M/V K. FAITH - .

Last Friday evening was another busy night at the Deltaport  Mission.  Most of the seafarers were from The Philippines as well as some from Korea, Romania and Poland. Winnie came to visit as did Ken and Dorothy Vandervelde. I am always happy and much more relaxed when Ken is there since he knows so much about computers. When there are more then 20 computers in use, with many sailors skyping with their families,  it is not uncommon that the system will crash!

The first crew member of the M/V Faith that walked in greeted me with, " Hello Ernest, how are you doing? " It caught me by surprise; a seafarer calling me by my first name?  Apparently, his ship had been at Roberts Bank last July and the seafarer remembered me and my name.  Besides warming my heart, it confirmed for me that the work we do does make a difference in the lives of sailors. On the same ship, there was also a Koean officer whom I recognized and who was really impressed with the new building.

The ( Korean ) captain of the M/V K. Faith also came for a visit. He mentioned that he had been here in December 2009 and remembered the fact that my brother in Holland had been killed in a car accident on that day. I was shocked and surprised at the same time. Shocked because I was reminded again of that tragic day and surprised to hear it from a ' total stranger ' who had not forgotten me and what happened on that day! It made my day.