BC Alumnus Takes on a “High Seas Adventure”

Tom and Tim with staff and kids of VBS

Mercy Ships Canada Director Tim Maloney talks to VBS about Mercy Ships

Tom on the bridge of the Africa Mercy

Tim holds blankets and coins donated by VBS kids

Thomas Drinkwater of Victoria, BC, adapted his year as a deckhand on the high seas with Mercy Ships to a week on the “High Seas” themed Vacation Bible School (VBS) program at Ladysmith, BC this past August.

When he learned that the Oceanview Community Church’s week-long VBS program focused on teaching kids about God through a theme of “adventure on the high seas”, Tom figured his year of serving on the Africa Mercy in 2007/08 and sailing in her maiden voyage as a Mercy Ship stood him in good stead to head up the church program.

Tom vividly recalls that first sail of the Africa Mercy after he’d helped in the final stages of her seven-year refit in England. “We headed her into the open waters for the first time (she was a former coastal rail ferry in Norway) and all I can say is, ‘Yowzers – what a sail!’” They met up with the first Mercy Ships flagship, the Anastasis, where they transferred everything to the Africa Mercy and decommissioned the Anastasis. Africa Mercy continued with surgeries and developmental programs in Liberia and Tom returned to Canada almost a year later.

“Seeing the theme of the VBS camp ‘High Seas Adventure’ and that the program encouraged making fleece blankets for needy kids,” said Tom, “I immediately thought of Mercy Ships and how perfect a fit it would be to tie in the theme of the camp with the theme of the gift giving. It would also be a great opportunity to help make the seaside community of Ladysmith aware of the ministry of Mercy Ships.”

Throughout the week, Tom’s VBS team encouraged the 30-40 kids, ranging in age from 4 – 11, to participate in the act of sharing and generosity by making blankets and giving coins to those in need. Each day they highlighted that these gifts would be given out to the sick children and adults that needed help onboard the Africa Mercy.

“In regards to raising money for Mercy Ships,” said Tom, “we encouraged the kids to bring in Loonies (our version of gold coins) to put into the small treasure chest we had at the front desk. Each day the children, staff and parents dropped their change into the chest. The day before we were going to present the money to Mercy Ships...the local bank converted all the change into silver dollars after I told them about the High Seas theme of the camp and what we were raising money for.”

On the final day of the “High Seas Adventure”, Tom handed over the chest of 415 silver dollars to Tim Maloney, National Director for Mercy Ships Canada, who showed slides and talked about the work of Mercy Ships to the VBS kids and their parents.

“It was great to see one of our own Mercy Ships former crew members helping to teach these kids about love in action,” said Maloney. “And it was a delight for me to watch the faces of the kids as they looked at the pictures of children we’ve helped on the other side of the world – to know that they know first-hand now that through their gifts, they are showing practical love to kids who are less fortunate and who they’ll probably never meet.”

As for Tom, his experiences with Mercy Ships and with Oceanview Community Church’s VBS have deepened his desire to serve as a youth pastor. He believes his introduction to Mercy Ships through visiting their booth at MissionsFest Vancouver when he was in high school has led him to this place of wanting to encourage other youth to move forward in the adventure God has in store for their lives – whether it be on the high seas or landlubbin’ somewhere in this world.