Continued Support

I'm working full time now on the ship as a plumber! I'll be staying on the ship until mid-July of this summer and I really would appreciate your support. More importantly, I need prayer that I'll be able to stay focused on the reason I'm plumbing on the ship.

Sometimes it is hard to see how I'm making a difference when every day I'm unblocking toilets and not out witnessing. Every aspect of the ship is important though, just like the passage in 1 Corinthians 12:14-20 that says….

"For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body."

So if I think of the ship in the same way, it puts what I'm doing in a different light. It's encouraging to know that what I do, even though I'm not the one actually out there, is enabling others to go and use the gifts God has given them to His glory.

I'm so blessed to have this opportunity and I thank God every day for what He is doing through OM and the Logos Hope.

I've been a STEPper on the ship but my title will soon change to "Project Worker". As a project worker I have almost the same privileges as normal crew but one of the differences is that the crew members get "pocket money" which they can use towards whatever they need from clothes, to toiletries, and even some recreational activities. However as a project worker you aren't allowed pocket money so you have to come up with your own personal money to cover for clothes, toiletries, and whatnot. If you choose to donate I'll be using some of the money for the things that I need for day to day living on the ship plus my expenses to be on the ship and my return flight back to the US. The remainder I will direct back to OM. I’m also hoping to purchase some tools for the plumbing department if the resources are available. I miss my tools at home! I have included a PayPal link for your convenience, otherwise donations can be sent to ……

OM USA

Attn: Kathy Pettinga/Ben Sahlstrom

PO Box 444 Tyrone, GA 30290-0444

The financial aspect of my mission trip is not the main point. God will provide, and truly what I would appreciate most is simply your prayers. If you feel led to give, that’s wonderful, but don’t feel obligated in any way. I am just amazed at how God has opened the doors right and left to make this happen!

In Christ,

Benjamin