Questions asked of Andrew and Talitha by our Youth Fellowship :

1. What is it like living on the ship - is life hard on board, is it comfortable (is the accomodation good)?
2. Which Country have you liked best so far and why?
3. How many countries have you visited so far?
4. Do either of you ever get seasick?
5. Are there other babies on board the ship?
6. Is it hard meeting lots of new people (e.g. trying to understand all the foreign languages and religions)?
7. What is the food like onboard the Logos II?
8. Where will your baby live when it arrives and what other kind of difficulties will it bring?
9. Do you enjoy your work - is it difficult?
10. Do you miss Northern Ireland or Holland much (do you get homesick)?
11. How long have you been on the ship, and have you travelled far?
12. Where are you going next?
13. How many people are there on board Logos II?
14. What is the downside of travelling from country to country?
15. What is the Logos II and what does it do?
16. Would you like to revisit any of the different countries you have been to?
17. Do a lot of people come and ask you questions, and do you think they will ask you more questions when your baby arrives?
18. What do you do on board ship?
19. Do you enjoy what you are doing?
20. Was there a Logos I and if so what happened to it?
21. What is your cabin like?
22. When are you coming home?
23. Will you come home to have the baby?
24. Has the Logos II ever been to, or is it coming to Northern Ireland?
25. What will you call the baby (e.g. Bill, Sally)?
26. What do you like doing when you land in different countries?
27. Do you hope your child will grow up to know Jesus?
28. What do you pray for on board Logos II?
29. Is it difficult to cope with or learn all the different languages on board or in the places you visit?
30. Have you been sick yet with the baby Talitha?

1. What is it like living on the ship - is life hard on board, is it comfortable (is the accomodation good)?

Answer
Life is good on board, everything is provided for us and most things done for us like cooking and cleaning of the bathroom (Andrew). The living space, our cabin, is small but you get used to this (Talitha)

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2. Which Country have you liked best so far and why?

Answer
We both enjoyed Liberia in West Africa the best as we did lots of practical work and we really felt that we were a blessing to the people as they don't have much. It was nice too to work with the many orphans.

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3. How many countries have you visited so far?

Answer
So far, we have been in 12 countries since September 1999.

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4. Do either of you ever get seasick?

Answer
So far neither of us have been seasick, but that is because we have had really smooth sailings. When the waves are high or there is a lot of wind we will get seasick (even Andrew).

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5. Are there other babies on board the ship?

Answer
At the moment there are no babies on board, but we have some toddlers running around. By April 2001 there should be 2 babies, ours and the Chief Engineer and his wife's.

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6. Is it hard meeting lots of new people (e.g. trying to understand all the foreign languages and religions)?

Answer
Yes it is hard to get to know people when they don't speak english, but somehow we learn to communicate with the different people anyways. We like to learn about other languages and religions, and other people seem to find it interesting to hear our languages and hear about our faith, so that makes it easy to have conversations on board.

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7. What is the food like onboard the Logos II?

Answer
The food was pretty bad, very tasteless, but we have some new cooks at the moment and a new baker and we are enjoying our meals much more now. Funny enough they are all girls!!!

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8. Where will your baby live when it arrives and what other kind ofdifficulties will it bring?

Answer
We will be in Holland with Talitha's parents when the baby arrives, but in April we will move back to the ship and hopefully it will have a cabin next to ours or opposite of our cabin. I don't know what the difficulties will be, we will see.

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9. Do you enjoy your work - is it difficult?

Answer
Yes, we both enjoy our work very much. Sometimes it is difficult but that is nice too to have a variety, and to learn new things through it.

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10. Do you miss Northern Ireland or Holland much (do you get homesick)?

Answer
We do not get homesick, but we do have our moments when we miss Ireland and Holland (especially around Christmas time and New Year).

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11. How long have you been on the ship, and have you travelled far?

Answer
We have now been onboard for 14 months (as of November 2000) and we have travelled around West Africa, a little of Brazil, all around Italy, the Balkans and around Turkey. So that is quite a lot.

