Thursday, November 30, 2006
Doulos
Been meaning to blog about my visit to the ship, Doulos, for some weeks but life has been pretty busy. Got some photos to post also, but I forgot to bring my cable and since I am leaving tonight for the next month, I won't be able to upload them for some time.
Doulos means "servant" in Greek and is recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest active seafaring ship. In fact, it is only two years younger than the Titanic! It visits port cities around the world with the aim of providing community service, supplying literary resources where needed. Not surprisingly, it has a big floating bookshop on board. For more information on the Doulos, you may want to visit: http://www.doulos.org.
Went with the church to visit the Doulos when it called on Singapore a few weeks ago. Lianhe Zaobao ran a series of articles on it, interviewing the Doulos' Singapore volunteer, whom I happen to know from my Jap lang class back in NUS, Jiamin. I read with great interest how she followed her calling to dedicate two years after graduating to serve on the Doulos. If my circumstances had permitted it, I would deeply love to do exactly what she did. *Wistful sigh*
Anyhow it was a rainy afternoon when we were at the Doulos, berthed just beside Vivocity. The visit was still fun, but was made slightly inconvenient because we had to shield ourselves at parts of the ship where it was open. It made me wonder how their days at the open sea must be like when there are rain or storms. Very exciting.
The cabins for the volunteers were actually divided not only along gender lines, but there were also separate sections for the singles and the families. Lest you think the singles enjoy the privilige of having a whole cabin to themselves, they actually have to share one tiny cabin with three other volunteers! The cabin size made me think about what my Japanese teacher told us about his apartment in Japan: you can basically reach almost all four corners by stretching yourself. The family cabin was not much bigger. And there are no balcony like what Superstar Virgo has; the only opening in the room is a porthole.
According to our guide, the volunteers do not have access to the Internet. I think this means a lot in this age. Communication with loved ones are conducted by letters or via this special email system.
Every volunteer is also assigned work on board. Some may work as technicians, others cooks or liaison officers etc.
The visit left a deep impression on me. Besides marvelling at the service that the Doulos gave like the bookshop and nice ice cream, I am amazed at the dedication of the volunteers towards God, leaving aside comfortable lives to serve at sometimes the remote corners of the earth.
What is your goal in life? What or whom do you work for? I am not saying everybody is called to dedicate their whole lives to service like the Doulos volunteers. All of us have different values and therefore different ideas about where you want to be in life. No doubt money is important. No doubt some enjoyment is important and also our service to our loved ones. But where will all these be without God in the centre of it all?
I used to be wayang. A poser, in other words. I made a show out of serving in St. John Ambulance Brigade and I liked nothing better than that stroke of ego when others praised my service and leadership. I din care as much about the welfare of my casualties as the praises I would get when people see how much I "care". I acted humble when given recognition, but truly I was basking deep inside. When my life was turned upside down in JC, I run back continuously to help out back there because that was where I could gain some control over my life. But God used that period to mold me. While I am still far from humble, I can now think back with some shame at the way I carried myself and want to help others because of His love for me.
Indeed God's grace and love humbles those of us who truly seek Him and, like the Doulos volunteers, enables us to go the distance and truly serve.
Doulos means "servant" in Greek and is recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest active seafaring ship. In fact, it is only two years younger than the Titanic! It visits port cities around the world with the aim of providing community service, supplying literary resources where needed. Not surprisingly, it has a big floating bookshop on board. For more information on the Doulos, you may want to visit: http://www.doulos.org.
Went with the church to visit the Doulos when it called on Singapore a few weeks ago. Lianhe Zaobao ran a series of articles on it, interviewing the Doulos' Singapore volunteer, whom I happen to know from my Jap lang class back in NUS, Jiamin. I read with great interest how she followed her calling to dedicate two years after graduating to serve on the Doulos. If my circumstances had permitted it, I would deeply love to do exactly what she did. *Wistful sigh*
Anyhow it was a rainy afternoon when we were at the Doulos, berthed just beside Vivocity. The visit was still fun, but was made slightly inconvenient because we had to shield ourselves at parts of the ship where it was open. It made me wonder how their days at the open sea must be like when there are rain or storms. Very exciting.
The cabins for the volunteers were actually divided not only along gender lines, but there were also separate sections for the singles and the families. Lest you think the singles enjoy the privilige of having a whole cabin to themselves, they actually have to share one tiny cabin with three other volunteers! The cabin size made me think about what my Japanese teacher told us about his apartment in Japan: you can basically reach almost all four corners by stretching yourself. The family cabin was not much bigger. And there are no balcony like what Superstar Virgo has; the only opening in the room is a porthole.
According to our guide, the volunteers do not have access to the Internet. I think this means a lot in this age. Communication with loved ones are conducted by letters or via this special email system.
Every volunteer is also assigned work on board. Some may work as technicians, others cooks or liaison officers etc.
The visit left a deep impression on me. Besides marvelling at the service that the Doulos gave like the bookshop and nice ice cream, I am amazed at the dedication of the volunteers towards God, leaving aside comfortable lives to serve at sometimes the remote corners of the earth.
What is your goal in life? What or whom do you work for? I am not saying everybody is called to dedicate their whole lives to service like the Doulos volunteers. All of us have different values and therefore different ideas about where you want to be in life. No doubt money is important. No doubt some enjoyment is important and also our service to our loved ones. But where will all these be without God in the centre of it all?
I used to be wayang. A poser, in other words. I made a show out of serving in St. John Ambulance Brigade and I liked nothing better than that stroke of ego when others praised my service and leadership. I din care as much about the welfare of my casualties as the praises I would get when people see how much I "care". I acted humble when given recognition, but truly I was basking deep inside. When my life was turned upside down in JC, I run back continuously to help out back there because that was where I could gain some control over my life. But God used that period to mold me. While I am still far from humble, I can now think back with some shame at the way I carried myself and want to help others because of His love for me.
Indeed God's grace and love humbles those of us who truly seek Him and, like the Doulos volunteers, enables us to go the distance and truly serve.
Labels: Se-lat-por Affairs
// posted by Jenn @ 3:40 PM 
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