Friend Ships
Latest Update (May 2000)

SPIRIT SHIP, GALVESTON

Since January we have been in full swing making repairs and upgrades to the SPIRIT SHIP. Presently, the ship (and crew!) is in the shipyard and every system is being inspected for needed repairs. All engines including the main have been torn down and examined thoroughly for repairs. Our fuel tanks are being cleaned and many pieces of ship's equipment receiving maintenance and repairs. We have removed the anchor and chain to inspect, clean and paint the chain locker. The deck crew has taken out tons of wood from the walls of the holds that were used in the refrigeration system long ago. The engine crew has removed an old sanitation system and replaced it with a beautiful new one, which was donated. We installed two new Ingersoll Rand compressors. The crew has worked on plumbing projects, improvements to the ship's machine shop and many other tasks. We have been in the dry-dock where the hull of the ship was inspected and prepared for painting. In the next several weeks, all repairs will be completed, Spirit will be blasted, painted and we will be ready to load for our next mission!

Our engine crew had a great opportunity to travel to Greensville, Texas and dissemble an engine like the main engine on both "Spirit" and "Spirit of Grace" that had been used at one time in a city power plant. They returned to the ship with a couple of truckloads of invaluable parts, given to us at no charge!

Resource Development department has received lots and lots of great donations for California, Roatan and Spirit. We received gifts of beautiful tarp material, toys, medicine, new clothes dryers, deck scaling teeth for the deck scaler, paint thinner, air gun staples, extension cords, cooker controls, PVC, chain saw parts, battery terminals, jumper leads, a pump for Spirit, food, trucking services, freight containers, vehicle parts and more.

The Ports of Los Angeles and Galveston have both been blessed, hence, Los Angeles is in need of a portion of the facility they allow us to occupy (the Old Port Cafe and adjoining property) for a container terminal. The Port of Galveston will be renovating the berth and warehouse that they have so long and so generously given to us without charge, so we are currently moving out of both of these facilities. We are in search of a permanent Gulf home base and know the Lord will provide as He always, always does. We'll keep you posted.

ROATAN, HONDURAS

The Roatán crew has been hard and steady at work with construction and plumbing on our roomy new building that will house many people, a large cooking facility and a dining and meeting hall. They have also started construction on another office and housing facility. We have been blessed with lots of new ducklings and chicks, plenty of eggs to feed the crew and the vegetable garden is currently producing tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers. The men in the Roatán crew have established an outreach to the Roatán prisons and the women are now ministering regularly to children in the local schools.

HEADQUARTERS, LOS ANGELES

We were blessed to be able to send thousands of pounds of food to flood victims in Venezuela in cooperation with "Convoy of Hope." STOREHOUSE ONE has collected and distributed over a million pounds of food since our last report. We have been graced with many, many youth groups helping us with all of our many projects. The crew has been very busy with an annual inventory and preparing Friend Ship Faithful to go to Roatán. We are designing a new computer inventory program and developing an additional disaster relief web site. We attended the National Grocers Association trade show and were blessed with tons of great food.

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