Rachel Hampton

Change is exciting! November 30, 2009

In case you don’t receive my newsletters, I have big news! The Doulos, the ship I’ve been living on since February 1st of this year is being decommissioned. We all knew this would happen but figured it would be September of next year. Boy were we surprised to hear it was December 31, 2009! This threw a lot of people’s “schedules” off because we had a new group of people join just a few months ago for two years. Still, the attitude on the ship is positive and uplifting for me to see. Most people are unsure of where they will go next but excited to see the opportunities God has for them. It didn’t cause too many problems for me, just moved my leaving date up. I had planned to go to Manila, Philippines in early February but now I’ll be leaving about a month earlier. I’m excited to go and start working with Wycliffe Bible Translators for the next year. Please do pray for our community on board that everyone will see where it is God wants them to go and will follow Him wholeheartedly. And pray for my transition to Manila as well because it’ll be a very different lifestyle than ship’s life. I’m looking forward to it though!

Also I’ve updated my newsletter page with all my newsletters for the past few months. Since we’re no longer going to the middle east, it’s not unwise for me to put those up anymore. Oh yeah, that reminds me…we’re not going to the middle east. Haha. We’re staying here in Singapore until the end of the year. After that, the ship will be sold or…something. We’re not sure. So thanks for your prayers and if you’re in Manila, be sure to look me up!

Time with God November 15, 2009

There is one really great thing about having lots of free time here in Malaysia during my second land team phase. The amount of time I’ve been able to spend with God. I’ve downloaded sermons from Ergun Caner and Ted Cunningham (my amazing pastor from my church in Arkansas) which were really great. I’ve been reading “What’s so amazing about grace” by Philip Yancey (thanks Doulos library!) which has taught me a lot already. And of course I’ve been able to read the best book…God’s Word. I wanted to share something that God taught me last week that is still floating around in my brain. It’s amazing how personal He is! If you’ve got your Bibles, turn with me to Acts 20:22-24 .

“And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus–the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love.”

I felt God really showing me the parallel between Paul’s missionary journey and mine. I am in no way comparing myself to Paul. I’m not stupid enough to make that mistake…but God knows how influential this man has been in my life and was showing me how we have some things in common. He’s not just a character in a book, he’s real and his life lessons are applicable to me. Like Paul, I am traveling from city to city on the Doulos. I may not face jail but there is suffering involved. Not to the extent of Paul, but suffering nonetheless. Like missing family, losing my grandfather, encountering loneliness or discouragement. All kinds of things. But I knew this would happen. God says in His Word that we would face trials and be persecuted in one way or another because of our faith in Him. BUT, that means we get to share in his suffering! I’m not worthy but what an honor!! And regardless of what suffering I face, I know God has called me to serve here and, in a few months, the Philippines. So why complain about these sufferings? Like the verse says, what is my life worth unless I am telling people about God’s love? It is the work God has assigned me, just like he assigned Paul…and all of us. There are still so many people in the world who don’t know the amazing love of God. It breaks my heart to think about it. What a huge assignment I have. What does a little suffering matter in the grand scheme of things? It’s not about our comfort now that we know him. We should be rescuing people from the same fate we were once destined to face. It was a great reminder for me. And of course you’re a missionary too. Maybe not overseas being tossed around on a big ship, but God has still given you this same assignment. Don’t take it for granted!

9 months…really? November 7, 2009

“Hi, my name is Rachel, I’m from the USA and I’ve been on the ship for…..9 months?!”

This was my intro at a recent program at a church in Malaysia. I was surprised as I announced it. Just a few days ago I hit my 9 month mark of being on the ship. Unbelievable. That means only 3 more months to go! It’s so amazing how fast time flies. It does not seem like I’ve been living this crazy, world-traveling life for that long. It’s been such an exciting ride.

Last you heard I was in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia. After a few weeks of great ministry there, we headed to Singapore. The ship was only open for five days but we tried to use the time as best as possible. I also used the time to do some sightseeing. Having never been to Singapore, I was determined to see as much as possible. Luckily one of my good friends, Clarence, who used to be a stepper on board, lives there and was kind enough to show us around.

After a quick five days, the ship moved into dry dock. Every year it has to go through routine maintenance out of the water. During this time, half the crew is sent on land teams to Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia to do ministry and help in these areas. For the first two weeks I was in Bandung, Indonesia, near Jakarta. I went with an amazing team! One of my roommates, who was more than happy to go back to her home country, my previous roommate, Fumie from Japan, and one of my dear friends, Jennifer from USA. We worked with a local church doing youth programs, bible studies, as well as traveling to schools and sharing about the work that Doulos does. The two weeks absolutely flew by! Our hosts were so gracious and kind and made sure we saw alot of the area. There were also three young people who worked/went to the church who befriended us and made us feel like we were just hanging out with friends.

After that, all teams met back in Singapore for three days of debrief and preparation for PHASE 2. My second phase brought us back to Malaysia, closer to Kuala Lumpur. There’s me, Natalja from Russia, Tseko from Mongolia, Soomin from South Korea, and Minhae from South Korea. Again, our hosts are WONDERFUL. We’re staying at a youth house the church just opened recently for local students. Their desire is to have a place for the young people to study because many of their homes do not have a good environment for this. Next week we’ll be busy painting the inside and working on putting the logo I designed on their wall. In the meantime we’ve been spending time with the youth, local churches, and hosting ladies meetings while also seeing a lot of the surrounding area. We were scheduled to be here for two weeks but just found out the ship is not going to be ready to sail on time so we are staying here for another week. But hopefully the 23rd we’ll sail from Singapore and head to the middle east! I’m excited to see this part of the world and serve them in God’s name. Because this is a sensitive area, all of the ladies on board will have to adjust our wardrobe (hello ankle length skirts!) and be sensitive in what we say and do. If you’d like to hear more about how God has been working in my life, feel free to send me an email. I’d love to share. Thanks for your continued prayers. God is good…all the time. Everyday I see that this is true!