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All aboard!

YOUNG, handsome, successful – what more could they ask for? But for these gentlemen life is not about worldly treasures: it’s more to life!

Two different lives from different backgrounds united by one goal that is to serve God through the ship ministry, what Glenn Abad and Floyd Bascones have in common is their passion in serving God’s people by joining the world’s oldest passenger ship – Doulos.

Glenn, 24, first encountered the word Doulos from his uncle who gave him a Bible bought from the ship. From then, Glenn was certain that he would join the ship. His friends made fun of him when he shared his willingness to be a crewmember because he had never even seen the ship. He graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering in 2004 but flew to Manila and stayed for four months to apply as a seaman for an international shipping line.

While in Manila, he met with the Seaman’s Christian Friend Society Philippines or Seaman for Christ Fellowship. Through the church, he learned about Doulos and was encouraged to be a port volunteer during its visit in Manila, but he did not pursue his application but when Doulos launched a Ship Acquaintance Program for 12 days in Batangas, Glenn did not hesitate to join. Another opportunity opened for him when the ship called for volunteer seamen.

Glenn was one of the three out of 10 applicants who passed in the screening for seaman in the international shipping line but Glenn chose to follow God and withdrew his application. The next day, he started processing his form for OM ships. While waiting for approval, Glenn went back home in Bantayan, Cebu and after three weeks, he was invited to join the ship in South Korea on July 27, 2007.

Floyd, 25, on the other hand graduated Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and has been successfully working in big companies since graduating. But he had a change of heart. He asked himself, “Am I really living my life the way God wanted it to be? Am I living my life worthy to be called His servant or His child?”

Four months after searching for possible ministry opportunities, a British speaker from OM (Operation Mobilisation-Doulos’ organization) spoke about missions in his church. “I was so challenged with his message about missions. That was also the time that I first heard about the Doulos ship. I immediately emailed the OM office in Cebu and got an immediate reply. That led me to quit my call center job and went full time as a volunteer for OM Cebu and worked with their youth missions club and street kids outreach.” Floyd later got a part-time work as a volunteer in his church’s school while working with OM Cebu.

Floyd added, “I was so excited with the mission opportunities in OM that I decided to apply for the Doulos. But it didn’t happen right away. I have no ‘stable’ job and I have to raise my financial support which was very expensive. It took me almost two years to wait, until the Doulos came back to Cebu in 2007.”

Floyd and Glenn are just a couple of the 350 volunteers from 50 countries on board the ship. Doulos is the world’s largest Book Fair carrying 6, 000 book titles. It will be coming back to Cebu on January 9, 2008 at Pier 2 and opens Tuesday-Saturday at 10AM-10PM and on Sunday and Monday at 2-10PM.

Glenn is now in Cebu and plans to join the ship after his licensure examination while Floyd is coming back with Doulos this January. Floyd said, “I was honestly surprised when I first heard that the ship was going back to Cebu. I already had a good closure of my Cebu life and had adjusted to the ships pretty well, but suddenly I have to open myself again for the Cebu life. It was a ‘little’ too soon to go back but I know God has reasons why the ship is going to Cebu. I miss Cebu though, I lived in Cebu for almost four years and it became my second home. I missed my OM family and friends in Cebu big-time and I am really looking forward to see them again when the ship arrives.” (Joy Eva A. Bohol)

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