Multitasking with George

Learn about time management and solar-powered Bibles from OM founder George Verwer.

Stories of Hope: Hope for Kids

Hear about a Hope Team's visit to a children's hospital.

Logos Hope berths in Barbados today

Logos Hope has sailed on from St. Lucia, where the crew hosted a youth night in the Hope Theatre. A partnership with Reach 4 Life, the event included a concert featuring local music artists. The ship is now in Barbados and is scheduled to be there through mid-November.

Transform 2010: A Call to Prayer

Join with us in prayer as we cover next summer's outreach to the countries of the Mediterranean: Transform 2010.

George Verwer visits Biblica

In 1957, OM founder George Verwer started Send the Light, a literature distribution ministry which recently merged with the International Bible Society to form Biblica. Here George meets with Biblica President and CEO Doug Lockhart to find out how to pray and of course, to give out free books.

UPDATE: Philippines Relief Fund will help purchase meds locally

Volunteers have been packaging and delivering food to stranded residents since the floods. Soon they will be able to supply much needed medicine as well. Local churches requested medicine because respiratory illness has affected many people in the area. Give to the Philippines Relief Fund to get food and medicine to those who need it.

Stories of Hope: Children's Area

Podcast host Randy Grebe shares about a mother and daughter he visited with on Logos Hope.

Doulos enters one-month drydock, Logos Hope arrives in St. Lucia

After time in two separate ports in Malaysia, OM ship Doulos began a month-long dry dock in Singapore. Please pray for those working on the ship during this time as they make yearly repairs and updates.

Kota Kinabalu, the crew's first Malaysian stop, was the ship's 600th port. While there, 67 new team members came from all over the world to join the Doulos crew. The crew got out into the community, working with local pastor Brandon Chin to host a painting competition.This was the second one held by Doulos in Kota Kinabalu. Winning paintings lined the walls of the ship's International Cafe.

[above:] The Doulos Taekwondo team learns new skills at a Taekwondo studio in Kota Kinabalu.

From there, Doulos sailed to Pasir Gudang, where ship managers received leadership training and the book store welcomed a local chapter of the internationally known BookCrossing Book Club. A French BookCrossing member said, “The idea of bringing knowledge through affordable books on a ship is brilliant! More charities should educate the world through the medium of a ship.”

While Doulos moved to drydock, Logos Hope sailed to St. Lucia in the Caribbean. Work continues there on the Help Store, a place to store donations of materials to be used in help projects; things like soaps, shoes and t-shirts. Help Ministries Manager Marian Thompson of Scotland explained, “we want to really get alongside other projects working in the different ports that we visit and show the people that they are valued and loved”.

[above:] Jonathan “Jono” Smith of New Zealand and Andrew Bandara from Sri Lanka have been working to get the Help Store ready to open on Logos Hope.

Free Gospels of John from Living Water Project

OM founder George Verwer visits The Living Water Project, which supplies Gospels of John to those willing to distribute them. George tells his own story of how the Gospel of John ultimately led to his conversion.

Filipino flood victim: "Thank you for coming to us"

On Tuesday the team from OM Philippines packed and delivered 500 relief packages with the help of a Chinese church. Instead of asking people to come to them, the team walked in knee-deep stagnant flood water block by block to waiting families.

“Thank you for coming to us” said an elderly man who was partially paralyzed and confined to the second floor of his house. For him, as well as a number of other families, it was the first time food relief had been brought to them in the ten days since the flood hit. Many families had tried getting to centralized relief stations but found large crowds and short supplies by the time they arrived, and were unable to get aid. So these deliveries were quite a blessing. Pray that the teams will be able to continue finding and giving help to those with the greatest needs.

The small OM team has more packs ready for this weekend. They will be going to a different area and working alongside three local churches to distribute food to over 300 families. Please pray that predicted storms will stay at sea.

Give online to OM Philippines Typhoon Relief.

Stories of Hope: A 25-year-old Memory

Brief story of a man who was able to return to an OM ship.

