Wedding Day

January 7th 2012 is the wedding day of our daughter, Rebecca to Sephen Scott. This is a day of celebration as they come together in a covenant of love.

Christmas greetings

We pray that our heavenly Father will pour out his love in your lives in the power of the Holy Spirit in a fresh way through this Christmas season.

The Doulos has been a remarkable ship in the Ministry

Dear Friends,

Ann and I have accepted an invitation to lead OM's work in East Asia Pacific beginning in 2010. Pray that we will know much grace as we take steps to support the development of the work. We will send you more information about the role in the coming weeks.

The Area includes ministry in the following regions:

North East Asia

South Korea, Japan, North Korea, Mongolia, China, Hong Kong, Macao

South East Asia

Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Laos, Brunei, Vietnam

Oceania

Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Islands

PRAY as we prepare for this role. (The appointment begins at the beginning of January)

- Heart preparation as we listen for our Father's agenda

- Strength to support the development of leadership teams in each region and in the areas of ministry

- Faith and courage to walk in step with the Word and Spirit.

- Wisdom to discern and catch God's vision for this distinctive work in Asia.

OM East Asia Pacific has been sending workers into the harvest field by the thousands since the early 70's. Presently between 600 - 700 adults, not including 150 children, fro this part of the world are serving with OM. In recent years exciting opportunities and ministries are developing across the region. Pray that God will lead many to take steps of faith and join in making a difference for the Kingdom in East Asia Pacific.

Important News for Prayer

Yesterday we received news that the Doulos will not be able to sail beyond the end of December 2009. I enclose a communication from our ships office. We served on Doulos for almost 7 years. We have seen God work through ordinary people. Pray that we will see His miraculous intervention as we search for a ship to replace the Doulos. Pray for the on board community and leaders in OM ships as they work through a difficult time of transition.

Blessings,

Mike & Ann Hey

World’s oldest ocean-going passenger ship to stop sailing

Mosbach, GERMANY – 20 November, 2009

The ministry of OM’s ship Doulos will come to an end on 31st December 2009.

Doulos is the world’s oldest ocean-going passenger ship, now 95 years old, with the hull built in 1914, just two years after Titanic. In spite of the all year round maintenance that has taken place, the amount of steel replacement and other repairs needed for her to continue sailing are overwhelming. The ship is presently in Singapore and has been undergoing the annual period of dry dock and surveys.

Early indications are that the work would cost over €10 million and take five months to complete. The OM Ships executive leadership team and board believes that is not appropriate to invest resources of this scale into the ship, since Doulos would have a limited ministry future.

Chief Executive Officer of OM Ships International, Peter Nicoll, said, “The outcome of this is that Doulos will not be able to continue in ministry. This is not what any of us wanted, and has serious consequences for everyone on board, those about to join and for ports we planned to visit.”

“We are committed to operating safe ships and complying with the requirements of our classification society, RINA, as well as the International Safety Management requirements for ships,” affirms Peter Nicoll. “We have been praying that God would use this five-year ‘special survey’ to give us a clear picture of the way forward for Doulos and that He has done.”

The well-being of the 280 crew and staff onboard is of paramount importance. Each person will receive the guidance and support they need to decide what their next steps should be. Some are close to the end of their period of service, while others joined as recently as September.

Keeping the ship compliant with the highest marine standards has been a real challenge over the years. It is a remarkable testimony to the professionalism and dedication of the non-profit organisation’s technical personnel that the ship has continued to meet marine requirements until now.

CEO Peter Nicoll stated, “We recognise God’s faithfulness through these 32 years of wonderful service of the ‘servant’—Doulos — as an outstanding OM ministry, through more than 600 port visits in over 100 countries. Many lives have been transformed, both visitors and those who have served on board.

We are also deeply grateful to our partners around the world who have supported the ship in ministry through the years. Please continue to pray with us as we work on present challenges and seek the Lord for the future.

With Logos Hope now active and exciting ministry taking place, we are investigating possible options to charter another ship in the interim and have already begun working on the Doulos replacement project. Contributions should be given through your local OM office and designated ‘Doulos Project’.

Ken Miller
Director of Communications
OM Ships International

Goolwa

We thank God for the opportunity to visit Goolwa ans fellowship with the Goolwa Uniting Church. We were encouraged to see the pr-active approach to witness and service in their community.

