24 January 2005

Well, here we are in Mobile, Alabama, USA! We are very glad to be back in the U.S.
We were very happy to see the arrival of the tugboat, Kirsten Grace which “tailgated” us all the way to Mobile. What a wonderful relief to have the rescue team at hand! The ship did great! We commend our engineers who kept the ship running very well! We anchored just outside of Mobile Bay. We needed to wait until the following day because the harbor was going to be very busy with a cruise ship coming in. We tooted our horn and all waved good-by to the tug as she left us to return to port. The next morning, January 18th, two more tugs arrived to escort us in to Mobile Bay, then up the river to the State Docks. The ship did just great until we got about a mile from where we were supposed to dock, then all of a sudden the ship, even though the controls said we were going forward, was going backwards. The pilot ordered the engine stopped and the two tugs came along side and tied up to the ship. It was pretty scary for a bit, but the tugs and the pilot did a wonderful job of getting us to the dock. Later we found out that we had a hydraulic failure. Add that to a steering failure and an engine failure. We are compiling a list of all the things that have gone wrong since our scheduled exit on January 3rd from Puerto Cortes, Honduras. We want to be very aware of how the Lord has protected us from any harm during a very eventful and trying time.
Waiting for us on the dock was our Agent and the Customs and Immigration officials. As you may know, we were under restrictions by the U.S. Coast Guard stating that during the first entry in to the U.S. our crew would be detained on board without any one being allowed to leave. We also had to pay for two armed guards to watch us 24 hours a day. This restriction was put in to place because the last time we were in Galveston, one of our crew members left the ship without permission and he never returned. Our DPA (Designated Person Ashore – Capt. Jon Fadely) had been in contact with the Coast Guard and Immigration officials to get the order rescinded because of the various repair issues with the ship. This has been a great point of prayer as it would be very hard on the crew to be in the U.S. at dock for 6 weeks or so without being able to leave the ship. We were required to muster twice a day to make sure that all the crew was present and we all stayed on board as directed. The Crew remained in good spirits as we complied with each of the requirements.
On Wednesday, January 20th we mustered again with all present and accounted for. Wednesdays, our regular community prayer time in the morning, we lifted up our requests to the Lord. One of the items on the list was that the Lord would give us favor with the officials at the district office of the U.S. Coast Guard in New Orleans. An Admiral had to make the decision on rescinding the order. By 3 o’clock that afternoon he had graciously done just that! Praise God! The Crew is now allowed to come and go as we please. We are so very thankful!
On Thursday, the same two tugs came to escort us across the river to Harrison Brother’s Shipyard. The surroundings are anything but pretty but we are grateful that this shipyard is allowing us to dock at no charge to us. There is lots of work to be done on the engines, the hydraulic system and the steering system, plus we have some scheduled work to be done with putting in a new bathroom on B deck and various other items on the agenda.
I just want to say how grateful our Crew is to the Lord. When we think about all the terrible things that could have happened during the various failures we’ve had, all the waiting and uncertainty, we marvel at the way the Lord worked out each and every detail. No one got injured and apart from some colds and some seasickness, every one remained well. Every day lots of encouraging words and laughter was heard throughout the ship. We remain in awe of a God who has shepherded us along, who has watched over us and protected us. We give Him all the glory at the praise for who He is – the Sovereign Lord who knows the end from the beginning. We wait on Him for the future, confident in His faithfulness and grace!

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Originally uploaded by Bill and Rebecca Long.

The tugboat, Kirsten Grace escorted us from Cozumel to Mobile Harbor. We were very happy to have this source of rescue beside us - just in case!

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Originally uploaded by Bill and Rebecca Long.

Bill descending the rope ladder to get in to the Zodiak. This was the only way to get from the ship at anchor to the dock in Cozumel.

Adventures at Sea …continued

Yesterday, January 14 we used the Zodiak and a friendly neighborhood dive boat to load up the luggage and Crew who had spent 6 days in Cozumel for an unscheduled “vacation.” Some of those crew had spent 2 nights in one hotel 2 nights in another and 2 nights in the local evacuation center. We want to thank the local churches and the dive shop for their hospitality and assistance. What a blessing to know you have “family” wherever we go in this world!
After the Crew ashore returned, we had a pre-sail meeting and did the fire and boat drills. Our agent came aboard ship with our clearance and we gave him our immigration list. By then the wind had kicked up a bit so maneuvering away from the buoy where the anchor had been located was tricky, but Capt. Tim did an excellent job and we were away. We had heard from the tug that they were fairly close by so we headed out to meet them. About 1 hour in to the trip the engine overheated. We were adrift again, but at least this time we were drifting in the right direction – far enough from shore not to be in danger and in the general direction of the tug boat. The offending parts were located – a cool water intake valve and the sea chest clogged. (OK, I don’t know what a sea chest is, but obviously you don’t go very far if it isn’t working!) The engineers worked on it for about an hour and a half then got the engine back up and running. A bit later we could see in the distance the lights of the tug boat. Her name is the Kirsten Grace – a very appropriate name to rescue a missionary ship! How great it is to have an escort for this poor little bucket. It seems that one thing after another has happened, so we are glad of the company – just in case.
The sail has been going well. We are doing about 8-10 knots and the tug boat remains with us. We are in a “convoy!” I’ve never been in a convoy before so here is another new experience! It is choppy out so that makes it a challenge to walk from here to there and trying to sleep while being tossed around in the bunk is interesting, but you’ll get no complaints from us. We are SO glad to be on our way! If all goes well we expect to be in Mobile on Tuesday.
Both Bill and I were able to get off the ship for awhile while we were anchored. Bill got in two dives. He says it looks very different than Honduras. He got to see some huge groupers, lobster, big French Angel Fish, a spotted Moray eel, different kinds of choral formations and a Flamingo Tongue Snail and a bunch of other creatures. He had a pretty good time. I went in to town with a friend from the ship and we did some shopping and had lunch. We got back to the dock a little early and waited for the Zodiak to pick us up. Two cruise ships were docked there and we spent the time people watching. What fun…people of all different shapes, sizes, languages, foot wear and clothing (or lack of it!). When the Zodiak arrived we got in. It is a very large step down from the dock to the boat, and I fell in, which for me was a relief as if I fall, I usually fall in the water. On the ride to the ship the water was rough and we all got soaked. Again, I’m not complaining…I was very thankful to get off the ship for awhile.
Hopefully the remainder of the sail will be uneventful. I’ll write with an update as time allows. Love to all!

