Ministry To Seafarers

pirate!

2012-02-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all of you readers! It's been a long time since my last blog.. We are doing well! Christmas at Sea was another great success and very much appreciated by the seafarers. More recently,, The Seafarer's Mission was blessed to open it's newly renovated and expanded facility at the Delta Port opened on Jan 24th by bishop Rev. Michael Ingham.

On a different note, I'd like to share a few stories of modern-day piracy! It's often in the news and has everything to do with ships, seafarers and the work that I do among these men and woman who make their living at sea. There is no piracy in this part of the world but not too long ago I met a seafarer who, according to his story, had experienced a pirate attack a few years ago off the coast of Somalia. In his case, he and the other members of the crew were kept captive for three weeks until a bag of money was dropped from a helicopter. Not until the captain had counted the money ( $5,000,000 US ) and the pirates were sure it was the right amount, were the seamen let go making for a happy ending to the story.

In another instance, Seog Hae - gyun, a South Korean master was not as fortunate as he tried to protect his ship and crew during a vicious pirate attack on the Indian Ocean, an attack which has left him with serious and long-lasting injuries. When his ship, the MV Samho Jewelry was boarded by pirates in January 2011, the crew took cover in the designated citadel, but the pirates broke in, holding them hostage on the bridge. For two days, Captain Seog steered the ship on a zig-zag course, so that the pirates would not realize that the vessel was actually sailing away from, instead of towards Somali waters. He also contaminated the fuel so the engines would not work normally and pretended the steering gear was malfunctioning in order to slow the eshio's speed from 14 knots to six, to keep her out of Somali waters for as long as possible, so that the South Korean Navy had a chance to attempt a rescue.
Eventually, the pirates became suspicious of some of Captain Seog's actions and brutally beat him up, causing serious fractures to his legs and shoulders. Nevertheless he still managed to communicate with his country's navy in South Korea while ostensibly speaking in English to his shipping company via satellite phone.
When the Korean Navy stormed the vessel, captain Seag warned the boarding team via VHF that three pirates were on the bridge. The pirates then shot him four times, including twice in the abdomen, in revenge. All 21 crew members were eventually freed, with eight of the pirate gang being killed and five captured.
Captain Seog was transferred via a hospital in Oman to one in South Korea, where he underwent major surgery. It was nearly a month before he recovered full consciousness!.......What an incredibly brave man.
Last year he received the IMO ( International Maritime Organization ) Award for exceptional bravery.

To give you more information regarding piracy around the world; The International Maritime Bureau reported that during the first nine months of 2011 there were 352 reported attacks during which eight seafarers were killed, 41 were injured and 625 hotages were taken worldwide.

Table Talk

2012-02-02T16:41:00.000-08:00

Sitting around the table with seafarers you can expect to have conversations, lots of them. Also, there are many comments even laments to which one has to listen.........always.lots of listening! Take for example the story of an older cook from the Philippines, who has been at sea since 1980. He lamented that when he retires soon, his three children will not be home any more. All three have graduated from university. Two of them are working in Saudi Arabia and the third is also planning to leave the country. Here he is, having worked for more then 30 years aboard ship, hardly ever home, unable to see his children grow up, yet sacrificing many years to pay for their education and now they will be gone...................I could only listen..

On another occasion,, the chief officer of a container ship told me that they are days behind schedule due to 5 days of heavy fog in China. Fog and pollution, that is. Normally, he said, if that would happen you would increase your speed to maximum! But those days are over. Fuel is so expensive now that arriving on time is not an option anymore. How times have changed in such a short time!

Storm story

2012-02-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

One of the things I appreciate about seafarers is that they seldom brag about their experiences at sea knowing that many times they experience severe storms, endless days of sailing in heavy fog and of course the danger of piracy in certain parts of the world. I remember as a child the heroic stories I read about sailors who battled huge storms. Or the stories of the heroes who rescued sailors from a certain death while shipwrecked on the beaches along the treacherous North Sea.
If I want to hear stories about storms they have experienced, I usually have to ask them. This happened today when I had lunch with a Philippino bosun. He told me that prior to coming to Vancouver they were caught in a major typhoon off the coast of China. Actually, they were in port when every ship there received news that they had to leave the port immediately. And so they did! About thirty km. from land they were caught in a wicked storm. All they could do was point the ship into the wind at full speed. Even at full speed they were only able to move forward at appr. 3 knots! ( 3 miles per hour ). Because of the storm, both the pilot and gangway ladders had been completely destroyed but, according to the bosun, by far the worst part of the ordeal was that it had lasted for two long days and nights! I did not have chance to ask him if they had feared for their lives. His lunch break was over and it was time to go back to work.

Ship visiting

2012-02-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

I begin this blog with a quote from the former chaplain of the Mission to Seafarers Rev. Joe Parker who wrote the following in his book, " On the Waterfront ". " The backbone of our work I have always claimed is ship visiting. Neglect to visit seafarers on board ship and in time they will neglect to visit you. There is no substitute for personal contact." After almost eight years of ship visiting I certainly agree with Rev. Parker; Ship visiting; meeting sailors where they are, is the ' backbone ' of my work and I thoroughly enjoy it.
That being said. times have definitely changed. Last week I lunched with a Danish captain and Chief Engineer on board a Maersk container ship. In my mind. the Danish people are some of the friendliest, laid back and polite people on this earth! A lot nicer, friendlier and easy going than the Dutch! I asked the captain if he sometimes gets tired of meeting so many different people in the various ports around the world, " people like me ", I said. He looked at me and said, " Well, first of all I seldom see a chaplain on board anymore and never one who joins us for lunch! "

Healthy Living

2011-09-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today, while visiting a brand new bulk carrier, I came across some interesting posters which were hanging on the mess room wall. As you can see they all warn against an unhealthy life style! All of them warn against eating too much food etc. I find it rather interesting since I see very few ' overweight ' or ' obese ' seafarers. Maybe the posters are meant for chaplains who come to visit the ship during lunch!

Going Home?

2011-09-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

When I board a ship and notice suitcases stacked close to the gangway I know what is happening; one or more crew members are going home! Another thing I notice is the difference between those who leave and those who stay behind. Those leaving have big smiles on their faces and are often shaking hands with their colleagues prior to disembaarking, while the ones who stay behind are putting on a brave face!
It was different when I boarded a ship with a crew from India the other day.. One of the officers invited me for lunch. We were served by the steward who had a sad look on his face. As we were talking about the ' issues of the day ' the officer suddenly mentioned that the steward was going home today after 15 months at sea. I said, " That's great but why isn't he smiling? To which the officer answered, " He is going home but his replacement ( another steward ) hasn't arrived yet and if he doesn't arrive today he cannot leave the ship and has to continue sailing to Chile " Now I could understand the steward's long face;.he was under a lot of stress because of the uncertainty.

When the ship left Delta Port that evening, the ' replacement ' hadn't shown up! The steward is now sailing to Chile along with the crew and from there they may sail to China or Japan and hopefully someone will be there to take over his job so he can go home to his family in India! (The steward is the fellow on the right, in the photo above.)

A very happy and thankful crew!

2011-07-19T10:52:00.003-07:00

I must admit, I felt really good after my ship visiting last Friday. From the moment I entered the ship's dining room, I immediately noticed that something was wrong. Everybody looked very upset! One of the crew members started complaining to me, " We are not allowed to get off the ship, not even to visit the Mission! " The crew of this ship had visited the Mission on a previous voyage and they knew me. " Why not? " I asked. " We have a new captain and he won't allow us to get off the ship to make phone calls! Can you please talk to the captain for us?" they begged. I knew that in the past the crew of this particular nationality was not allowed to get off the ship due to some incidents of ' ship jumping ' ( trying to enter Canada illegally ), which means major fines for the company when it happens.
I did not have much choice but speak to the captain who was lunching in the officer's lounge. Would I have a chance to change his mind, knowing that his decision is always decisive on board ship? This was a first for me. Upon meeting the captain, I realized that I was standing in front of a very imposing, authoritative person. After introducing myself and being asked to sit down I immediately asked him if the crew would be allowed to get off the ship, come to the Mission and make their phone calls. " NO " was the immediate answer! "Company policy, none of them gets off the ship " I tried again, explaining to him that the Mission building is located within the Port perimeter etc., etc., but NO was the answer.
He did not send me away however, but seemed eager for a ' talk '. And talking we did; politics, the euro, the dollar, the Second World War, when will the Third World War begin? etc. I got the feeling he liked me, or at least respected me so, I thought, I'll give it " one more try ". " Captain, please let these men go to the Mission, I am working tonight, you can be sure everything will be okay! " There was a moment of silence and then he called the steward who then had to tell the crew that they had permission go to the Mission............" BUT NOT EVERYONE AT ONCE "

Did a very happy crew come to the Mission that evening? You bet! I could't do anything wrong, and even got a hug and lots of handshakes as the evening progressed. I was reminded again, how important it is to visit the ships and meet the crew.........You never know!

Presbyterian

2011-07-19T09:47:00.001-07:00

Today, while talking with a Philippine cook aboard one of the ships, we discovered that we both belong to Reformed churches. His Presbyterian church has recently grown from a few families to approx. 150 members. He, however lamented the fact that Satan is making overtime in his church. Apparently,the church custodian has been accused of sexual abuse by a female member. Eventually, the local newspaper got wind of it and all this is deeply troubling the pastor. In response, I mentioned that the Lord sometimes tests or chastises us in order that we not become too proud. He does this sometimes through persecution because we often become too comfortable where we are or we start glorifying ourselves because of the increase of members. I told him that I will pray for him, his church and his pastor.
He also mentioned that the ship's steward is a pastor. You can guess why he is working on a ship........he needs the.income!
When I asked him if he and the steward/pastor have tried to lead a bible study on board, he had a very interesting answer. " Yes, I have tried it but there is always the excuse that everybody is sleepy " And then he said, " They don't want to come because I am at the bottom of the ladder " " What do you mean with that? " I asked. " Well, if the captain or the chief engineer leads a bible study the crew will show up, no matter how sleepy they are! ", was the answer. Now isn't that typical of human nature?
That was the end of our conversation as other seafarers came and needed phone cards.

