Introduction Once again, wonderful and valuable spiritual nourishment was shared with seafarers and given to them.In the photo, you see Gert and Ursula (where the beautiful bottle ships and crosses come from) with Yvonne.
Do you have any good clothing left that you no longer wear? Seafarers are grateful for it. We would love to come to your church or home group for a presentation about the missionary work.
IJmuiden Region - he again reacted with utter astonishment At 11:30 a.m. we stood at the TATA Outer Quay in IJmuiden, next to a 292-meter-long bulk carrier carrying 183,453 tons of iron ore from Brazil. The Filipino crew was led by a Polish captain. This man, in his late fifties, seemed surprised by the attention we paid to him and his crew and the many good gifts, both spiritual and practical. I explained to him that we serve a Giving God, who even gave His only Son as a ransom for ALL (1 Timothy 2:5). And that is why we give everything away freely (Matthew 10:8, "You received freely, give freely"). During my introduction, the captain repeatedly exclaimed, "Is this real, or is it a dream?" The bottle ship I brought along was a great success, partly because he had sailed as a cadet on the Polish three-master DAR POMORZA. After he read the Bible text from Philippians 4:6-7, I offered to pray for him and his Chief Officer. He reacted again in utter amazement: "This is incredible, a port missionary praying aloud for me, here on board! I wouldn't have believed this when I woke up this morning." He put the Bible aside on the desk. The Filipino First Officer received a Tagalog Bible. The captain accepted all the Tagalog Sailor Bibles, children's Bibles, the Jesus cross, poster, and Bible verse cards to distribute among the crew.
I told him that Anneke was waiting in the car with boxes full of washed and ironed clothes, shoes, toiletries, chocolate bars, and trinkets for the women at home. Three men accompanied me to collect all these items and bring them aboard.On the dock, Anneke and I prayed for these men and their families."Thank you, Lord, that we could represent you on this day. Bless all this to the hearts of these sea wanderers, for their salvation!" Jan and Anneke Best.
Amsterdam - Services for Filipino Seafarers As you board, you hear from afar: "Kumusta kabayan?" (How are you, fellow countryman?). You feel their warm welcome and see broad smiles on their faces, full of enthusiasm. Speaking the seafarers' native languages, such as Tagalog or Bisaya, creates a strong bond and creates an environment where they feel comfortable. As if you've known them for a long time, even as a family. They can openly share stories about their children, their family, their dreams, even their problems. As breadwinners, they bear the heavy burden of supporting their families from afar, missing important moments, and experiencing emotional strain. Even offering a listening ear is enough to bring them comfort and relief. Besides sharing the good news on board and handing out Bibles, we are there to help them with their practical needs, such as: where can they get internet SIM cards so they can stay in daily contact with their families back home? Where can they exchange their dollars for euros? How can they get to the centre of Amsterdam to buy pasalubong (presents) for their families? Where can they buy suitcases? These are common conversations on board.We visited the medical officer and other Filipinos on the "Aeolus." We brought suitcases as they requested and gave them some QR code keychains, Bibles, and other supplies. A crew member on "Trade" saw our video on Facebook of the suitcases being distributed.
They wanted us to visit them too and asked if we could bring suitcases for them as well. So we went to their ship to deliver the suitcases. They were so grateful. A week later, we reconnected with the crew. This time, we met not on board, but during a picnic in Western Park in Amsterdam. It was a real moment of relaxation after days of hard work. Friendships were formed. Now they regularly send us messages thanking God for His blessings in knowing us. They ask for prayers for them and their families back home. We thank God for giving us the opportunities to share His love with the seafarers.
We thank God for the new technology, through the internet, which allows us to stay in touch and continue to serve them, wherever they are. We continue to pray that God will open doors so more seafarers can hear the good news. Many of them still need God's grace and salvation.We will continue to point them to Christ, our Father, our Comforter, our Provider, our personal Lord and Savior. Daniel en Doris Lua-Alfafara.
Rotterdam - listened attentively to the Gospel of Jesus It's always a joy to go to the ships, to witness to seafarers, and to be a listening ear for them. This was the case with a seafarer from Vietnam, whose search for God had already begun. Now, in Rotterdam, we were able to answer his questions, show him the way, and share our testimony. On several occasions, on different days, we were able to share with this seafarer what we had learned from HIM, from HIS word, and also about prayer.
On another ship, I had a very pleasant conversation with a Turkish seafarer who has worked in the engine room for a long time. I hope to speak with him again. He was very open. Finally, I think of a Filipino seafarer named Davey, a father of two boys who works on the deck of a large ship. Davey listened attentively to the Gospel of Jesus.Every day, 75 ships enter the port of Rotterdam that's 27.000 per year. We are grateful for the opportunities to visit on board, and we are grateful for the people who pray with us. The "Christmas Campaign" will be back soon. During the four weeks leading up to Christmas, many seafarers on many ships will once again receive Christmas packages. Our prayer to God may be: "Lead us, Lord, to those seafarers you have in mind." Wout de Vries.
Eemshaven, Delfzijl - he replied that he would study the gospelIn Eemshaven, I visited several ships.There were good contacts with crews from Russia, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Poland, and Indonesia. They were all enthusiastic and happy with Bibles, hats, reading material, and pens. Sowing God's Word is a blessed work. I had good contact with the crew of the Sardius. When I was there, they were unloading grain. I had good contact with four Indonesians, two Dutch seafarers, some Muslims, and a brother in the Lord. They were very happy with the little bottle ship, hats, a wooden cross, and various literature.