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Originally uploaded by Bill and Rebecca Long.

Here is a map of our journey from Pto Cortes, Honduras to Cozumel, Mexico. You can clearly see our drift as we got closer to the Yucatan Penisula and where we got the engines going again. The going around in circles is what we did while we waited for the port traffic to be taken care of before we could anchor.

ADVENTURES AT SEA

As I stood on the bridge of the M/V Caribbean Mercy preparing the Bell Book for departure I reflected on our time in Honduras. We had just completed our second outreach to the Puerto Castilla area. The ship had moved to Puerto Cortes for a 2 week stay over Christmas and New Years. The crew was anxious to get started on the sail back “home” to the U.S.
The pilot arrived to guide us out of the docking area then we hit the open water for the beginning of a 3 ½ day sail to Mobile, Alabama. From the very beginning – January 3rd - the sail was quite lively making it interesting to work and walk, but we have done this many times before and know the drill. The next morning around 0600 the engines stopped. It is quite an eerie feeing when all of a sudden there is no noise or vibration when your body has gotten used to it! Later we learned from the Captain that an exhaust pipe had ruptured and the main engine had over heated. We were adrift on the Caribbean Sea.
The Engineering department worked around the clock to get us up and running. A sea anchor was set as the deck department did their best to control our drift. The rest of the crew spent time doing their jobs, sending emails around the world asking for intercession, and we also set apart time for prayer. The minutes turned in to hours. Thirty hours. Thirty hours to look at ways to resolve the problems. Thirty hours to look for means of rescue. Thirty hours getting closer and closer to the shallow waters and shoals of the Yucatan Peninsula.
At 1400 on January 6th, the day we were supposed to arrive in Mobile, our amazing engineering staff had patched together what was left of the engine just enough to make about 2 knots (a little over 2 mph). The Captain was able to get us away from the coast and back out to sea. The Mexican authorities had been notified of our dilemma and we saw a scout plane checking on our progress.
On the 7th we made our way to the island of Cozumel, a beautiful resort island off the coast of Cancun. It is the height of tourist season with 18 + cruise ships arriving and departing weekly. We had to wait quite awhile for the pilot to come aboard because of all the sea traffic.
The pilot informed us that we would be unable to dock but must stay at anchor and that there is only one spot to do that where the depth is 15 meters. We maneuvered over an hour with the wind, the current and our crippled engine to find that one spot to lower the anchor. The pilot also told us that we could work on the engine but we must be able to move out of the harbor at 20 minutes notice in case of bad weather. They understood our problem, but their tourist area must be protected from us being pushed in to their coast line. It was well after 2000 by the time we were anchored. The Immigration and Customs officials had waited on a boat for us until 1730 but they finally gave up on us and decided to return the next day.
Those procedures went well and we were cleared the next day. Our leadership, in partnership with a local church, was able to work out the evacuation of 50 of the crew. This will ease the strain on the water supply and holding tanks. A local hotel is accommodating the crew and a local church provided a dive boat to transport the crew from the ship to the dock, then vehicles from the dock to the hotel. Thirty of us remain on ship. Bill and I were asked to stay as he is the Fire Team Leader and I am the fill-in receptionist and will handle any paperwork that comes up. Our Zodiak (a little boat) is in operation and can ferry those of us who are released to go ashore for a short break. The generators are working and we have plenty of food and water. The weather has remained beautiful with a gentle breeze and the anchor has remained close to where it is supposed to be. We are expecting parts to arrive in the next day or so. Bill and I hope to go ashore tomorrow for a little break.
The Crew has remained calm during this adventure. We have been trusting in the Lord to see us through. What a blessing to see groups of people praying together and to see the way each has encouraged others. What a blessing to receive emails from people from all over the world telling us they are upholding us in prayer.
We don’t know the reason for what has happened. During our intercession times we clearly have gotten the message to “wait”. So, that’s exactly what we are doing. Perhaps we will see the “why” later or perhaps not, but we remain confident that we are centered in the Lord’s will.


“You, my Lord, are the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. You will not grow tired or weary, and your understanding no one can fathom. You give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but when I hope in You, O Lord, my strength will be renewed. I will soar on wings like eagles; I will run and not grow weary, I will walk and not faint.”

A prayer based on Isaiah 40:28-31 from Beth Moore’s book Praying God’s Word.

Bill & barracuda 2

Bill & barracuda 2
Originally uploaded by Bill and Rebecca Long.

Bill with a barracuda he found on one of his dives in Honduras. The fish had a spear in its side which ended up killing him, otherwise the sight of those swim shorts would have frightened him to death!