M/V Cape Canary

2011-07-07T22:11:00.001-07:00

The first sailors I met on board the M/V Cape Canary were some friendly fellows from India. Looking to my left, I noticed two young ladies standing there in white coveralls. I was a little shocked because I rarely see young ( female ) seafarers on bulk carriers. While chatting with them, I discovered they were Scottish students from a maritime school in England doing their four month practicum aboard a ship. When asked how they were doing, their response was not overly enthusiastic. Apparently the food, "is so hot and spicy!" with a typical Indian menu of rice and curry everyday.

When I returned later that day, with bags of bread for the girls, the Indian captain invited me to have dinner with him. During our conversation, he told me that when he is on leave he leads a bible study in the local prison! You meet all kind of different people on board ship but this is the first person I've met who does such work when he is home. When asked why, his simple answer was, " This is what I do in return for what the Lord has done for me." Wonderful answer!

After dinner I met the two cadets again and asked them if I could help them by bringing some peanut butter for their bread. The one looked at me and said in no uncertain terms, " We don't like peanut butter!" When I then suggested marmalade I got the same response, " We don't like marmalade!" What could I do? Apparently young female cadets from Scotland are hard to please!

Post Pentecost/Church on the Ocean

2011-07-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

On the picture with Malpe Estibeiro from India who leads the bible study on board. Below you see three members of the group. It's very hard on board a ship to get them all together at the same time for making a picture.

Yesterday, a seafarer from India who sails on the M/V Theodore Mearsk came to the Mission building. The first thing he asked me was whether I was a Christian! When I said, yes, he immediately mentioned that he along with eight others ( all Philippine sailors ) regularly hold bible studies on board their ship on Sunday evenings. I introduced him to the bible section and suggested he take as many bibles as they needed.
He left with three bags of material!.But this is not the end of the story; later he asked me for Russian bible tracts as well. When I asked, "Why Russian? ", he explained that where he comes from ( Goa ) many Russian tourists visit the area. When he goes home, he and his father go to the beaches and hand out the ' gospel tracts '.
Last night I went to the down town Mission building and picked up a large amount of Russian material! This morning when I delivered the material he was overjoyed. We lunched together with some of the other bible students as well. You can see on the two pictures who they are. It's a wonderful story of the continuing power of the Holy Spirit working among people and nationalities; Indian, Philippino, and Russian!.................. Amazing!

" I looked...............and before me was a great multitude that no one could count..........from every nation, tribe, people and languege, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb! "

Vancouver Stanley Cup riots

2011-06-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

We've all seen the pictures. I don't have to go into detail about what happened that night, Many people are still disgusted of what happened...How was this possible? Really? In my humble opinion there is nothing new under the sun. The world has seen many riots no matter what the circumstances were. In this blog I want to show, from scripture, how quickly crowds can change from cheering to rioting. I will mention a few instances but I want to encourage you to read for yourself the context. It really is worthwhile reading!

Let me begin with Jesus being rejected in his home town at Nazareth. ( Luke 4 : 14 : 30 ) First. " All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. " But when Jesus says to them, " No prophet is accepted in his home town " and you can read the rest for your self the result is, " All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this " - they were going to throw him down the cliff. I.e.; They wanted to kill him!

The triumphal entry in Luke 19. " The whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices " - " Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord " In Chapter 23 we read that Jesus stands on trial before Pilate and Herod and we read that with one voice they ( the crowd ) cried out, " Crucify him! Crucify him! How quickly a crowd can change in such a short time!

As a church we celebrated a few weeks ago Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Good News of Jesus Christ now spreading from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria to the ends of the earth. What can we expect when the Gospel is preached.....................riots!

Acts 16 : 16 - 40. " Paul and Silas in Prison were dragged into the market place to face the authorities. "
" The crowed joined in the attack against Paul and Silas."
Acts 17 : 5. In Thessalonica we read that the Jews were jealeous, so they rounded up some bad characters from the market place, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. In Berea ( vs 13 ) " they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up."
Acts 19. The riot in Ephesus which totally gets out of control. " About that time there arose a great disturbance about The Way! "........" Soon the whole city was in an uproar."
Acts 21 : 27 - 36. Paul is back in Jerusalem and people saw Paul at the temple. " They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him." ( vs ) 30 - 33 ) " The whole city was aroused, they dragged him from the temple. While they were trying to kill him.........."
Acts 22 : 22. Paul the roman citizen. " The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, " Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live! "

When I read all these verses about crowds and riots I am reminded again of Paul's conversion on the road to
Damascus when the Lord speaks to Ananius and says; " Go!. This man ( Paul ) is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." Later Paul speaks to the church in Corinth and he talks about his hardships; " As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots!

Friday Night at the Mission

2011-06-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

You never know what to expect when you open the door and spend an evening at the Mission! Will it be busy? What nationalities will come? Will the computer system crash when 10 - 20 computers are on - line. Are the seafarers going to buy a lot in the store etc., etc.
This Friday something happened I've never seen in the almost eight years working in the Port..........The telephone system crashed, that is to say, one phone inside the building and one outside the building worked. Four telephones did not work any more! We called a technician who told me that the problem was ' outside ' the building! ( A cable was damaged due to construction work ) What do I tell 43 seafarers who came that evening, many of them desperately wanting to phone their families? There was nothing I could do! I must say the seafarers that evening were very gracious and understanding. The computers didn't crash and the shop sales were very good. It turned out to be a very good evening! ( The system was repaired Tuesday afternoon!........Three days later! )

Also, the seafarer you see on the picture is wearing new shoes plus he is carrying a bag with another pair of new shoes. He is from Mayan Mar and is a steward on one of the container ships that visit Delta Port. I noticed that he was wearing totally worn out slippers. This was Friday when he was serving lunch. I told him to come in the evening to the Mission building. I promised him that I would bring him new shoes. And yes there he was....... he wanted shoes! I had brought two pair of my own shoes......brand new ( Rockport and Nike ) but which were just too small for me. He tried them on, they were a bit too large but he accepted them gladly. I saw him walking to the ship. a very proud man with new shoes.
Today I met him again! He walked on the Nike shoes and he was wearing a big smile on his face. He is going home two weeks from now after a 10 month contract. I am reminded of Jesus' words, " So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. " ( Matthew 7 : 12 )

Tuvalu...Where's that?

2011-05-21T18:37:00.001-07:00

Do you know where Tuvalu is? I didn't till I met these sailors you see on the pictures. Tuvalu is a small group of islands between Hawaii and Australia. There are only 10.000 citizens who are of Polynesian ethnicity.. Because of the countries' remoteness there is very little tourism. Most jobs are government jobs. Wikipedia tells us that 500 Tuvalu men are employed as sailors, primarily on German owned ships. The Asian Development Bank assists the Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute which trains young Tuvalu so they can work aboard foreign vessels....... Back to the Mission; The ones I met were big but very friendly men. One went to the bible section and I asked him if he was a Christian? He said yes! I asked if he was a Roman Catholic, a protestant, baptist etc. he said, " No I'm a Christian!" Noticing his irritation, I decided to look up Tuvalu on Wikipedia where I discovered that 97 % of the Tuvaluans are members of the Church of Tuvalu, a Protestant Christian Church. No wonder he couldn't answer my question! When it was time to leave, they loaded up on bibles, devotional material and lots of Christian music. And yes the owner of the ship is German with a crew from Poland, Tuvalu, The Philippines and Bulgaria!....... a mini United Nations!

S.A.R. ( Search and Rescue )

2011-05-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

We find S.A.R. teams all over the world. The newly wed prince William is even a member of a S.A.R. team in England.
The main purpose of S.A.R teams is to save lives!
Last week I visited the ZIM Ningbo. The captain showed me pictures of a crew member who was airlifted somewhere off the Japanese coast. It was a medical emergency for someone who needed an immediate operation otherwise he would have died within hours. Airlifted to a hospital he was operated on successfully. He is now recuperating in Bulgaria.
In earlier days at sea the seafarer would not have survived and even nowadays the result is not always positive. ( Read my blog; MV Vancouver Express )

May 5; Liberation Day

2011-05-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

Sixty six years ago The Netherlands was liberated by Canadian forces from the Nazi German occupation. Five years of fear, hunger and death had come to an end. Born and raised in The Netherlands I've heard many stories of people who experienced that incredible moment of freedom.

It's hard to imagine for post - war children like me who have never experienced war,what war and occupation was like in every day life. How is it that people can be so wicked towards each other? It is hard to imagine since I meet German seafarers on a weekly basis with whom I have very good relations and who are very hospitable. It is hard to imagine that their grandfathers' minds were poisened by a false ideology/philosophy of 'ubermensch vs untermensch '. An ideology of the ' super race ' which would rule the world for a thousand years! The result was a bloodbath of more than 50 million casualties of war and damage beyond human imagination.

I am writing this blog a few days after the death of Osama bin Laden. Another tragic figure who tried to change the world through hatred, fear and death. The civil war is still going on in Lybia and scores of people are being killed in Syria. All these people long for freedom! Freedom from oppression, something we are so blessed with in Canada and which we often do not appreciate.

I do know about one kind of peace and freedom. A freedom that sets us free from the bondage of sin, death and hell and comes only through faith in Jesus Christ as described in the Bible where we read:

" It is for freedom that Christ has set us free " ( Galatians 5:1 )
" Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God
   through our Lord Jesus Christ " ( Romans 5:1 )
" Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus be-
   cause through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law
   of sin and death " ( Romans 8:1,2 )

The Lord's Table

2011-04-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

   Today I visited the " MV Maersk Kolka " It is one of those container ships where officers and crew eat at the same table! I think it is the only company that visits Delta Port which does such a thing.
   You may remember that I wrote a blog on this last year; one table yet even at this table the officers were sitting on one side with the crew members on the other and so it was today! Being as it is, the season of Lent, I was reminded of the Last Supper table at which Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover........ In my humble opinion that was not a pleasant meal. Remember that while they were eating a dispute arose as to who was the greatest among them! These were grown men mind you. But wait, it got worse; imagine that some one who has been with you for three years, some one you trust, your friend --- one who is at table with you is going to betray you. I am sure that this has even greater significance from a Middle Eastern perspective where eating together has much more meaning than in our modern western fast food culture. There is incredible sadness during this supper. There is also great mystery here. On the one hand Jesus says, " But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man - it would be better for him if he had not been born ".
Then we read, " As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him ".
   Speaking of dinners,this week the queen of the Netherlands is making an official state visit to Germany. When a head of state makes a visit to another country one of the highlights of that visit is often a ' State Dinner '. It's a fairy tale of royalty, ministers, ambassadors, the best food, the finest clothes, the greatest music etc. you can imagine! What a contrast! Would't you be excited if you received an invitation to such a dinner rather than to the one we read of in the Gospels? Which one would you choose to attend?

