.... never see his face again

In Acts we read the moving story of Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders. As it says in chapter 20:37;  They all wept as they embraced and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.  One of the hardest things I find in my work is the moment when I have to say  goodbye to the seafarers I have gotten to know. When the ship leaves port most likely I will never see their faces again! I don't weep, embrace and kiss  the seafarers like the elders in Ephesus did when they departed for another voyage, but it's still difficult.

In this blog I'd like to show a few pictures and  stories of seafarers I've met this past week  whose faces  I will probably never see again.

I met the captain of the CSCL Houston three times this last year. He calls the Mission at Roberts Bank "HOME". This is why you see us together in front of the "Home is where the Heart is" wall hanging. His contract is almost finished so he'll be heading home to his family and most likely will join another company in the future.....  "I will never see his face again"

The two crew members you see on the picture to the right walked with me to the Mission. They were lamenting the fact that their captain (of the CSCL Houston) would leave the ship in Hong Kong. They had nothing but good things to say about their captain. It didn't surprise me after having spent time on board their ship. The atmosphere was excellent largely due to how this captain treated his crew!

The four men you see on this picture are from Myan-Mar (formerly called Burma) They are crew members on board a container ship. I've met them several times. Wonderful guys! The ship they are on will change its route to Europe. I will "never see their faces again" 

The cook and other seafarers you see to the right are from Indonesia and are crew members on board the M/V Global Partnership. This the third and last time I will see them. They are going home after a 12 month contract. The cook was always happy to see me. You see him preparing a dish of nasi-goreng for my family. We love nasi-goreng at our house!

Have they been reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ?

We've given them Bibles, DVD's and on a previous visit I had a long conversation with the captain about the Bible, from beginning to end! (redemptive history)

I take great comfort from the book of Acts that although I may "never see their faces again" it is The Lord who saves, "And the Lord added to their  number daily those who were being saved."     ( Acts 2 : 47 )

Back Again

It has been a long time since I wrote my last blog and much has happened since that time. On December the 10th, 2009 I received the news that my brother Hendrik Pieter was killed in a tragic car accident in The Netherlands. He was my only brother and we were very close; we were brothers and best friends! The following day I traveled to The Netherlands to attend the funeral. He leaves behind a wife and four children. On the picture you see both of us with our mother who lives in a care home for people with dementia. In all this tragedy we thank God that she is not aware of anything that has happened in the family.

The last year has been a difficult year for our family. In December 2008 Winnie's oldest brother was killed in a tragic construction accident. In the Summer of 2009 one of the sons of that family drowned in the Nooksack River, close to Lynden, WA., and this lastDecember the tragedy with my brother. Thankfully, life continues and work is a good remedy to deal with tragedies like this.

On another note, please check the latest pictures of seafarers and Christmas at Sea 2009 on our website and please stay tuned for the next blogs.