Esther back at school

Esther is now back at School. She has settled well with the support of her friends and teachers. We thank God for the vision of Tyndale Christian School and the amazing way that they have kept a missional focus for the students through short term teams to Kenya and Cambodia.

This coming Sunday Ann and I will be speaking at Clovercrest Baptist church on the theme of authentic faith. Recently, the church mobilized over two hundred people to help the survivors of the fires in Victoria earlier this year. We praise God for this faith initiative to bring the love of Christ in a practical way.

They have arrived

Another 96 people joined the Logos Hope today. They have just finished a few days of Pre Ship Training. The dining room was full and vibrant with the conversations as new members joined the ship families.

Tomorrow night we will share in the prayer night. We have a deep sense of joy as we look back over this very remarkable season of ministry. Ann will share on Saturday morning and I will share Sunday morning about Moses' encounter with God.

Next Steps

We will be back in Adelaide at the beginning of October. Until the end of the year we will be on Home Assignment with OM ships. During this time we will be available to report back on our experience with the Logos Hope and to thank many who have participated with us on this journey of faith.

We do not plan to visit the UK but will be available to travel in Australia. Write to us if you would like to arrange a meeting. We prefer midweek meetings with small groups but we will also be open to ministry on the weekends.

We hope to work with OM Australia and have a passion to support the development of the Dalit Freedom Network in Australia. Dalit means crushed, oppressed and refers to the 250 million people in many kinds of modern day slavery in India today. More details can be found at:

http://www.dalitnetwork.org/go?/dfn/contact/C170/

Pray for Esther as she leaves the supportive ship community to re enter school in Australia. Pray for our daughter Michelle as she prepares to marry Dan Stevens on the 12th December in Adelaide.
Praise God for His provision and pray for the steps we now take to set up home in Australia for a season.

Our personal prayer:

Father, we are listening!
Son of God, we stand in awe of your work!
Holy Spirit, We experience your enabling and leading



A note about support:

In OM we rely on God to meet our needs through the generosity of His people - OM staff raise their own financial support. We'd like to encourage you to consider joining our financial support team as we take these next steps of faith to invest in the Kingdom of God.

We value your participation in our lives. Our desire is to see people grow and bear fruit. Our passion is God, and His gospel that sets captives free.

You can make a contribution online - click on http://www.uk.om.org/html/giving.html or

If you prefer to send a gift by mail, please make your check payable to Operation Mobilisation and include a a note that the contribution is for Mike & Ann Hey. You can send this in an envelope to OM, The Quinta Weston RhynOswestry, SY10 7LT, England

You can make a contribution online (which is tax deductible for those in the USA). This payment system is secured and requires a minimum gift of $25. To use this method:

1. Go to https://usa.om.org/GiveOnline/
2. Select the first option (Give to support OM’s ministry through a person) and click Next3. Fill out the form as follows:Full Name: Mike Hey
Where they work: Logos Hope
Gift Amount: ________
Messages: __________Click Next, then fill out your contact and credit card information.

You can give via www.om.org.au or send to 5 5 COURT STBOX HILL, VICTORIA AUSTRALIA

We appreciate your partnership and your interest in our ministry. If you have questions please contact us at gomshey@gmail.com

Giving thanks to God

Our season of ministry with the Logos Hope is coming to an end. We have helped to shape the ministry and build the community. We are thankful to God for His grace, leading and strength.

Thousands of people are visiting the ship every day here in the Caribbean. As they enter the airconditioned deck they are greeted at the life boat theatre with a welcome and introduction to the ship. Then before entering the Book fair they are left with a question about hope.

With 1.3 KM of shelves and 7,000 titles there is something for everyone in the Book Fair. Our best seller is still the ancient scriptures written over 1,600 years by 40 different people with a clear message pointing to relationsip with Jesus Christ.

After the Bookfair we have an area that will eventually be known as the Journey to Life. As well as a mini theatre we have been developing a walk through interactive area with clear good news themes.

Beauty - There is beauty in God's creation. Everyone, whatever their background has been given dignity, worth and purpose.

Broken - All of us have experienced brokeness in some form. When the masks come off we share a common pain, shame and guilt. This is the reality of the world that we all live in.