Well, as beautiful as that state dinner might be it is only temporary and the invitation is only for a few privileged people. In contrast, the Lord's Supper is open to alll of us accompanied with a promise, "I will not drink this cup again until I drink it anew with you in my Father's Kingdom. ..........." This is my body, which is for you!...Thanks be to God

" Christ has commanded me and all believers to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup. With this command he gave this promise; As surely as I see with my eyes the bread of the Lord broken for me and the cup given to me, so surely his body was offered and broken for me and his blood poured out for me on the cross.............he nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life with his crucified body and poured out soul!" ( Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 28 )

A blessed Easter to all of you!

TSUNAMI

2011-04-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

We have all seen the pictures of the incredible damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The shipping industry is also affected by this disaster. There are more than ten ports in Japan that have been damaged by this natural disaster. Following are pictures of a severely damaged container port. I don't think that loading and unloading container ships will resume soon!

Final visit

2011-03-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I visited Nito in North Delta. He will be leaving today for the Philippines. He will be blind in his right eye for the rest of his life. After several tests the doctors were sure that his other eye will not be affected due to the possibility of bacteria. I wished him God's blessing and we exchanged e - mail addresses.

I also made a final visit on board the MV Vancouver Express. The remains of AB Fidel D. will be flown to the Philippines on March 13. A replacement AB had already arrived on board the ship...... Life goes on! The ship will sail to Hamburg, Germany and they plan to be back in Vancouver 3 months from now.

MV VANCOUVER EXPRESS

2011-03-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning I met the crew on board the MV Vancouver Express. The Polish Chief Officer greeted me in the ship's office. I gave my condolences and asked him what had happened. He was willing to talk and did not seem to be in a hurry. What was supposed to be a normal routine maintenace procedure turned into a tragedy.
One of the AB's ( able seaman ) severely injured one of his legs. After the accident crew members transported him to the first aid room where he was given morphine against the pain. The C/O beliefs that a splintered bone must have severed a main artery which caused a lot of bleeding. For ten hours they tried everything to stop the bleeding but to no avail and so he did not survive. During that time the captain also changed the ship's course towards the Russian coast in the hope that a helicopter could evacuate the wounded seafarer to a hospital. However, the distance was too far and with stormy weather conditions the helicopter was grounded.

During lunch time I chatted with some of the crew members. They seemed to be quite relaxed but you could notice the stress from the ordeal that was stll so fresh in their memory. I did not have to do a memorial service since Father John from the ( RCC ) Stella Maris had already celebrated the Mass on board the ship. The ship sailed Sunday to Seattle and will dock again tonight at Roberts Bank I hope to meet them again tomorrow!

Visiting Nito at the " Ship Moms Healing House "

2011-03-04T14:28:00.000-08:00

I promised to give you an update of Nito's eye condition. First of all Nito has moved to the home of Carmie and Larry Kozak in North Delta. For the last fifteen years they have opened up their home to care for and nurture injured or sick seafarers. Nito is seafarer no. 380! Amazing!

Though Nito has to undergo more tests on Monday, he will most likely be blind in his right eye for the rest of his life. At present his doctors are concerned about infection in this eye which may spread to the other eye causing total blindness. This, of course, would be devastating. He was very happy to see me and we promised to stay in contact.
In our discussions he is very worried about the future since his seafaring career ( i.e. no: one source of family income ) is history. He is deeply worried that his daughter cannot finish her college education!

After saying goodbye to Nito and the Kozaks I thought of the apostle Paul who was shipwrecked on the island of Malta. They were welcomed by the locals with unusual kindness at that time and I believe that is what Nito is experiencing from his hosts today!!

I am now on my way to the MV Vancouver Express!

A ( busy ) day at Roberts Bank

2011-03-04T14:04:00.000-08:00

On the first and second of March I attended the annual Spring Classis meetings of the Christian Reformed Churches in B.C. the group of churches which support and fund The Ministry to Seafarers. During these meetings, which are held in the Spring and Fall, I usually give verbal and written reports. Having prepared reports for several years now I worry about becoming repetitive. However, some very busy days before this year's Classis gave me lots of ' material ' to talk about.

It all started with a phone call from an agent of the Hapag-Loydd container line, who informed us that on the MV Vancouver Express, scheduled to dock on Friday, a Philippino seafarer had been killed in a tragic accident. The captain requested that we conduct a memorial service on board ship on Saturday. Interestingly, the agent told us that he remembered me from previous visits to Vancouver. Hopefully,I will be able to comment on how the situation developed in my next log. In any event, I was pleased to hear that the crew members remembered us, especially in time of need.

My second visit was on the MV Gold River, a bulk carrier covered with so much rust that if you could turn that rust into gold you could buy yourself a river! Entering the ship's office I noticed a large number of black leather executive chairs. Quite impressed, I asked the C/O (chief officer) about them. " We have officer meetings here and every Sunday evening at 9 PM we hold a Bible study here as well, " he told me. Now that was wonderful to hear.....another " Church on the Ocean "! When I asked who led the Bible study, he immediately phoned the C/E (chief engineer's) who appeared within minutes. He was happy to see me and asked for new Bible study material. This time I was able to give him the Heidelberg Catechism and Belgic Confession material along with plenty of Christian music CD's. They left today for Japan.

On Tueday, the first day of Classis I first went to visit a new arrived ship at Robert's Bank. Being in a hurry I had decided to quickly introduce myself, invite them to the Mission building and leave. As I was leaving, the ship's steward jumped in front of me and with a voice of desperation begged me to help him. " I can't see through my right eye, I am going blind, I am in pain ", he said. "What happened? " I asked. Apparently, a bucket of chlorine had splashed his face and especially his right eye ". He had gone to a doctor in Victoria who had recommended to send him to an eye specialist however, his employing company had different plans. They wanted him to sign a document signifying that he had terminated the contract; meaning that he would fly back home to The Philippines, paying his own travel and doctor's expenses. I told him that I would contact the ITF ( International Transport Federation ) which I did. They would investigate the situation.

After having sharing these experiences on the floor of Classis I went back to the Roberts Bank Mission. The ITF representative called that afternoon to give me an update saying that he had talked to the company's head office. They had given their approval thereby allowing the injured seafarer to see a doctor in Vancouver who sent him to an eye specialist immediately who, in turn told him that he needed an operation to save his eye! The seafarer would definitely have lost his eye if he had stayed on the ship which left early this morning. He will now be operated on, hoping that they can save his eye. Sometimes a ship visit can turn out totally different than expected...this one was truly a blessed one. I will update you in the next blog regarding the seafarer's condition.

2011-03-04T14:03:00.001-08:00

Celebrating the feast of the sacrafice

2011-02-08T21:34:00.000-08:00

On November 17, Muslims worldwide will celebrate Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrafice, by sacraficial killing of sheep, goats, cows or camels. The slaughter commemorates the story of Abraham who was ready to obey God by sacraficing his only son Isaac but God intervened by substituting a ram in his place. The number of animals slaughtered during this feast is enormous. In Bangladesh alone more than 15 million animals are slaughtered!

As this is the season of the Advent we are reminded again of a different sacrifice, one so totally different, one that was made Once for All! I am, of course, referring to the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. Jesus, who came to this earth to die.
When John saw Jesus coming toward him he said, " Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! " ( John 1:29 ) Isaiah prophesied about Him when he said, " He was led like a lamb to the slaughter " ( Isaiah 53:7 ) In the Old Testament we see a constant pattern of animal sacrifice, the blood that had to sprinkled on everyone and everything for the forgiveness of sins!

In Hebrews we find a glorious answer to the forgiveness of sins, namely Jesus' perfect sacrifice on the cross! Listen what Hebrews says;
" He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once and for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption " Hebrews 9:12 )
" Only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself " ( Hebrews 9:7 )
" Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being
made holy " And it is because of this blood, shed once and for all, that the author to the Hebrews can quote from Jerimiah 31:34, " Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.".....And where these ( sins ) have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin! ..........Hallelujah what a Saviour! Let us during this season of Lent be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy ( 1 Peter 1:8) .......for we are redeemed ( bought back ) with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." ( 1 Peter 1:19)

TWO HOURS VS 46 DAYS!

2011-02-08T21:21:00.002-08:00

Last Sunday I was scheduled to preach in the Victoria Christian Reformed Church which means a 1 1/2 hr ferry trip one way. Impatient man that I am, after one hour ' at sea ' the voyage should have been over. By way of comparison, the ship I visited last week, the 'MV Ocean Creation', on her way to Rotterdam with 150.000 tonnes of coal as cargo, will be enroute for forty-six ( long ) days! I can't imagine what that must be like; forty six days of water, wind and waves, same faces, same talk, loneliness and boredom. I tried to make their voyage more comfortable by providing them with plenty of vegetables and......they were the first crew to receive Christmas presents this year. Having left Roberts Bank on Nov. 19, the 'MV Ocean Creation', most certainly celebrated their Christmas at Sea!

M/V FRONTIER EXPLORER

2011-02-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

Last week the M/V Frontier Explorer arrived at Roberts Bank. It was her maiden voyage. Everything looked and smelled brand new, just like a brand new car! Her destination was the United Kingdom, a sailing of more than 45 days. The Philippine crew requested a Mass on board. Father John of the Stella Maris ( RCC ) came on board while I attended the Mass also. ( see picture ) The next day I delivered large bags of bread and boxes with vegetables. I deliver this to most ships which make this very long voyage. It's also a great opportunity to do some ' preaching '! Re; bread! Jesus says; " I am the Bread of Life ".

Yesterday I received an e-mail from the cook to say thanks. This doesn't happen too often so I will copy it in this blog. An encouragement for me to know that seafarers appreciate the work we do!

