Logos Hope Ships

I wanted to write about a company that I almost spent my gap year volunteering for. They are a redemptively minded non-profit that provides literature to areas that lack easy access in a really original way. Logos Hope and now Doulos Hope are floating libraries that travel around the world and have been to more than 150 countries and territories since their start in 1970.

They receive books through donations, publishers, and partnerships that offer big discounts. Those books are then brought onto the ships and sailed to different countries. They dock for two weeks in one area, allowing people to walk in and purchase books at very affordable prices (about $2 or the equivalent in their local currency) and in many different languages. During those two weeks they also do outreach by going to local schools, hospitals, prisons, and orphanages, providing humanitarian aid and bringing hope.

All of their staff are self-funded Christian volunteers who represent more than 60 different countries. They have nurses, teachers, cooks, engineers, electricians, sailors, and more who commit a year or more of their lives to help serve on the ship. They all have different roles, but they all work toward the same goal of helping impoverished communities get access to books and therefore helping them become more educated.

The redemptive mindset of this non-profit is really apparent. They have a practical way of reaching the unreached, and it is also a creative way to build a community. Giving people access to books also allows what is, in a way, a short-term mission trip to become something long-term. The children and adults there are able to remember the ships through these books, but they are also able to keep educating themselves even after the ships leave.

Another redemptive thing they do is that they go out into the community as well. Doing this allows the community to get to know the people on the ship, and it also allows them to send out experts in different fields to help local hospitals and other places that need support.