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12. Where are you going next?

Answer
We are moving on to the Middle East

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13. How many people are there on board Logos II?

Answer
There are around 200 people on board right now who belong to Logos II

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14. What is the downside of travelling from country to country?

Answer
The down side of travelling from country to country is that you will not get a chance to build deep friendships with local people. Another thing is somehow you get used to travelling so much that when you get home life seems so normal and at times boring. It is always exciting to enter a new port.

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15. What is the Logos II and what does it do?

Answer
Logos II is a ship with lots of people from all different nationalities that come together to serve God. We are a charity group and bring educational books to different countries where they might not have access to such books.

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16. Would you like to revisit any of the different countries you have been to?

Answer
Yes, we would both love to go back to Albania as there is a lot of practical work to do there and we made some good contacts there with local "workers". The people are really friendly and open. Somehow you feel you can give so much there, and it is so good to see the country being built up again after the fall of their communist government 10 years ago.

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17. Do a lot of people come and ask you questions, and do you think they will ask you more questions when your baby arrives?

Answer
Wherever we go people are always interested and curious to see the ship and all the different nationalities. Sometimes it can be a little too much always having to answer questions, but it is also a great way of starting a conversation. Crew members on board the ship are curious as well, so when the baby arrives there will be a lot of people asking things about the baby!

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18. What do you do on board ship?

Answer
Andrew works in the engine-room as a cadet engineer and studies in the evenings and one day a week for his qualification as a marine engineer.
Talitha is the Assistant Purser and works in the office dealing with the administration side of things. She has to prepare the sailing documents for each new voyage and port. After the baby is born she will "only be a mother" and maybe help a little in the office in her free time.

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19. Do you enjoy what you are doing?

Answer
We both love what we are doing, but it can also be very busy and demanding at times (just like at home).

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20. Was there a Logos I and if so what happened to it?

Answer
Yes there was a Logos I and she ran aground in 1988 at the tip of South America, Chile. She hit the rocks in a bad storm.

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21. What is your cabin like?

Answer
Our cabin has a sofa bed we pull out at night. We have a chair, a little desk with drawers, a sink, a wardrobe for our clothes and a cupboard for some books and dishes.

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22. When are you coming home?

Answer
We are planning to come home at the end of November 2001 when the ship is due in Belfast. We might stay longer too.

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23. Will you come home to have the baby?

Answer
We are going to Talitha's parents' home in Holland to have the baby.

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24. Has the Logos II ever been to, or is it coming to Northern Ireland?

Answer
Yes, the Logos II has been to Northern Ireland, and it will be coming again at the end of 2001 to Belfast. We look forward to seeing you all there (i.e. the Youth Fellowship - but others are welcome too!)

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25. What will you call the baby (e.g. Bill, Sally)?

Answer
We won't tell you the baby's name, you will have to wait! (Editors Note - The baby, a fine baby boy, called Shawn was born in February)

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26. What do you like doing when you land in different countries?

Answer
We like to try local food and to go shopping for little souvenirs that are typical from that particular culture (although you don't always find nice things). We liked the wood crafts in Africa, the different colourful cushions in Turkey and the nice water colour paintings in Italy.

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27. Do you hope your child will grow up to know Jesus?

Answer
That is our biggest prayer, that all our children will know Jesus as their friend.

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28. What do you pray for on board Logos II?

Answer
We pray for many people on board, that we can share our faith, for our next port visit, for different countries around the world, and also for our churches and friends and families back home.

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29. Is it difficult to cope with or learn all the different languages on board or in the places you visit?

Answer
It is impossible for us to learn the new languages of all countries we visit because we are not there long enough, but we usually have translators on board who can help us with the communication.

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30. Have you been sick yet with the baby Talitha?

Answer
I was sick for the first 3 months of the pregnancy. Lately I have had lots of energy so I am feeling really well, although my job is busy at the moment so I am more tired at night.

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