Sports Camp in Italy

Here's an overview of the Val Pellice Sports Camp in Italy. Want to be a part of sports mission? Check out OM Sportslink.

George Verwer receives Lifetime of Service Award from The Mission Exchange

OM Founder George Verwer was recently honored in St. Louis as only the third recipient of the Lifetime of Service Award. This award is given by The Mission Exchange, a meta-mission group that facilitates partnership and professional training among mission leaders. OM USA VP Grant Blair said of the event, "It was inspiring to me to hear – both formally and informally – from participants in the audience how George had impacted their lives and/or their ministries in significant ways."

Along with the award, Verwer was given a commissioned portrait painted by Jim Meyer, a missionary with Greater Europe Mission. The two previous Lifetime of Service portraits were done in the traditional boardroom style but that just could not capture the essence of George the communicator. So this painting shows George holding a globe and wearing a globe jacket with a mic in his hand. The entire evening was a fitting tribute to a passionate mission innovator.

Do you want to hear where George is speaking next? Follow his travels and pray through the news items on his website.

[above, l-r:] Rick Hicks, OM North American Area Director,
looks on as George Verwer accepts the Lifetime of Service Award
from Steve Moore, President and CEO of The Mission Exchange.

[below:] Several OM USA leaders were with George
at the award ceremony, including (l-r)
Andrew Scott, Brian Mount, Rick Hicks, and Grant Blair.

World Premiere: George Verwer Tribute

Recently OM founder George Verwer was honored by The Mission Exchange with their Lifetime of Service Award. This video was created for that event, to introduce the audience to our beloved George. Thanks, George, for all you do and all you are.


George Verwer Tribute from OM USA Video on Vimeo.

George Verwer in the USA

OM founder George Verwer is currently touring the US. Here he speaks humbly of a recent conference he attended held by The Mission Exchange. He mentions how they gave "a special tribute to the ministry of Operation Mobilization". In a broad sense that's true, but the real honoree was George himself. The Mission Exchange awarded him their Lifetime of Service Award. We look forward to sharing more about this award, including the tribute video that was shown that evening. For now we leave you with George himself, encouraging as always and offering free books! Pray for George as he travels the US.

George's Verwer's workstation

Here is OM founder George Verwer at home in Idaho, offering free DVD's and books!

new recruits experience Outbound

The OM USA office just hosted another Outbound, a week-long introduction to OM for those seeking to go long-term. Potential OM members get to meet with prayer partners [above] and enjoy special events such as a dinner off-campus [below]. Many in this group are headed to OM Ships.

Are you interested in serving long-term? See our current opportunities. Then fill out the inquire page to find out more. The next Outbound is in February 2010. We would love to see you there!

Stories of Hope: The Hungry Crew Member

Let us interrupt your day with a story about...interruptions.

OM offering relief in the Philippines

An OM team member is seen here delivering food to waiting families. Read more about relief efforts here. Please pray for the people of the Philippines this weekend as they are expected to be hit again, this time by a "super typhoon". Pray for the Lord to miraculously intervene.

[above:] OM teams prepare food packs for residents.

[below:] Filipino families move to higher ground

Dancelink team heads to India today

Dancelink, an OM ministry, is flying a team to India today for almost two weeks. Wherever the team goes they use dance to share the love and message of God. The group leaving today will be ministering to the Lord and to the people of India through October 14. Dancelink founder Linda Wells asks prayer for travel today and on the 14th; the flights those days are 15 hours each. Pray for great relationships to be built there in India.

Back in May, Linda Wells was featured in a local magazine which has just become available again online. You can read more about Linda's ministry in this Fayette Woman article.

And learn more about this summer's Dancelink trip to Hungary here.

Travel Grants for Urbana 09

Planning to go to Urbana 09?
It's December 27-31 in
St. Louis, Missouri.

Need funds to get there?
Mission Network News
has a great article about
travel grants being provided
by the Christian Reformed
World Relief Committee (CRRC),
with links to Urbana registration
and the travel grant application.

Look for OM at Urbana 09.
And check out this video
about Anna Lyman,
an OM member who found
the right match for
her gifts at Urbana.