Then there was a skipper from a Pusher Craft,loading cables. A lovely personal conversation ensued. I explained the Gospel to him, to which he replied that he would study the Gospel. Wonderful, a conversation with a skipper from the inland waterways. Their baby was seriously ill, but he was happy to be healthy again. One afternoon I met a Polish man, but I wasn't allowed on board. They were too busy cleaning. The ship's cargo was cement, but we still had a good conversation on shore. He received hats, various reading materials, and Bibles for the seven crew members.Sincerely, Harm van Zwol.
Amsterdam, IJmuiden, Scheveningen - and then suddenly there was a rainbow Romans 12:9 - Let love be genuine, hate what is evil and cling to what is good. During the summer, a good friend from India arrived in Amsterdam on his ship. It was a great blessing to welcome him to our home. Getting away from the ship and walking around the garden is wonderful, catching up and enjoying family life is even better, but going to church, worshipping together, and reading the Bible was the very best . It was also a great blessing to be able to visit ships again after the summer. On a ship in Scheveningen, I met old and new friends from Indonesia. We had a lot to talk about, and I was allowed to join them for dinner. The cook turned out to be a Christian, as I could tell from the music coming from the galley. He's very happy with a guitar. A Muslim colleague asked for a Bible. Some of them had enough courage to ride my recumbent bike across the dock. And then suddenly there was a rainbow! Yes, God is faithful, always! Thank you for all your compassion and prayers. Marien Gijsbertsen.
Serving at sea - the new generation of seafarers literally lives with us! Here we are 800 km from the sea. Yet, a seafarer was born here who sometimes couldn't even go to school because there was no money for tuition. School... miles of walking on stony paths, barefoot. She grew up among the cows and goats and could already direct the herds from pillar to post at the age of six. I've noticed that these are quite friendly animals too. After years of training, travel, and a radical conversion to Jesus, she worked on the Logos Hope as an apprentice, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd engineer, and chief engineer in the port of Mombasa. She is now the first Kenyan woman to hold a HWTK qualification and an example to the youth of perseverance and not to be discouraged. My wife, and I are so proud of her! It's been four years since we visited the ships around us from the Logos Hope in Nassau and got to know each other in that way.Christine is also passing it on to the next generation: following Jesus and taking responsibility for your own life. While I can't actively work in a port due to all the travel, moving, and shipping, the new generation of seafarers is literally living with us!Our house is full of young family members, some of whom are interning here in Mombasa in preparation for careers on cruise ships. This is where our work for the seafarers lies. Please pray with us that we may be good examples and mentors; for jobs for these young people and above all, that we may all grow in faith in Jesus. Michiel and Christine Kramers.
Rotterdam - when I offered to pray for him, he burst into tears. In July, we had another intern. Ezra spent a year at a Dutch Bible school and did his final internship with us. Felix usually took him along, but he could also go with Wout and me. On the last day, after the final assessment, I wanted to take him on his last ship visit for the time being. Of the three ships in a coal terminal where I applied, only one was confirmed. But when I arrived at the quay, it had already departed. Back at the gate, only the confirmation came from the third (smaller) ship, although I would have preferred to go to the second. Due to the complications, we were actually late for lunch, but there were still two seafarers at the table. After a while, it turned out that one of them, Chris, was a Christian. He then extended his lunch break to enjoy the time with us. When I offered to pray for him, he burst into tears. His grandmother had recently perished in a typhoon. His mother and sister were able to escape from the rubble of their house. Now we knew why our registration process was so difficult. God wanted us to be with Chris to comfort him. René Reifel.
Amsterdam-May I have some more, to give to my mother? When I peeked around the corner, I saw the cook and the Russian (believing) captain eating, and immediately heard: "Sit down and eat!" Well, of course, I couldn't refuse. During this period, we again had the privilege of meeting seafarers from: Jamaica, Ukraine, Lithuania, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Iraq, Pakistan, Scotland, Ireland, Croatia, India, Poland, and other Eastern European countries. We were able to share a lot of wonderful spiritual nourishment. "May I have one more, to give to my mother?" someone asked. "I know you from 2010, because you were on board then too," someone else said. A whole load of cuddly toys were given for their (grand)children, many of which were made by Yvonne. And not to forget, we were also able to give scarves and suitcases, which everyone was very happy with. Many Bibles, clothing, hats, shoes, and paintings were also gratefully received.The photo shows, among other things, lovely toys and painted breakfast plates by Theo. An Iraqi captain said, "You are a man of God, you must eat first." So I went back to eat. He was thrilled with the little ship in a bottle and the painted breakfast plate. A friendly Dutch captain also received a little ship in a bottle. I prayed with several seafarers. And of course, the famous wooden crosses by Gert Huisman were also very gratefully received! God is at work! Grateful for the warmest welcome everywhere on board.Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and other expressions of sympathy! Theo en Yvonne van Zuilekom.
For privacy reasons, the real names of the seafarers are not mentioned. The photos in this newsletter have been posted with permission. Our thanks go to: WIN-NL Seafarers' Ministry, Dutch Seafarers Centrale, Seamen's Centre Amsterdam, Bible Factory , Gospel Recordings Netherlands, Evangelization of Foreign Languages Service, GlobalRize, Pocket Bible Association, Our Daily Bread Ministries and others not mentioned by name, who all contribute in their own specific way to doing the job well.
We would like to ask you again to continue to pray for the health of the people of Het Havenlichtand their families, but especially for: Jan Peter Kapteijn, Inez de Baat, Hanny de Vries, Anneke Best and Wim de Baatto be able to continue to go and persevere in the special work that God has given us to do. Please also pray for opened doors and opened hearts! We believe in a God of miracles!
Thank you very much for all your faithful, valuable prayers and other expressions of wonderful compassion! This is how the Lord works through you so that seafarers can hear and accept His Word! We are very grateful to the Lord God for the many opportunities to be a blessing to seafarers, among others.
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