I am continuing to follow the Lord in the process of re-joining the ship for another two years to work in Line-up.

Join me on this crazy journey back to the ship and on a whole new adventure.

Please pray with me as I raise support and prepare to leave in as little as 3 months. Pray for God's provision, continued guildence and perfect timing.

If you would like to recieve my updates while I serve with the Logos Hope please email me at krysten.rapozo@gmail.com and or follow me on my blog.

If you would like to support me or learn more in order to pray about supporting me please email me at krysten.rapozo@gmail.com with your mailing address and I will send you my support letter and prayer card along with all the information you need to support me.

I am excited for what God has instore for my life in next couple of years and I cant wait to share that with all of you. Thanks for being a part of my life, love you.

Krysten

Trust.

It’s been something like a month now; I hate to realize that it has already been that long because it reminds me of what I haven’t done in a month. A month on the ship was packed full and now a month at home feels quite empty. I have to create purpose for waking every morning; it is true to say that I came back to with no plans. I guess it has made me come to know or better remember my need for plans and that I get quite uncomfortable when I don’t have them. I realized the other day that I haven’t every really not known what I am going to do next. Year after year in school you always know that the following year is to come and at the end of school I knew that the ship was next. But now my next is over and I have no next. I guess this leaves me with one thing to do… trust, trust God. The great thing about trusting God, is knowing that he is worth trusting and remembering how he has been faithful time and time again.

America.

America, the country I call home, the country that I lived in for 18 years without crossing its boarders. It was a year’s time since I walked on its semi-solid ground and two years since called it home. Now that my feet are back, I honestly didn’t miss it all that much. I flew from Germany to Atlanta, Georgia (it wasn’t as simple as it sounds, it included 2 lay overs and a total travel time of about 24 hours), America yes but not the America I am familiar with.
Did you know that in Peach Tree City they drive golf carts like cars; they have paths along the roads specifically for the carts, shocking. Nadar took us to the grocery store in his golf cart and we saw some young kid with a tricked out golf cart complete with big tires and a paint job with flames.
I had my first meal of fast food on my second day back in America (I didn’t really want to eat fast food and haven’t had it since) and I was shocked by the size of a small drink, it wasn’t a small at all, it was a large in my point of view. If I ever go back to a fast food restaurant I will know to order in kids sizes because the adult sizes are quite ridicules.
I became completely aware of the fact that so many Americans are overweight; it was something that I knew but didn’t notice as much until now. It’s quite sad how many people are overweight in this country and even more sad how many children are already overweight. The other night I was driving with a friend and as we drove past a MacDonald’s I mentioned how there was a backed up line at the drive through, she said she never really notices. There were something like 8 cars in line for MacDonald’s at 9pm but the craziest part for me was that the drive through had two lines to order, seriously is that necessary, I guess.
You know, America isn’t a terrible place at all; it just isn’t all it’s cracked out to be.

it happended.

I thought I would never leave the ship, not literally but when you first come two years seems like forever. But it happened and I write from a house, not a ship. I left the ship on Sunday, September 12th at about 1300 with my South African friends Brad and Francois.
My Sunday started with being woken up by a phone call from the purser, he wanted me to go to immigrations to get my passport stamped, I quickly realized that I had slept longer than I wanted.
It came time to say good byes soon after coming back from immigrations (I walked up the gangway for the last time).
The page happened, the one you hear so often around change over.
"Attention ships company, brad, francois and krysten will be leaving the ship, if you would like to say good bye please go to the lobby now."
I dont know how many time I have heard this page but of course this was the first time it featered my name.
The line formed and I gave hug after hug. I was quite tiring to say good bye to people one after another. It was esspecially hard when you get to people who you really love and who you will really miss.
Yes, I did cry but it wasnt until I got to Catherine in the line.
I survived the good byes and now it was time to walk down the gangway for the last time.
Some good friends prayed for us and then it was time. Down the gangway and into the car.

We drove away and at that moment my new adventure and new season began.

my farewell testiomy.

Below is the testimony that I just shared with the community onboard last night. It is the testimony of my time on the ship. It was written to share in 5 minutes which of course limits me to share all that God did. But here is a taste of my time onboard...


August 17, 2008
I said my good byes to friends and family and left America for the first time as an 18 year old girl, 3 months out of high school and less than a year into a true relationship with God.
This was the beginning of a journey that I could have never mapped out myself. I would say that these last two years have been the hardest but most amazing two years of my life, so far.

