Dear God,

The way to live is to die. The way up is down. The way to lead is to serve. 

You get everything when you give everything away. 

You take that small job and remain faithful to it, and you serve and serve, and give and give, you begin as a servant. Greatness begins with servitude.

I first heard about this "ship full of books" a few years ago. Since then, I wanted to visit it and buy books that I can add to my bookshelves. I never had the opportunity until this year when my Victory Groupmates invited me to visit the ship together. Finally, I had my chance.

On the 10th of March, some of us attended church so we met at the GT-Toyota Center. Then we drove to Pier 15 berth 4, South Harbor, Manila afterwards in three separate vehicles. We left past 1 o'clock in the afternoon and arrived there past 2 o'clock. We bought our light lunches at 7 Eleven because there was only a Cafe inside. So we ate before proceeding to the ship. We got inside around 3 o'clock because of the long lines along with the hot and humid weather due to the intense rays of the sun. But no biggie.
When we entered the ship, there was a Mexican/Brazilian tour guide who gave us a quick orientation. Then we were all left to do our own explorations.


The bookstore was shaped like an oblong. We entered at the right side of the ship, went around the store, and then arrived at the same place we entered.

The first sets of books I saw were the Classics. They were priced lower compared to the ones in local bookstores though the book covers were different. Beside the Classics were the Inspirational and Christian books that totally caught my eye. I found some good ones I bought for me and my family: When God Doesn't Make Sense, Grown-Up Girlfriends, and What God Does When Men Lead. On the other side, I saw many cookbooks, travel books, lifestyle books, atlases, dictionaries, etc. At the end of this section was the music section where many Christian artists and bands could be found. They were also relatively low-priced. At the center of the section were the Bible section and some toys. I saw some great Bibles over there in affordable prices but not much that I really liked. The next section before the counter were completely Children's books, activity books, toys, animal books, etc. I didn't find anything that I liked either. I didn't get to take pictures of these sections because there were too many people inside. I had to squeeze my way in towards the shelves.. or just move! Haha. I almost lost my brown hat which Joni found at the cashier for me. Silly me!


I added two more books in my cart: 100 Days Out: Your Comprehensive Guide to the Best Attractions in the UK (Oh yes, I am claiming this trip!) and Low Fat Cookbook for my Mom. I bought five books all in all. Happy girl!

In the last section, there were many textbooks of various subjects in very low prices. We just passed by and walked to the walkway full of decorated walls. It was a little "kiddie" so we didn't take pictures. At the end of the walkway was a mini-hall wherein a large group of people were all listening to a Chinese guy sharing God's Word. We didn't stop and listen because we had to meet our friends at the Cafe. They were sitting at one of the tables. We ate pizza and shared our stories and views.




I am glad I visited M/V Logos Hope. I loved how they embraced diversity and employed people from various cultures all over the world. I loved how they serve with smiles and brought their love for God in their work like the super passionate Chinese guy at the mini-hall. But of course, I had some failed expectations such as the variety and uniqueness of the books, the space ('cause I thought the store was more than one level). Apart from that, I am thankful for the experience.

****

We drove back to church for the 5pm and 7pm services to praise God for the wonderful day. I even saw someone again. How can I forget you when you are always around?! Turn around, K. Just turn around. Lol.