Erik Jan Beerlage

Mid 2021 I found a nice brochure in the mail; it was from Mercy Ships. I had never heard of this organisation before and it immediately drew my attention; “wait? what? a hospital ship serving people in need, seriously!?”.

What I love about the organisation is the sincerity of all involved to invest their life’s energy with the intention to help and serve in whatever role that might be. That’s very humbling. So it made me contact the Dutch MS office. The interactions sparked the drive to apply.

My background, though, is completely different; the aerospace industry. I had enough opportunities to grow, to learn and to develop during the last 15 years. Including an unique 5 year experience of expatriation in the South of France.

A big passion of mine is travel; it brought me all over the world. Such a joy to experience and learn about other cultures. I like the way it broadens one’s perspective of life, the immense variety life can be lived, and to understand that ‘normal’ is a rather relative concept.

So the next phase of my life is about volunteering for Mercy Ships. It will be the Global Mercy where I perform my duties, take my meals and rest, and meet my fellow Mercy Shippers. I’m going all in!

My intention for this period with Mercy Ships is to serve, to support the organisation to the best of my abilities; to nurture my spirituality, that intimate relationship with the divine and to develop profound relationships with all the great people on board and around. And so it is.

Ask, and it shall be given to you; Seek, and you shall find; Knock, and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

By the way, it is possible to support me financially during the volunteering period.  This can be done via the ‘support this crew / Steun deze bemanning’ button or with a manual transaction to:

IBAN: NL75ABNA0411467778
t.n.v.: Mercy Ships Holland
o.v.v: #5931 Erik Jan Beerlage

With the code (5931) and my name your contribution will reach me. Thank you in advance for any contribution! Mercy Ships is an ANBI, so donations are tax deductible.

I plan to use my Youtube channel to keep you updated, you can get there through the link: www.beerlage.eu.

Sincerely,

Erik