" Sir, I am Orlando C. Betiong, Chief Cook of the MV Frontier Explorer. We were at Roberts Bank last January 25 and sailed January 29. I would just like to thank you for the bread and vegetables you have given to us. Surely this will augment our provision but most importantly for the hospitality you have shown to us in our stay here, your telephone and internet facilities truly lessen our homesickness, since we haven't seen our families for many months. I hope that many people will support the seamen's center and God bless them, Again, on behalf of the officers and crew members thanking you and your staff so much hoping we could come again to Roberts Bank in the future. God bless. "

The Globalization of God in the 21st Century

2011-02-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

Globalization is the buzz word nowadays. Modern communications, but also shipping, has much to do with this. Last year more than 400 million containers were shipped across the oceans of the world. That's a huge number involving many ships. Add to that all the other commodities shipped across the globe and we get a picture of how vast this industry is involving millions of people from all corners of the world.

Recently an article was published in the Globe and Mail by Neil Reynolds called, " The Globalization of God in the 21st Century ".
Here are some noteworthy quotes from the article [ Globe and Mail, Monday, January 10, 2011. ]

" Christianity is now ' on it's biggest roll ' in ts 2000-year history. Many Christians, though, are only dimly aware of the faith's phenomenal advance. You could call it the greatest story never told; the epilogue ".

" Christianity is on the rise in virtually every country of the world except the EU and the Islamic countries that forbid proselytization
( He should have included Canada too/author's note ) "

" The global rise of Pentecostalism produced the fastest growth of any religious movement in history " [Walter Russell Mead, U.S. political scientist ]

" The most dynamic religious explosion in the world is not an Islamic phenomenon. It is an evangelical Protestant phenomenon.
Evangelical Christians now number as many as 688 million people. Evangelical Christians will be a major religious, social and political force for the next 100 years! "

" By 2050 the number of Christians in China could reach 218 million - perhaps 16 percent of its population! " [ Scott M. Thomas, British foreign - relations scholar ]

I meet seafarers from many nations on board ships and in the sea-
farer's center. Most are from third world countries and Eastern Europe. With all the bibles that are ' disappearing ' from our display tables, I am convinced that we are part of of that great 'phenomenal advance ' of proclaiming Jesus Christ to all nations. We give all the glory to our Triune God!

Slow Steaming

2010-11-16T13:29:00.001-08:00

During the global downturn, ocean-going container ships have been moving more slowly - mainly to address excess capacity and to reduce fuel costs. According to Dutch shipping analysts, Dynamar, every second ship crossing the oceans in the first half of 2010 moved at speeds similar to the 1860s......." What goes around - comes around! " Take a look at the next numbers;
1860. The average speed of clipper ships was 15 knots.
1973. The average speed of container ships was 34.92 knots.
2008. The average speed of container ships was 24 knots.
2010. The maximum avarage speed of container ships this year is 15 knots!!

** Report on Business/Globe and Mail/November 13,2010

The letter

2010-08-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

August is the month my wife celebrates her birthday. One of her sisters who lives in Alberta sent her a letter to congratulate her. A normal thing to do, right? However, when I saw the letter, I thought; ' When was the last time I saw a hand written letter? ' When was the last time you received a hand written letter? Something very significant has happened in the last years. With E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and very cheap phone rates, old fashioned letter writing has almost disappeard. When was the last time you wrote a ( long )letter to a friend, a loved one or even someone you were 'in love' with? Seafarers don't write anymore either. The Mission has lots of writing paper and envelopes on sale but no one is buying them any more simply because of the reasons mentioned above.
Something beautiful has disappeared. I remember during my first years of immigration how I longed to receive letters. Eevery morning I would walk to the post office hoping there would be a letter from family or friends. I would read them again and again. Of course I wrote many letters as well, hoping for letters in response.
Today there are people who collect old letters. They will tell you, ' Don't throw away old letters '. Why not?
They say that a letter written expresses so much more than a quick e-mail... My wife, Winnie, shared a story of an old letter from her aunt in The Netherlands which she had written to her (Winnie's) dying mother, encouraging her to trust in Jesus and to read the Psalms. Winnie, years later, read the same letter to another elderly aunt comforting her with the same words.
I once took a course at Regent College in which the history of letter writing was discussed. Historians often use old letters to glean what they can about the past!
In the New Testament we read how God chose a man called Paul to preach the ' Good News ' of Jesus Christ and the resurrection. God chose letter writing as the way of communicating His message to the churches. Isn't it amazing that we still profit from these letters! Never old, always refreshing, rebuking, disciplining, encouraging etc. Will letter writing ever regain its importance ? Only God knows, but we must thank Him for the letters he has given us so we can proclaim the Good News to the ends of the world.

Hein Thu Soe

2010-07-17T21:26:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning I went to the M/V Caladium to visit Hein Thu Soe, the seafarer I met last night. I was greeted by the Korean captain who invited me for lunch. When I mentioned what had happened to one of his crew members,the captain indicated that he wasn't aware of anything.

A few moments later Hein entered the officer's mess room and the captain now aware of the situation offered his condolences. During our conversation I assured Hein that we would pray for him and his family tomorrow in church. He appreciated that and left the mess room.

After lunch, as I left the mess room I met Hein waiting for me. He asked me if I had especially come to visit him. My answer was yes! He really appreciated that and told me that his father had already passed away two weeks prior but, that his family had not wanted to notify him with the terrible news. Last night while skyping with a friend he finally received the bad news. Being the oldest of five sons, Hein is now the main bread winner for his family. I asked him if he is going home soon to visit the family. Since this is his first voyage as a third officer he will not consider that option. He hopes to go home after five months when his contract is up.

It was a reality check for me again as to how privileged we are in this part of the world. After hearing the news of my brother's death I was able to fly to the Netherlands the very next day!

After walking with me to the gang way, Hein suggested that we be photographed together. I gave him our website address so he can read the story and see the pictures. I wish him God's blessing and the comfort we find in Christ Jesus.

In Memoriam Bill Bouwman

2010-07-17T17:14:00.001-07:00

On July 7th The Lord promoted Bill Bouwman to glory!. Bill was a member on the Seafarers Committee for more then six years. He showed a deep devotion for Christ and his church. He was also a man of great humor and character.

We will mis you Bill!

On the picture you see Bill ( on the right ) with Hank Hamstra, a good friend of his who is presently the chairperson of the Ministry to Seafarers.

Friday evening at the Roberts Bank Mission

2010-07-17T17:11:00.006-07:00

Yesterday was a busy evening again at the Delta Port Mission with seafarers from China, Myan-Mar (formerly Burma), The Philippines, Korea, Vietnam, Ukraine and Poland.. As the evening progressed I counted at least 14 laptop computers in operation. The system had to be restarted twice and the complaints were numerous because downloading became a very, very slow process.

Things become very interesting when four Chinese seafarers who didn't speak any English were pointing at me and the telephone and started yelling TAXI!! ( I guess taxi has become a universal word ) After a long ordeal of explaining, I did arrange a taxi and they were sent off to Ladner!

I was amazed again last night at how much interest and inquiry there was for the Gospel. Two sailors from Myan-Mar asked me for a " Jesus " DVD and the Chinese were very interested in Gospel material.

Finally, as I closed the door at 10 PM, I was approached by a sailor from Myan-Mar . ' Goodnight,' I said, when he suddenly grabbed my hand and said, ' I heard tonight that my father has died! ' It was silent for a few seconds. ' I am sorry to hear that, what happened?' I asked. Apparently, his father, who was 51 years old had been killed in a car accident.

Since my 52 year old brother died in a car accident six months ago, I was confronted again with my own emotions. When I offered to bring him to his ship docked at Birth # 1, quite some distance away, he declined . After having held onto my hand once more he disappeared in the darkness towards his ship. I was determined to visit him the next morning. ( To find out more, read my next blog )

Our wedding anniversary

2010-07-09T21:17:00.001-07:00

On July the 6th we celebrated as a family our 25th wedding anniversary. We thank God for His faithfulness.

The Maiden Voyage of the M/V " Linda Fortune "

2010-07-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

The M/V Linda Fortune arrived last week at Roberts Bank. Brand new from a Japanese ship yard! White ropes and a very strong paint smell are always the first two things you notice when you board a new ship. The third thing you often notice on a new ship is that there are no books, no mugs, no DVD's, no extra clothing etc. for the crew. I made extra effort to find items for these crew members, including a Bible and a few Jesus DVD's. On the following pictures you can see how happy and thankful these men are. They left yesterday with a load of coal to Japan.

The Lord's Table

2010-07-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Every ship I visit I will find two mess ( dining ) rooms. One for the officers and one for the crew. This, I assume, is a maritime tradition which is very old. You find the same situation in the world's armies and navies. But on one of my recent ship visits I noticed that there was one mess room with a very long dining table! I asked the steward if this was the officers mess room. His reply was, " no, we have only one mess room where we all eat together ".Truly amazing, this was the first time in my seven years of ship visiting to see something like this; officers and crew members eating together! I asked the steward if I could join them later for lunch since I did not want to miss the experience. When lunch time arrived a few crew members showed up to eat. I asked them where the rest of the crew was. They answered that the table was never fully occupied anymore since the number of crew members was cut from 24 to 18 due to cutbacks. A little later a few more crew members and a very sleepy Romanian captain appeared to join for lunch. I used the opportunity to explain how unique this situation was and how I could compare this to The Lord's Table where people from every race, nation, regardless off their status in life, sit together and remember the Lord's death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. That is when we believe in Him and trust him for our salvation! I did not get much response.

