The Adventure

On October 5th 2006, this adventure started. I stepped on a plane and ended up on a ship. I thought I was coming for two months, but God thought otherwise. He just hadn’t told me.

That ship was Logos II, one of three sister-vessels, all sailing for the same Christian charity organisation, OM Ships International. Their aim is to bring “knowledge, help and hope” to the people of the world, and they work this out in a number of ways – the world’s largest floating book fairs, on board conferences, world awareness seminars, aid relief teams, on shore visits to hospitals, schools, prisons, and so on. There are over 600 people from around 70 different nationalities, all working as volunteers, with a range of professional skills, from captain to cabin boy.

And where do I come in?

My name is Alison McFarland, and I was born in 1984, which means that every year I get a little bit older. After finishing high school, I volunteered as part of a youth work team in Northern Ireland for a year, before going to Cambridge University to study English literature. I graduated in July 2006 with a BA Hons, which will soon mature into an MA Cantab, and then stopped. With little passion for any particular career, and no specific life plans, I decided to “travel” for a while. I spent a couple of weeks touring China with family, then worked as a receptionist for a month, to earn money to board the infamous plane, after which my life changed significantly.

I believed in God since I was old enough to think. At around the age of 7 I began a personal friendship with Jesus Christ, which has become somewhat of an interesting path ever since. By October 2006 that path had become hazy. My experience with OM Ships has revealed to me the world at large, with all its messiness, emotions and deep levels of suffering. It has reinforced the depressing situations, but also shown me anew how I can be a part of bringing hope and joy to these broken lives. That hope can only come through Jesus Christ.

Life with God is perhaps more complex than life without. However, it is not to be missed! If you have any questions, comments, arguments, or merely want more information about this weird and wonderful existence of mine, then please feel free to email me: alisonmcfarland@cantab.net. I would love to hear from you, and promise to reply personally.