Ministry To Seafarers

This blog has moved

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:08:00 +0000

This blog is now located at http://seafarerschaplain.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:14:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:32:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 15:57:00 +0000

" 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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 03:05:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:23:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:32:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:45:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:32:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:22:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:49:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:27:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 06:26:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:39:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:36:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:45:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:53:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:20:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:24:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:52:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:59:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Fri, 22 May 2009 21:41:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:38:00 +0000

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'

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:09:00 +0000

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

ernstd@flyingangel.ca (Ernst) — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:08:00 +0000

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!