But even at this one table where officers and crew members eat together something was different. The officers were sitting on one end of the table and the crew members at the opposite end. Even at this table there was a seperation between people. You may guess where the steward seated me? Ofcourse, with the crew members and not with the officers. I made sure that after lunch I moved to the officers end of the table. I had to experience ' both ends!' How ' radical ' the Good News of Jesus Christ is where Jew, Gentile, slave and free sit together at His table! Next week we hope to celebrate The Lord's Supper in our church. Are we, as God's people, still in awe why Jesus had to die on the cross? Why he commanded us to remember His death and that there is no distinction between people at His table....... "for it is by grace that we are saved "....no favoratism!

world cup soccer

2010-07-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

I think we all agree that soccer/voetbal/fuzball/football is the most popular sport in the world. You don't need a lot of money to be engaged in a match of soccer. I think that this is one of the reasons why the game is so popular. If you are a soccer fan then the world cup must be a real pleasure to watch. So far more than six and a half billion people have watched the games and we haven't even seen the semi - finals yet! The best players of the world are demonstrating their incredible skills and talents. I've watched a few games and these men are so well trained they almost look like race horses. ( I don't know if this is a good analogy! ) On the picture you see our son Mathias who loves the game of soccer and who is an obvious fan of a certain country that at the time of this writing is still in the game! The big question of course is; which country will win the ultimate price......the cup? We will find out soon. After the final match people will go home and soccer fans will soon be looking forward to the next ( Europa Cup 2012? ) world cup soccer in 2014. However, I am reminded of the words of the apostle Peter who says that, " When the Chief Shepherd ( Jesus ) appears, I will receive THE CROWN OF GLORY that will never fade away. The world cup trophy is pale in comarison with this crown of glory. Thanks be to God!

church on the ocean #3

2010-07-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

In one of my former blogs ( church on the ocean ) I told the story of meeting Michael who conducts faithfully every Sunday afternoon a bible study. This was on March 12. Last week he was again in port after a long, three and a half month tour to Europe and back. We lunched together and we had a wonderful time of fellowship. He told me how important it is and how much seafarers appreciate it when chaplains visit their ship which, according to Michael, happens not too often when they visit ports worldwide. Michaell is now facing a dilemma; He will sign-off in Hong Kong and who will continue leading the bible studies?

When he was here in March there were ten crew members attending the bible study. This number has since decreased to four due to signing-off and no new crew members have joined the study. Before I left the ship we prayed together that God will move the heart of one of the crew members to replace Michael when he leaves the ship. We said goodbye knowing that, " God never leaves us nor forsakes us! " ( Michael is in the middle of the picture )

New Blog Location

2010-04-09T08:08:00.003-07:00

You have arrived at the new location for the Chaplain's Blog.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://seafarerschaplain.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

The MV Christophe Colomb and the MV Oasis of the Seas

2010-04-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

Last year the largest cruise ship ever built was delivered to her new owner, the Royal Caribbean's giant new 6,400 passenger ' OASIS OF THE SEAS '.

The same year the MV ' CHRISTOPH COLUMB ', a 148.000 gross ton and one of the largest containerships in the world was also delivered to her new owner. It can carry 13.300 twenty-foot equivalent containers!

As the one ship can accomodate up to 6,400 passengers, the other ship will carry only 10 passengers. If you want to get away from the madding crowd of a super sized cruise ship then you should board this container ship and travel in great comfort for a full 69 -day Far East round voyage starting in Southhampton, UK. The price for this voyage is appr. seven thousand euro's. ( CAN. $ 10.000,00 ) Enjoy your cruise!

CHURCH ON THE OCEAN # 2

2010-04-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

On Good Friday evening I was working in the Mission at Roberts Bank. It was a very busy evening. Many seafarers were making phone calls and e-mailing their relatives at home. I noticed one older man among the crowd and I asked him whether he was the captain. " Yes ", he said, " I am the captain of the MV Bulk Monaco ". I noticed that beside his chair were two plastic bags with bibles. He explained that he is leading a bible study on board ship and he needed some extra bibles. Then I asked him how many men attended the bible study. " All crew members ", he said, with a big smile on his face! From our further conversation, I understood that he would really appreciate some additional study materials. The next day, armed with a load of books, commentaries, bible studies and a study bible, I climbed the gangway to the MV Bulk Monaco. Both captain and crew were very thankful.

During lunch he told me that he is a member of a Pentecostal church in Manilla which is called the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ in the Fourth Watch. " Interesting name," I said, "especially the last two words - the Fourth Watch. Does 'the fourth watch' mean that you believe the Lord Jesus will return soon?" I asked. " Yes," he said, "because people are buying more Bibles in the Philippines, (his native country) than I have ever seen before. There is a hunger for the Word of God." I shared with him that I had also noticed an increase in the amount of Tagalog bibles which Philipino sailors were taking from the Mission to their ships.

Moments like this are always praise-worthy and encouraging. A special "Thank You' to all the churches and individuals who contribute to the ' Literature Fund ' of this Ministry for helping seafarers such as these in their spiritual needs........Tomorrow is resurrection Sunday. Praise the Lord!

P.S. The third person on the right is the captain.

" freedom " A meditation

2010-04-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

" You may have seen the Lotto 6/49 ad on T.V. where they show all the beautiful things of the world, the ad then ends with the slogan, " Imagine Freedom! "....... Imagine for a moment complete financial freedom! To be debt free, to own a ( mortgage free ) beautiful home, to own ( not - lease ) and drive a most luxurious car, to vacation in the most beautiful places on this earth all the time.........just imagine!

During this Season of Lent I have meditated on another kind of freedom, that is, the freedom we have in Christ!

To explain or define this freedom we can go to the Heidelberg Catechism and notice what it says about freedom in Christ Jesus.
" He has set me free from the tyranny of the devil." ( Lord's Day 1 )
" Our Lord Jesus was given us to set us completely free and to make us right with God." ( L.D. 6 )
" He has set us free by the one sacrifice of his body, and continually pleads our cause
with the Father " ( L.D. 12 )
" He has set us free from sin and from the tyranny of the devil, and has bought us, body and soul, to be
his very own." ( L.D. 13 )
" He has set us free, body and soul, from eternal condemnation, and gains for us God's grace, righteousness, and eternal life." ( L.D. 15 )
" He sets us free from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us. " ( L.D. 15 )
" God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment." ( L.D. 21 )

Now, to win the lottery and fully experience the freedom that is advertised, you have one chance in a million to experience freedom, that being the nature of the game. The freedom we have in Christ is paid for with his blood and we receive it by faith. It is fully paid for, once and for all! To quote an old hymn,

" Nothing, no nothing I bring, only to Thy cross I cling. " " Were the whole realm of nature mine, that would be a PRESENT far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all "

Which freedom do you imagine? Which freedom do you choose?........... Have a blessed Easter. The Lord has risen, he has risen indeed! HALLELUJAH!

A short Lent meditation

2010-03-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

Lent is a period of fasting and reflection on the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this short devotional I like to reflect on our Lord's incredible struggle in the garden of Gethsemane, " being so much in anguish that his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." ( Luke 22 : 44 ) and " Abba, Father," he said, " everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." ( Mark 14 : 32 - 42 ) One thing that happened before Jesus and his disciples went to the garden is mentioned in Mark 14 : 26 and, to be honest, I've never given it any thought. What is the last thing Jesus did with His disciples before they went to the garden of Gethsemane? They sang a hymn! This reminds me of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail. Paul and Silas were whipped and beaten, their feet were in stocks.....and they sang! I've heard of Dutch resistance fighters who were singing psalms and hymns in prison prior to their execution. Jesus is about to leave for the garden, the betrayal, the hour, the cup, the suffering and death of the cross; yet, He was singing.

Shouldn't we be doing the same when we see the cross? ( Lent ) And, shouldn't we do the same when the " storms of life are raging " in our lives?

" Hallelujah, what a Saviour "

The low cost of transporting goods by sea

2010-03-24T16:23:00.003-07:00

Have you ever wondered how much it cost to transport your newly purchased Japanese flat screen television in a container to Vancouver? Let's say you purchased a T.V. at Best-Buy for $700. The shipping cost is only $10!

Here are some more statistics about the low cost of maritime transportation;
" The typical cost to a consumer in the United States of transporting crude oil from the Middle East, in terms of the purchase price of gasoline at the pump, is about half a US cent per litre.

" The typical cost of transporting a tonne of coal from Roberts Bank to Europe by sea is about US $12."

" The typical cost of transporting a 20 foot container from Asia to Europe ( a voyage of approximately 14 days ) carrying over 20 tonnes of cargo is about the same as the economy airfare for a single passenger on the same journey. " ( information from Marisec/Shippingfacts )

The new gantries at TSI Delta Port

2010-03-24T06:32:00.002-07:00

While visiting the OOCL Japan at TSI Delta Port I had a chance to see the three new gantries/container cranes in operation. These cranes can pick up two containers at the same time. The new generation container ships carry more than 10.000 TEU ( 20 foot containers ) on board. These are huge numbers, which means that the ports around the world need to have the capability of loading and unloading these ships.

Time is money! One officer told me that he has seen gantries in China that can pick up three containers at the same time! Faster and faster - when will it end!

A message to the world's seafarers

2010-03-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

The United Nations has decided to dedicate the year 2010 as "The Year of the Seafarer ". It's intention is to pay tribute to the world's 1.5 million seafarers - men and woman from all over the globe - for the unique, and all too often over - looked, contribution to the well being off billions of people world wide.

The following words are quoted from the secretary general of the International Maritime Organization Mr. E.E. Mitropoulos;

" We will do so with deep appreciation, in recognition of the extraordinary service you render every day of your professional life, frequently under dangerous circumstances, in delivering, to the more than 6.5 billion people of the world, the wheat that makes our daily bread, the gas and oil that warms our homes or moves our vehicles and the gifts we will share and enjoy with our families and friends over the Festive Seasons.

One and a half million seafarers serving the daily needs of more than six and a half billion citizens of the world! It is a fact that goes unnoticed or is taken for granted by most, but one that should be trumpeted loud and clear. For seafarers the world over deserve our respect, recognition and gratitude, and during 2010 we ensure you that the world does takes notice of your exceptional role and contribution and of the special debt that all of us owe to you. We thank you for that! "

With best wishes for the year of the seafarer - and a safe return home!

Mission to Seafarers

2010-03-12T15:32:00.006-08:00

One of the crew members on board the CMA CCM Marlin was wearing a "Mission to Seafarers" shirt. He had purchased it in Mombasa, the largest port city in Kenya, Africa.

It reminded me again how vast this world is, with its endless oceans and many ports. Seafarers often tell me how much they appreciate the Mission to Seafarer's centers in ports around the world. In 2009, 640,000 seafarers visited Mission to Seafarer centers, and more than 76,000 ships were visited by Ministry to Seafarer chaplains the same year!

Thank God for a "Home away from Home".

Church on the Ocean

2010-03-12T14:22:00.004-08:00

These men are members of "Church on the Ocean", literally!

