In this blog I want to share a few of these stories which happened on a typical day..........
When I boarded the ship with Chinese crew members I was immediately ' shipped ' by elevator to the captain's cabin. A young captain greeted me and he was ready for a talk. One of my questions was if he had children. He and his wife have one daughter. He lamented the fact that they are allowed to have one child in China and that he would love to have more children. He seemed awed and perplexed when I told him that I am the father of five children...................
On the next ship I had lunch with a Greek captain. He and I were of the same age. You could hear that he had seen every port in the world and experienced every kind of storm at sea during his long career.
Like other Greeks I meet, he also talked at great length about the ( economic ) crisis in Greece. He has little hope for the next generation ( 65 % youth unemployment! ) in his country. He talked about a lost generation.
After lunch he asked me if I wanted to come again for dinner.....I told him that I have a wife at home who is waiting for me................
On the same ship I met a young Philippino seafarer. He had received some material from a Jehovah Witness
( the Jehovah Witness movement is also aggressive at work in ports around the world ) and was interested in what they believed and wanted to know what I think of it all. I often come across their material on board ships which gives me a unique opportunity to explain the true Gospel of Jesus Christ...also with this young seafarer. I ( hope ) I can do anything and everything( by the grace of God ) to keep people out of the ' claws of the devil '. We went through some Bible verses showing that Jesus is truly God and Man, I printed off computer material proving the errors and danger of this movement, gave him DVD's about ' Who is Jesus'
and, of course a 50 Q and A. of the Christian faith. I met him three times during their stay at Roberts Bank and I believe that he was convinced that the Jehovah Witness believe is not the way to go!
That same evening the Chinese captain came to the Mission to make telephone calls and do some shopping.
He thanked me for the conversation..............It was a great day visiting ships!
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| Our young seafarer is the tallest of the four. The fellow in blue is John van Tol who volunteers at the Mission. |
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| A warm goodbye! |