I joined the ship with the wonderful PST in Denmark, the first one of course. Yes we spent 6 month in project phase in Koge. I thank God for our 6 months in Koge because it gave me the opportunity to build relationships with local people that I am still in contact with today.

My first 7 month onboard was spent in the Pantry on the best shift ever, the chocolates. I didn’t love washing dishes everyday but God showed me what it meant to serve him and taught me a lot about leadership. The galley also brought good relationships and amazing memories.

Belfast was my first port working in Onboard Events. Part of my job when first joining events was to be on the team that started the Greatest Treasure programme, yes I am the first ever Anchor. I was in Onboard events for almost all of Europe and absolutely loved it. For our last port in Europe I moved over to Onshore Events and was the Hope and Challenge Team Coordinator.

We sailed across the Atlantic and in the first port of the Caribbean I had the opportunity to go on my first Challenge Team. The challenge team was a wonderful experience but it marks something more, it marks the beginning of my biggest challenge. It was on the way back from challenge team that I heard news that two of my best friends from home had died in a car accident. I couldn’t believe that it was true but it all became real when I went home. Dealing with this loss and grief has been the hardest thing that I have ever gone through. I was left in such confusion with no words to say to God.

After two months at home I returned to the ship with the new challenge of being Onboard Events Team Leader. I began to lead the team straight off in St. Lucia while still trying to deal with pain. After a season of brokenness and loneliness I realized that God was the only one who was going to heal my broken heart, the only one who was going to give me comfort and perfect love. So I came back to God and he began to heal my heart.

After what seemed like forever in the Caribbean we sailed across the Atlantic again and I had the new challenge of being Events Manager, I don’t know whose idea it was to make a 20 year old girl a manager but I thank them because it marked another opportunity to see that I am nothing and God is everything.
My journey in events was a massive challenge but it is amazing how much God taught me in it. The best thing about events aside from working with such amazing people is seeing God do what you know you can not do.

What I have share with you so far has been the big events that have built my two years on the ship but it was so many little things that actually shaped it into what it turned out to be.

So here are some of the little things…
Seeing the ship for the first time and shedding a happy tear.
Having church, worship night, prayer night and devotions on deck 4.
Having to wear a jacket and a scarf to go swing dance on the quayside.
Having water fights in the Galley.
Running around snowy Koge with Adam and Mark.
Christmas around the world.
Spending time with my favourite Danish family.
Seeing a castle for the first time.
February 19th, 2009 sailing out of Koge and into full time ministry.
Sailing into Sweden’s icy waters.
Eating pizza at the top of a hill in the Faroe Islands.
Organizing my first event onboard.
Walking the streets of Dublin giving food to the homeless and praying with them.
Surviving events in London and seeing the first event in the Hope Theatre.
Sailing across the Atlantic twice.
Snorkelling for the first time.
Going turtle hunting at 5am and not finding any turtles.
Swimming on Christmas morning with my best friends.
Seeing over 35,000 school kids go through a programme on the ship in Jamaica.
MCing the youth event in Bahamas with Adam that involved eating a blended happy meal.
Being a part of the organization of the Bermuda Donor weekend and having to deal with more details than I can handle.
Never doing the mission hats presentation.
Swing dancing on quayside around the world and in more events than I can count on two hands, thanks to my partner Ryan Coon.
Going on overnight team in Sierra Leone and receiving a chicken as a gift from the village.
Getting sp with Daniel Nicholas.
Church teams in West Africa.
Sharing the gospel with prostitutes in a ghetto in Monrovia.
Organizing the programme for the President of Liberia with Faith.
Spending time with the events team, dancing, eating, talking, and laughing.
Sitting out on deck when there is no land in sight.

But the best part about these two years is that God broke me, changed me and I fell more in love with him each day.

It’s true I am leaving the ship.
On September 12th
I will first go to Germany to visit Daniel and then I will return home to Americaland with no set plans.

How you can pray for me…
Pray for good times in Germany and guidance from God.
Pray for good re-entry as I will go back to live in a non-Christian home that has faced a lot of changes and challenges over these two years.
Pray that God would guild me as I search for schools to study Event Management.
And pray that God would continue the work he has started in me.

Thank you for being a part of my two years here and thanks for listening.