They are crew members on board the MV CMA CMM Marlin where every Sunday evening, they gather for Bible study and prayer. The second person on the left is Matthew who leads the Bible studies. He is a man who truly loves the Lord Jesus and is very much committed to the work of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

What's so exciting about meeting Matthew and crew is that they are part of a growing movement that have Bible studies on board their ships. Contributing to this exciting development is the Seamen's Christian Friend Society which is based in Manila - Philippines. They offer a four day training course for Philippino seafarers when they are at home on leave. Listen to the testimony of a sailor who took the course, "I was very much blessed by attending the course CHURCH ON THE OCEAN. I experienced a lot of joy and was refreshed by the Lord. My desire to lead others to Christ in fulfillment of 'The Great Commission' increased. It is very important for every Christian on board to learn continually, to get more equipped, to grow spiritually and to strengthen the personal relationship with Jesus. This training course was a big help to me."

We did not have much time to talk because right after lunch they all had to go back to work. We did however, pray together and thanked God for his incredible goodness in Christ Jesus.......

The "Gates of Hell" cannot prevail against Christ's Church, even the "Church on the Ocean."

New Years Eve at the Roberts Bank Mission

2010-03-04T14:49:00.005-08:00

My wife, our daughter Miriam and friend Tineke Bosch from Abbotsford and I spent New Years Eve at Delta Port Mission. That evening the ladies made oliebollen for the seafarers. The oliebol is a Dutch cousin of the doughnut. It's closest relative I would say is an apple fritter!

Eating Oliebollen on New Years Eve is an old Dutch tradition. Of course that evening there wasn't a Dutch seafarer in sight, only seafarers from India and The Phillippines. However the oliebol was a great success....... we couldn't make/fry them fast enough! I think it will be a good tradition to do again next year.

CHRISTMAS AT SEA 2009

2010-03-01T16:27:00.001-08:00

It is rather late to write a blog about Christmas at Sea but you probably know why.

Christmas was different this year.

Father John Eason of the Apostleship of the Sea (RCC) spent the month of December in The Philippines and I in The Netherlands was for 12 days due to the passing of my brother. However the staff and volunteers did a fantastic job wrapping, sorting and distributing the presents to the ships.

The total number of presents this year was more than 3,000!

As difficult as it was for me during this time the highlight of the Christmas at Sea campaign was on Christmas Eve Day. A water taxi company made a generous donation to take chaplains and presents to the ships that were at anchor in English Bay.

The response was overwhelming. The seafarers did not know what to expect when a boat loaded with christmas presents came along side their ship.

A captain from Germay wrote us a very nice thank you letter. He had never experienced this in his life as a seafarer. The weather that day was absolutely perfect. I had to climb a rope ladder in order to board a car carrier. I found this a scary experience and was reminded that pilots have to do this kind of thing many times when they board a ship, often in bad weather conditions. I hope you will enjoy the pictures.

.... never see his face again

2010-02-27T22:26:00.006-08:00

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

2010-02-10T18:39:00.003-08:00

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.

New developments at Delta port

2009-08-22T13:36:00.018-07:00

In this blog I like to show you a few pictures of changes that are happening in Delta Port and in the world of shipping.

First of all, the expansion and improvement of the Mission to Seafarer's building has been completed. A beautiful new trailer has been added to the existing one. The extra space will be utilized to make room for all the seafarers that we expect will be coming.

Last week a ship arrived from China carrying three huge cranes! These are the 'new generation' cranes which can pick up two forty foot containers at the same time. The cranes will be used at the third terminal scheduled to become operational early next year. The ship that carries the cranes had been specially designed with huge ballast tanks for transporting these giants cranes across the oceans. It needed to travel very slowly, navigating away from any bad weather that came their way because of being so top heavy! To move these cranes from the ship to shore was a very time consuming experience.

The other development in the world of shipping is the new type of bulk carrier design. You'll notice the very high bow which is built this way to break the waves. Compare it with other bulk carrier pictures and you will see the difference.

The last picture is of a brand new SeaSpan tugboat. It arrived last week and it is the most powerful one in the fleet. All of these are signs that things will get busier at Delta Port.

FACILITY IMPROVEMENT AT ROBERTS BANK

2009-07-22T15:45:00.013-07:00

The Mission to Seafarer's Center at Roberts Bank is becoming a lot bigger! A double wide trailer is being added to the existing one.

With the third birth at TSI container terminals close to completion, it will be a very welcome addition and a reason to invite more seafarers.

I will keep you updated with more pictures in the near future when everything is completed.

MV Atlantic Tiger

2009-07-22T14:53:00.007-07:00

This morning I visited the MV Atlantic Tiger. When I met the cook he immediately started talking about bread, big tomatoes and cucumbers. I had been on this ship twice before, but I did not recognize him. "You are getting old" he said!

The port of destination for the MV Atlantic Tiger will be Ijmuiden, The Netherlands. Which means fifty days at sea. I promised I would supply the cook with lots of veggies and some clothing. They asked for clothing because when they reach Cape Horn, (the most southern point of South America) where it is winter now, they will experience very cold temperatures and extreme weather.

The two men in the picture are captains. How can there be two captains on one ship? It just happens that one captain just signed on and the other will be flying home tomorrow to the Philippines. They invited me to have lunch with them. For me an opportunity to take a picture of 'two captains' doesn't happen every day. Are you curious which captain will go home? It is the one on the right!.......... He did most of the talking during lunch!

I wish both captains God's protection, at sea and in the air.

MV Matsuura

2009-07-22T14:20:00.004-07:00

I met her in the mess room on board the MV Matsuura. A lady drinking a cup of coffee. This is not a familiar sight on board a bulk carrier.

I asked her where she lived. "In Sorento" (BC), she said. "What is a person from Sorento doing on a ship like this?" I asked. "My son and daughter in law are here and I am visiting my father who is the ship's cook". was her answer. A few moments later the son and daughter in law joined us.

I introduced myself to them, and we had an interesting conversation. They had met on the internet and after a year of e-mailing, he moved to the Philippines where they married. For two and a half years they lived there, but three months ago they moved back to Sorento, BC, Canada. She admitted that it is quite an adjustment living in Canada and that she misses her family very much. (Isn't that true for every immigrant).

Father and daughter were willing to give each other a big hug so I could take a picture. The ship is still in port but it will be leaving tonight. They have to say goodbye again. I can only imagine how hard it must be. ......Soronto..........MV Matsuura........The Philippines......

Father's Day Weekend

2009-06-22T21:24:00.008-07:00

On Saturday afternoon I was invited by the Mjan-Mar (Burma) crew for lunch, aboard their ship MV CAPE UNITED. The menu was extremely spicy pork and vegetables. The cook noticed that the 'hot' food had an effect on my facial expressions! "Come for lunch on Sunday and I will serve you traditional Mjan-Mar food that isn't spicy at all'' he said. I believed him, and Sunday after church I joined the crew for lunch. The cook was right, it was tasty and not spicy at all.

After lunch I tried to explain to them that it was Father's Day in Canada. Unfortunately, a soccer game on television had their attention so they weren't all that interested in my conversation.

I did learn that most people in Mjan- Mar are Buddhists. There are very few Christians. However I did have an opportunity to meet two Christians on board this ship. A gift of two 'Jesus DVD's' made them very happy.

The (Burmese) seafarers are very friendly and hospitable people. They are very careful about discussing the living conditions in their country. A military dictatorship has ruled there for several decades and it has one of the worst human rights records in the world. There is apparently forced labor and other serious human abuses on a large scale and no freedom of association or democracy! Please pray for the Mjan-Mar people.

Last Sunday all of our children came home and in the evening we enjoyed a Father's Day dinner. It was a wonderful time of food and fellowship.

I thank God for my family, and I'm reminded of the thousands of fathers who missed this opportunity to spend time with their families because they are at sea.

The lament of a seafarer

2009-06-16T18:52:00.004-07:00

Recently, I've had some interesting conversations with Filipino seafarers. One was with the chief engineer from the 'MV IKAN KADEWAS'. ( Ikan is the Indonesian word for fish). I had met this particular seafarer several times on previous visits to Roberts Bank. On this occasion he asked me if he could join me as I was going to Vancouver. He told me that he had to get off the ship to get some fresh air and see some different faces! While driving he begged me to help him immigrate to Canada. He and his wife have 5 children and he sees very little future for them in the Philippines.

I hear this is a request many times from seafarers who live in Third World countries, so it was no surprise to hear this again. What struck me was the comment he made about his life at sea and how for many years he hasn't been able to watch his children grow up. Always going back to sea, making sure there is enough money for living expenses and money to educate the children and at the end of the day he only sees them about two months out of the year. His lament that morning was that when he retires his children will have finished their education and will most likely move to another country for better employment! "When I finally come home, the children will be gone and I still won't see them", he said. As a father I can feel his pain, but I've never experienced what many sea going fathers have to experience!

I also had a conversation with the cook of the 'OOCL NEW YORK'. His fiancee is a domestic worker in Hong Kong, where she has to work very hard; from 7 AM till 11 PM, six days a week for $700.00 per month! We didn't discuss issues such as homesickness and loneliness, but he did mention abuses in the workplace. Apparently she has no other options because there is little or no work at home.

How blessed and, yes, how spoiled we are to be living in this part of the world!

A Victory in Vietnam

2009-06-11T15:59:00.005-07:00

In my last blog I wrote about the MV YNA AUK. Before writing about Vietnam here is a quick update on this ship..... They left Roberts bank on May 21st. Today it is June 11! They still have one more long month to go!

This week there were two more bulk carriers with destinations to Rotterdam and a port in Turkey. Usually when a ship sails to a Mediterranean Sea port they will take a route via the Suez Canal. Because of the threat of piracy off the Somalian coast, companies won't take that route and instead teh ship will sail around Cape Horn (South America), which takes them eleven days longer before arrival.

And now to my Vietnam story! In one of my blogs I talked about meeting Mr. P. Commissar, the political commissar who is employed on every ship that is registered in communist China. What follows is a quote from Christianity Today (June 2009); "In what religious freedom advocates regard as a breakthrough, Vietnamese authorities granted rare permission to unregistered house churches to hold a large, public, Easter-related service April 21 in Ho Chi Minh City. More than 15,000 people gathered. The huge crowd sang with joy! "I never heard any singing like this, even in a Billy Graham Crusade," said one Christian leader. It was as if they offered God all the praise and worship stored up in their hearts during many years of oppression."