Hope -Our message is clear and at it's core is the need for forgiveness, healing and deliverance. This message transcends culture and can transform worldview. It is the simple message of the love of God.

After the journey to life area on this Deck 4 experience there is an opportunity to relax in the I-cafe, meet friends or chat with a member of the crew and share experiences.

The experiece can be expanded with the Hope Theatre. This can seat 417 and has already been a venue for some very motivational events.

We thank God for the opportunity to have been a part of shaping this vision and to have been involved in helping to build the culture of this unique international team. In a few days another 96 join to add value to the mission. They will sail from Trinidand with 400 people.

On Tuesday morning Ann and I handed over leadership to Gian and Eveline Walser, from Switzerland. Gian has worked with me for a number of year and I am delighted to see God's hand on his life for this next season of leadershp.

We will return to Australia to re-connect with our church and family. Our desire:

1. Listen to God
2. Worship Him
3. Obey His will

Update

We have had a great few days in St. Vincent. Yesterdat 4,870 people came on board. Last night the youth event was packed and the message transformatonal.

Ann some other wives will be helping with a VBS this coming week.

Pray for anointing in daily ministry on board and for Jesus, the great shepherd to lead us to divine appointments.

Training

The sun is shining and the voage is smooth. The community training is going well. Our focus in the Word this week is John 14:6.

"Jesus said, " I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Pray for the preparatons for this first port in the Caribbean. Pray for good news to impact thousands.

On the way to the Caribbean

We sailed from Cork, Ireland on the 14th July. The voyage has been smooth. We have taken time as a community to reflect on the Upper Room discourse in John 13 - 17. The voyage is also a time to catch up on some communications and to prepare for the ministry ahead of us in the Caribbean.

In Edinburgh

We have seen people on Deck four quietly weeping as the watched a short film in the mini theatre. We have seen others praying with crew members. We have listened to stories of people touched by the presence of Christ. The aroma of Christ is evident among us.

Next wek we sail to the Faroes Islands. The Logos Hope is registered there. The small nation is excited about visiting the ship that most would have traveled on when it was a ferry.

Another Milestone

On the 29th, March 2004 we were on the Doulos off Patmos. OM ships teams had a day of solitude and prayer to seek God about the purchase of the Norrona. An agreement was signed to agree to purchase the ship and we bought the Norrona on the 19th April 2004. Today Lloyd Nicholas rleated the story in our morning service. We have been on a journey of faith and give thanks to God for the ministry unfolding here in the Netherlands. Some 20,000 people have visited. Many who were given a tour had an opportunity to be prayed for before leaving. The ministry is taking shape and we thank God for the matrix off opportunities for good news every day.

TODAY

Today we had about 100 OM Alumni on board. It was an encouragement to hear many of thier stories.

We also had a visit of 20 pastors from the Czech Repubic. may were deeply touched through thier experience with some of the crew on board. We sensed God's hand on this time of mutual encouragement.

The Netherlands

Pray with us for 10 people from the Netherlands to join the Logos Hope Short Term Eposure programme in June this year. Pray that many with partner with the ministry through prayer and giving.

A thank you

We thank God for our leaders. Mike passes on a gift to Bernd and Margret Gulker as an expression of thanks from the leaders on Logos Hope for thier leadership in the ship ministry. Bernd has served as the CEO for OM ships for since the early 90's. The Logos Hope is the fruit of his vision and leadership.

Update

1. Mike & Ann will be in Belfast this weekend to speak at the OM annual event
2. Esther is enjoying life on Logos Hope.
3. Rebecca is applying for a summer job
4. This weekend will be a time of celebration in Harlingen
5. Thank God for His provision in our lives and for the impact of the good news.

Time off the ship

Ann with Jan and Cora. They served with us on Logos Hope and now work with OM in the Netherlands. We had an encouraging afternoon together as we strolled through a nearby town. Notice the leaning church in the background.

Update

We had a great weekend with visits from former ship crew. It was an opportunity to walk back in history and be mutually encouraged while grasping a vision for the future.

Arrival

We have just arrived in Harlingen. Thank God for a calm voyage. Pray for the Joy of the Lord to fill our hearts as we meet many visitors.