Friend Ships
Latest Update (July 1999)

"SPIRIT OF GRACE" SEATTLE

"Spirit of Grace" had a very good sail from Honduras to Seattle, arriving Thursday, July 22nd to her temporary home on Lake Union. The ship initially encountered rough water in the Caribbean, but once transiting the Panama Canal, the voyage for the most part was smooth sailing with cool and beautiful weather. The crew reports that much of the time, the seas were calm and the sunsets beautiful. They praise God for the beauty with which He surrounded them. The deck crew members were busy with a variety of jobs including maintenance, painting and repairs. Engineering and the bridge pulled routine sea watches as the domestic department continued to care for the crew with much love. Tugboats, pilots, moorage and dry dock have all been provided for the vessel, no charge! Many of the crew will now take much deserved shore leave before reporting back to the ship to take the vessel through dry dock.

ROATAN, HONDURAS

Things have been very active at The Village and Base Camp in Roatán, Honduras. We have been blessed to host nonstop visiting teams from the States and there has been great accomplishments, much laughter and praise, sore muscles and sunburns! Much progress has been made on the new building. Cement was poured, nails were pulled, poles were set, and deck was installed.

The Roatán garden has been enlarged and fitted with an irrigation system. Our team has also been preparing the land for the upcoming rainy season and organizing the food warehouse for the months to come.

Our guest college team visited a local public school, ministering with song and drama to half the student body in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. All were richly blessed. This same team also took their fishing poles, songs, drama, and prizes to a French Harbor church to entertain in the name of Jesus, and present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children under the age of twelve. Dozens of cookies and gallons of punch were served.

The second session of computer classes are off to a great start. The class in Oak Ridge is being held on a "key" that is accessed by ferry boat where the breeze blows through palm trees, children play on the white sand, that is bordered by the tri-colored Caribbean Sea, providing an amazing atmosphere in which to teach/learn computers. Both new classes have very enthusiastic students, eager to learn. Computers to be used in the Friend Ships Academy and to be placed in various schools throughout the islands, are being programmed and prepared. Also, Instructor Manuals and Web Site Manuals are being created.

The house staff has been blessed with guest volunteers that love to cook, bake, work in the garden, clean house, and do laundry. More great bread, pastries, and main meal dishes have lavished the serving bar all week. Hens are laying eggs and the garden is yielding tomatoes, okra, cucumber and cantaloupe. The second planting of corn, squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, radishes, and many herbs are in various stages of growth, thanks to all the volunteers that have put in time digging, planting, and weeding.

"SPIRIT" GALVESTON

Special guest workers have helped to accomplish several strategic electrical and refrigeration jobs. The deck department has reorganized areas of supplies in the warehouse. The domestic department has been diligently working, preparing the ship's house in anticipation of the influx of 43 guests coming to help next week! The deck department has continued to work in the warehouse and to prepare warehouse projects for the visiting children..

HEADQUARTERS LOS ANGELES

There has been a steady stream of teams coming to help us and they are a great blessing. The groups are working on organizing supplies and many other jobs. Carpentry and engineering work are in progress on the Friend Ship "Faithful" to ready it to travel to The Village in Roatán. The accounting department has just completed the past year's records. In the 1998 fiscal year, we were blessed to be able to give away 16 ½ million dollars worth of goods! Watch for Friend Ships Founders and Directors, Don and Sondra Tipton, on an upcoming segment of the "Joy" program on TBN, to be aired on August 31st and September 2nd.

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