Vietnam is still a communist country and I meet Vietnamese seafarers several times a year. Most of them live in Haiphong, which is in the North of Vietnam. This article I quoted gives me hope! Hope and the assurance that God is also doing a great work in communist Vietnam. I wished I could have experienced the singing with these 15,000 Christians. If some one in the crowd would have asked me, "Do you have a hymn request?", it would have been, "Crowns and thorns may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, but the church of Jesus constant will remain. Gates of hell can never 'gainst that church prevail. we have Christ's own promise, and that cannot fail" (From the hymn 'Onward Christian Soldiers' )

The MV Yna Auk and Langley Bibles for Missions Thrift Store

2009-05-22T14:41:00.011-07:00

Last week friends of ours returned home to Vancouver after a two week Panama Canal cruise vacation. Their voyage was filled with problems including two broken main engines and avoiding docking at any Mexican ports due to the Mexican swine flu. The delays resulted in a ten day non-stop voyage, all the way to the Port of Vancouver!

One of my friends complained that ten days at sea is way too long! I told him that I had just visited the MV Yna Auk at Roberts Bank and learned that the ship's destination is Great Britain. Ship and crew will be at sea for more than 50 days without any land in sight!

I feel sorry for these men when they have to travel for such a long time. I can't imagine what it's like, especially when I get impatient taking a two hour BC Ferry ride.

This past week I also made a visit to the Langley Bibles for Missions store to pick up mugs, stuffed animals and some puzzles. I also picked up a large selection of video's, music cassette's, CD's and even a video machine and a ghetto blaster! It all went to the MV Yna Auk including a few jackets for the cook and his helpers as well as lots of vegetables. Hopefully the voyage will be a little shorter with all these gifts from the Thrift store.

The MV Yna Auk left on May 21st, planning to arrive in Great Britain around the 12th of July.

Mr. P. Commissar

2009-05-22T13:38:00.004-07:00

Wednesday afternoon two young sailors from the container ship Xin Bei Lin walked into the Mission building. Their ship is registered in China and all crew members are Chinese citizens. They asked if I could call a taxi as ten sailors wanted to go to the Richmond Center.

One of the sailors wore a name tag with what I thought was his name in both the Chinese and English language. The Chinese name I obviously could not read, but the English translation was P. Commissar. I thought, hmmm Chinese names are rather similar to our names, until I suddenly realized that his name was not P. COMMISSAR but rather POLITICAL COMMISSAR!!

I had to laugh to my self. The political commissar was a young man with a friendly face. I asked the other sailor if the commissar was spying upon the crew? Both had a good laugh. 'No' was their answer, the P. Commissar is one of the stewards on board.

When the ten crew members were picked up by the taxi's the P. Commissar was with them. Apparently all Chinese state owned and registered ships carry a P. Commissar. How concerned the Chinese government is of controlling and spying upon the crew members I don't know. What I do know is that over the years many Chinese bibles and other Christian material have been taken on board ships by Chinese crew members.

The message of the Good News of Jesus Christ is unstoppable, no matter how many P. Commissars there might be in this world!

MV RISING SUN and 'Our Daily Bread'

2009-05-19T16:09:00.003-07:00

When I boarded the MV RISING SUN, I was confronted by a crew member with a temperature gun! He said he had to check my temperature before I could enter the ship. Welcome to the 'Swine Flu Epidemic'!

My temperature was fine so he allowed me to enter the ship's office. The C/O told me that according to company policy no crew member was allowed to get off the ship, not even to visit the seafarer's center to make a phone call! It just happened that I had received a few bags of bread that day; left overs from the local food bank. I gave them to the cook. He was very happy with the bread as these little extras are always welcome.

When I left the galley he followed me and asked me if I could supply him with a Tagalog (Philippine) bible. 'No problem' I said. Then he asked, ' We are having a bible study on board, do you have more bibles I might have?' 'How many do you want?' I asked. He wanted 10, so I delivered ten bibles to the ship.

The Chief Engineer on the ship leads a bible study every Sunday evening. Sometimes there are up to 14 crew members in attendance! The C/E is already discipling another crew member to lead the bible study, making sure that when his contract is finished the bible study will be able to continue.

As I left the ship I thought of the prayer our Lord taught us to pray, 'Give us this day our daily bread'....... This was the bread I took with me that day. But in John chapter 6 he also teaches us that He is 'The bread of Life'..........' When you eat this bread you will never go hungry'! The bible study and the new bibles on board the MV RISING SUN are the bread.

It was a moment of praising God for having the resources to give seafarers the 'bread of life'.

Sandra's exercise machine

2009-05-19T15:08:00.014-07:00

The 'MV SANDRA' visited Roberts Bank today, the first port on her maiden voyage.

There is always something special about a brand new ship: shiny paint, no rust, clean white ropes and just like you enter your brand new car...... that smell of brand new materials! However, when the ship leaves dry dock for its maiden voyage it is often equipped with only the bare minimum for the crew. Especially when it comes to entertainment and exercise equipment.

Two weeks ago a friend of mine had given me an almost new tread mill machine, suggesting I should use it in order to lose some weight! ( I have very nice friends who care or worry about my weight ). When I boarded the ship I soon realized that there was no exercise equipment onboard. I immediately found an opportunity to give away my 'gift', so I donated it to the captain and the crew. Of course they were extremely delighted. With it came a load of fresh vegetables, some warm clothing, a few bibles and a 'Jesus DVD'. I left a very happy crew behind. The pictures below tell the rest of the story!

Pastor's conference at Regent college

2009-05-09T20:43:00.003-07:00

This week I attended the Pastor's conference at Regent college. The theme was The Pastor as Preacher and the conference was sold out! More than 250 pastors and one chaplain enjoyed the preaching of two 'top gun' preachers from the United States.

During the four day conference we heard 8 excellent sermons. There were also workshops on exegetical and evangelical preaching. Many of the participants were Christian Reformed Church ministers, most of them from B.C. and Alberta as well as a few from Ontario and Michigan.

There were many opportunities for me to share with them the work of the Ministry to Seafarers. I also met with several pastors from different denominations. On the last day of the conference we celebrated the Lord's Supper. It was a very moving experience sharing the bread and the wine with Christians from different denominations. After the four day conference I had to say good bye again to many nice people!

Unfortunately it was a little like saying goodbye to the crew of a ship that leaves Roberts Bank... chances are you may never see them again.

The Holy Spirit at work

2009-05-05T10:09:00.004-07:00

A well known Anglican bishop and missionary to India; Lesley Newbiggin tells the story of being called to a tiny village where he was going to baptize 14 new believers.

Someone in the village owned a copy of the gospel of Mark. In that villager's culture it is customary that you read aloud. Curious villagers would join and listen to what was being read. Newbiggin tells the 'rest of the story'.

..... A the villagers listened, some of them became believers and wanted to be baptized. All Newbiggin had to do was come to the village and baptize these new believers.

So what is the point of his story, and why do I use this story as an illustration? … Newbiggin argues that the Holy Spirit was already at work among the people in that village and that this is often the case with any missionary work........

Saturday evening in the Mission building at Roberts Bank, a crew member from the MV King Robert walked in and asked me if he could have a Romanian bible for his Chief Engineer. I gave him one and shortly afterward the Chief Engineer himself showed up and also asked for a bible. When he saw the 4 Romanian bibles on the shelf, he asked for all of them.

Soon after a seafarer from mainland China walked in and asked for 2 Jesus DVD's, a New Testament in the Chinese language and some Chinese Todays.

Later on I saw a Philippino sailor reading with great interest, one of our brochures, God's way to Heaven.

While I had not said anything that evening... the seafarers were asking for bibles and other literature. I believe the Holy Spirit was at work!

I think there is a connection between Newbiggin's story and my Saturday evening experience. I hope and pray that the material they took with them may be read aloud and the DVD's are played loudly in the villages or cities where they come from..... hopefully there will be more believers and more baptisms!

Tragedy on the MV Amakusa Island

2009-04-13T14:59:00.005-07:00

Today, on Easter Sunday I visited the bulk carrier 'MV Amakusa Island'. The ship has a Korean captain and chief engineer. The rest of the crew were all Philippinos.The ship had been at Roberts Bank in February so I knew most of the crew members.

When I entered the ship's office and met with six of the crew members I noticed a certain tension or unhappiness among these men. I asked if there were any problems on board the ship. The problem was with the captain."We've never had a captain like this" was the answer of the first engineer, as the others nodded in agreement. I can only imagine how difficult it must be when there is tension among crew members because of personality etc.

But then they started talking about the tragedy that had happened after they had left Roberts Bank. On March 9th, off the coast of Alaska, during very bad weather,a crew member found the second engineer dead in his cabin. An autopsy later showed that he had died from a massive heart attack. They tried to resuscitate him but to no avail.

In earlier days a seafarer's final resting place would be in the sea. Things have changed in today's world of shipping. The deceased was put in the ship's freezer where they store their frozen food, till the ship arrived in Japan.

The second engineer leaves behind a wife and two sons in the Philippines. Both sons are also employed on a ship somewhere in the world. While I listened to the stories I noticed a few tears.I asked if they were all Christians. " Yes ", they answered! They also told me that the second engineer was a very fine and committed Christian. For me it was an opportunity to share with them the Good News of the resurrection of our Lord and the confidence we have of eternal life if we believe and put our trust in Jesus Christ.

It was an experience on this Easter Sunday I had not expected.

Some highlights from last month….

2009-03-26T12:41:00.002-07:00

In the picture you see me with officers of the ZIM USA which sails from Haifa, Israel. The officers you see are Israeli's. It is a rather sad picture because this is the last visit this shipping line will be making to Delta Port. Container traffic has (temporarily I hope) collapsed. It is a sad farewell because I have come to know many of the sailors and I’ve built some excellent friendships over the last 5 years with these men.

On the MV "Oriental Sun' I met a young Korean captain who doesn't believe in God- period! I asked him why? He replied: “Churches and Buddhist temples are always asking for money!” Doesn't that sound familiar? I started talking with him about God in the context of creation etc. Unfortunately he was called away because of a visit by the agent.

The crew was from Myanmar. I had just read that day in Christianity Today that the government of that country wants to forbid the churches in the capital to worship. (religious persecution) I gave some of the sailors a Jesus DVD, which they first refused to accept because they thought that they had to pay for them. Realizing that it was a gift they gladly accepted it. It is my prayer that God will do mighty things in that country.

On the MV "Corona Lion" I met a Philippine sailor who said that he was going home to Japan after 15 months on board the ship. I asked him why so long? He told me that he was afraid of not getting a new contract. I have talked to other seafarers who have had their contracts extended. There is a lot of fear and uncertainty among seafarers due to this economic crisis.

I attended the CRCWM Seminar in Abbotsford. Excellent seminar. Good workshops and I again met a lot of familiar faces.

This last month I attended both Classes meetings. The BCSE Classis was at a retreat centre in Princeton. It was still winter up there. During the night it froze - 29 C!! Although I didn't like the drive it was very worthwhile and productive to be with the delegates and to interact with them. At both Classes I gave a short verbal report.

Last Sunday I preached in the Chilliwack CRC (Cornerstone). I will be preaching this month in the Ladner and Kelowna CRC. As part of a two Sunday program, Roelien VanGeeman, Peter Yzerman and I will give a 'workshop' for youth in the Fleetwood CRC.

"No one buys their cargo anymore" Rev. 18:11

2009-03-20T12:22:00.005-07:00

'Annus horibilis' ( Latin for year of disaster ) We live in 'extra ordinary times' because of the unprecedented economic situation in our world today and how it has affected the world of shipping! Last year at this time they couldn't build ships fast enough and there was always a shortage of railroad cars to transport containers from the Port of Vancouver to eastern Canada.

The pictures of the two container ships shows the difference between last year and now!

How things have changed since the month of October of last year. As the credit crunch bites around the world, declining trade volumes have resulted in a dramatic fall in demand for shipping goods. An increasing number of ships are being laid up as trade slows. You can read my other article with a picture of the Port of Singapore congested with vessels. The downturn has come just as a whole generation of new ships, ordered during the latest boom time, have created the 'perfect storm' in the world of shipping!

We do not know what the future holds, only God knows, but industry insiders predict a lot of shipping companies going into bankruptcy which means that we may see again ships being abandoned by owners in ports around the world with the result that crews will be 'stranded' on board the ship with no money to buy food and no money to buy an airline ticket to fly home.

And so, in good times and now in bad times we have to be more than ever prepared to communicate to seafarers the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in word and deed"

Singapore congestion

2009-03-19T19:13:00.004-07:00

A shipping agent sent me these pictures recently. He took the photo from the air! Hundreds of ships are anchored in ports like Singapore and Hong Kong due to the economic crisis.

Hair styles

2009-02-28T19:54:00.003-08:00

When this young Ukranian seafarer walked into the Mission building I immediately wanted a picture of the two of us. The reason being, his unique hairstyle reminding me of the seventies. Is this the haircut of the future or was there a lousy barber on board the ship?

To the ends of the earth. - A reminder!

2009-02-28T19:24:00.005-08:00

Last week I attended the Christian Reformed World Mission (CRWM) conference in Abbotsford.
It was very encouraging to see so many people who came that day wanting to learn more about the work of CRWM but also to hear about world wide missions. For me, it was a reminder that God is a missionary God who has given us, his church, the command to GO to the ends of the earth to teach and preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ - also to seafarers! I have a brochure at home which is called 'Seafarers Covenant'. It speaks of the importance of maritime evangelism. 'In the extreme pluralisim of the seafaring world, surrounded by a host of other faiths on every side, all more or less pointing out ways to self-salvation, seafarers have an acute need for redemption through Christ alone'... 'We must be reminded that the whole Gospel can never be brought to the whole world, as long as the world of seafarers is not reached' We have pledged ourselves to 'proclaim Christ until he comes.' But only by enlisting the unique witness of the Church Maritime can we expect the glory of the Lord to completely 'cover the earth - as the waters cover the sea!' (Hab 2:14) What a reminder for me!

From Coast to Coast

2009-01-12T16:40:00.002-08:00

The last weeks of the year 2008 have been rather challenging on Canada's west coast. I am talking about the weather! Usually when you visit the Westshore Terminal in Delta you notice that everything is black; the stockpiles of coal, the pick-up trucks, the road, everything is black and dirty! And then, one morning all the blackness was covered with snow, beautiful white snow, all of Canada was covered with snow - from coast to coast! It made me think, about the Advent story of the angel appearing to Joseph and telling him that he has to give the baby the name of Jesus, because 'he will save his people from their sins.' It reminded me of that beautiful Old Testament passage Psalm 51:7 where David says, ' wash me, and I will be whiter than snow ' and where God promises in Isaiah, ' Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.'

At the time of this writing everything at Westshore Terminals is black again! But somehow that old song keeps coming back in my mind, " The blessing by faith I receive from above; Oh, glory! My soul is made perfect in love: My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know, The blood is applied. I am whiter than snow. Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow, Now wash me and I shall whiter than snow." (James L. Nicholson. 1872)

From Russia with Love

2008-12-18T20:49:00.008-08:00

The Christmas at Sea season has just started but what I saw last Sunday at the Roberts Bank Mission will probably be the highlight of the season. It happened when the Trinity C.R.C. cadets from Abbotsford made their annual visit to the Mission bringing their Christmas presents.

I had invited some sailors from one of the ships to welcome them and answer their questions about life at sea, ships, storms and of course pirates! We had a wonderful time together and many questions were answered when suddenly a Russian captain walked in. All he wanted was to buy a few phone cards. I invited him to stay and join us for a while, but he was busy as his ship would be leaving soon.

Then it happened..... one of the cadets approached him and started speaking Russian, catching the captain completely off guard. Then a second cadet approached the captain and began to speak Russian to him as well!

Just meeting children is a treat for seafarers, so you can imagine the captain's pleasure when there was a Russian connection there as well.

Christmas presents from The Tapestry in Richmond

2008-12-09T21:40:00.002-08:00

Two members from the Tapestry came to bring presents on a very dark, wet and windy Tuesday afternoon. You see them on board the MV Global Victory.

Living Hope Christian Reformed Church, Abbotsford

2008-12-01T17:57:00.006-08:00

The youth pastor, Adam van Dop and some volunteers delivered a full-size van with presents at the downtown Mission building in Vancouver. Thank you for wrapping almost 500 PRESENTS!!

Immanuel Christian Reformed Church

2008-12-01T17:36:00.003-08:00

Thank you to the GEMS and members of the Langley Christian Reformed Church from the crew of the M/V Filomena Lembo for the beautiful Christmas presents. They left this afternoon, December 1 to China.

A visit to Delta Port

2008-11-22T13:26:00.004-08:00

This week John and Renee Olthuis from Victoria came to visit the Mission at Delta Port. John and Renee have been long time supporters of the Ministry to Seafarers and we appreciate their support so much.

If any one of you are interested in seeing the Port, the Mission or if you would like to visit a ship, please contact me. I promise, You won't be disappointed!

Meeting again

2008-11-22T13:15:00.003-08:00

I walked into the galley of the MV OASIS OCEAN today and when the cook saw me, the first thing he said to me was: "Thanks for the tomatoes you gave me three years ago!" I asked him: "Would you like to have some more?" Of course he did!

It is a great blessing for me to have access to "gifts" like these through my contacts with some greenhouses here in Delta. I was also able to deliver a Bible and other Christian literature that he asked for.

600.000.000 tonnes of coal!

2008-11-22T13:01:00.003-08:00

Last Friday I was invited by the captain of the MV KAMASHIO, a 200,000 tonne bulk carrier for a very special occasion. To date 600,000,000 million tons of coal has been shipped from Deltaport since the start of Westshore Terminals in 1970. The MV KAMASHIO will be carrying the 600,000,000 millionth one.

Imagine how much coal there is on (or in) the earth. While this huge amount of coal is being transported from only one terminal, think of all the other coal terminals around the world.

I'm standing in the picture with the captain, some officers, Westshore Terminal management and some shipping agents.

M/V UNIQUE CARRIER

2008-11-14T13:43:00.007-08:00

The MV Unique Carrier, with a crew from India, will be leaving today with 185,000 tonnes of coal for a power plant in Israel. The voyage will take about 50 days.

On board the ship I met the second mate's wife. Because she does not have a Canadian visa she is not allowed to leave the ship - not even to visit the seafarers center. At home the couple have a one and a half year old daughter that they had to leave behind with her parents. She was desperate to talk to her parents and hear about the well being of their daughter, whom she missed very much. I offered to come on board the ship that evening with my cell phone. What I thought would take half an hour turned into more than 2 1/2 hours of conversations with their family and a host of other friends. But I understood; she will not be able to talk to their family and friends for the next 50 days.

'From a Distance'

2008-10-04T19:29:00.008-07:00

October 4 2008 was a stormy day at Delta Port. I took a picture of a bulk carrier that is now on it's way to Rotterdam. You can see the ship in the distance. They will be at sea for more than 45 days without seeing land.

Next Monday Winnie and I plan on flying to Amsterdam-----in just 9 hours! We hope to stay there for two weeks and visit with family and friends. When we fly home, again, in just 9 hours the seafarers I met on that day have 30 more days to go before arriving in Rotterdam!

Christmas at Sea

2008-09-20T16:25:00.012-07:00

Christmas at Sea is rapidly approaching. Their faces say it all!!

MV 'Eternal Grace'

2008-09-19T20:07:00.008-07:00

These crew members look very happy! After a 9 month contract they are flying home to The Philippines to be united again with their family and friends. I still find it hard to imagine to be away for such a long time. Seafarers often talk about loneliness and missing their wives and children. You can add to that the worry they have of getting a new contract, especially now when the financial crisis is also hitting hard the shipping industry.

My Family

2008-09-19T14:18:00.021-07:00

Meet my family! Together with my wife Winnie and our daughter Miriam. The other siblings, four boys and I will post on another blog.

A Ship Visit

2008-09-19T14:18:00.019-07:00

A typical encounter on board a ship. There are almost always crew members in the mess room, including the cook. The cook is a very important person on board. Good tasting or not so good tasting, food makes a difference in what or how the atmosphere among the crew members is.