Introduction 50 years ago, in December 1974, the very first determined and purposeful steps were taken in the harbour of Amsterdam. Thus began the calling in obedience to God. Nowadays it is common for sailors to have no suitcases (anymore). Do you no longer use a travel bag or cabin bag or do you have good clothes that you no longer wear? Sailors would be extremely grateful to receive one of these items. Do you like knitting? Knitted hats are great "icebreakers"!
Amsterdam - "Thank you for visiting us" There were good contacts in the port with seafarers from many countries. We experience great openness to God's Word among many crew members. It often happens that they walk with us to the car afterwards. A captain who looked gloomy and clearly had worries, said he was not religious. When I quoted the Words of the Lord Jesus to him: 'Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest' (see Matthew 11:28), he got tears in his eyes. He immediately wanted to thank us by giving a donation: "for your beautiful work", he said. Many Bibles, various reading material and Key Chain Bibles were taken with great gratitude by the sailors.
Many crew members received beautiful cuddly toys for their (grand)children, some of which were made by Yvonne. They also received clothing, knitted hats and thick warm scarves. All kinds of extra items are also taken along for colleagues on board who cannot come to the car. When two Indonesian sailors were at the car to receive cuddly toys for their children and clothing, I was unexpectedly hugged by them. How happy they were that we had come. They hoped to see us again next time. We also handed out Christmas packages that were packed by Yvonne. What a party every time! Seamen's mission is a rewarding work and we see gratitude and joy among seamen. We received an additional message: "Thank you for visiting us".
Many thanks for your faithful prayers and other signs of sympathy! Theo and Yvonne van Zuilekom.
IJmuiden region - They happily carried all this up all 60 steps of the gangway One morning on the Buitenkade of IJmuiden we visited a bulk carrier from Hong Kong with a Chinese crew. A shower front was just passing by with rain and gusts of 8 Beaufort (stormy, see photo!) The captain said that there were no Christians among the crew. “We believe in nothing”. I said: That's good, because then you are exactly our target group: (a message to pagans of salvation through Jesus Christ!) Nevertheless, in addition to a bottle ship, he also received a beautiful Chinese/English Bible. Bound in leather and gilded. Philippians 4:6,7 showed him the relevance of this millennia-old text. When asked, I was allowed to pray for him that God would reveal Himself to him when reading His Word.
The crew received Chinese City Bibles, a cross, poster, text cards and children's Bibles for home. Two men came with me to the windy quay, to my seasoned worker and wife Anneke, my almost 75-year-old co-evangelist.“Ni Hao, Jesu Aini!” They were given boxes of clothing and towels, toothpaste and shampoo, as well as trinkets for home in the People’s Republic of China. They happily lugged all of this up all 60 steps of the gangway. “Lord, bless this action of Word and Deed!” Please continue to pray for us, especially for Anneke’s health.
Kind regards and God’s blessing, Jan and Anneke Best.
IJmuiden, Scheveningen, Amsterdam - but my trust in Christ anchors me In November, a ship was tied up in the harbour. There were problems that made it impossible to sail. Fortunately, we were able to provide the crew with various practical matters, which were received with cheers. In the meantime, the problems have been resolved and they were given permission to choose the open sea again. It is always rewarding work to help sailors in a practical way, but it is also very nice to encourage believing sailors. On this ship too, I had a few nice encounters with a believing brother. I have permission to share his story with you, so I will keep my mouth shut now and give Joshua the floor:
My name is Joshua L. Moreno, and I have been a Filipino seafarer for almost 9 years and counting. Life at sea as a follower of Christ is both challenging and deeply rewarding. The isolation and difficulties of life on the water can be overwhelming, but I find strength in knowing that He is always with me. Being away from my loved ones back home is one of the challenges a seafarer like me must endure. As a Christian, being unable to spend the Lord's Day with the church is burdensome. Although I can spend time in prayer and meditation on Scripture, I still long for fellowship with my brethren.
That's why I'm grateful to God for having an encounter with a brother in Christ through a seamen's mission in Amsterdam. Each day, I strive to live out Christ’s love through my actions, whether it’s showing kindness to fellow crew members or sharing the gospel with them through casual conversations and the gospel tracks I brought from my local church. The sea is unpredictable, but my trust in Christ anchors me, giving me peace and purpose no matter where the journey takes me. The rhythm of the waves reminds me of His constant presence, and through prayer and Scripture, I experience peace even in the storms. Being a follower of Christ at sea deepens my faith, knowing that no matter where I am, His love and grace are unchanging. It's a life of trust, repentance, surrender, and hope. "And I am sure of this, that He (God) who began a good work in you (me) will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6). All the glory belongs to Him. Soli Deo Gloria.
It is always great to meet other believers on board. It is also very encouraging for me. If it is already so great to meet believers from other cultures and countries, what will it be like later!? Let us not forget that out there at sea there is also a church and include them in our prayers, they do good work on board. Joyful Christmas days in advance and thank you for all your sympathy.
Warm greetings, Marien Gijsbertsen.
Rotterdam - many knitted hats made with constant prayer for the recipient During Advent we are always busy delivering the many gifts we receive from many churches. This year there will be about 2500 again. Each gift also comes with an envelope, containing various gospel texts and the Christmas message. We are happy that we can broaden the horizon for churches by giving the opportunity to help practically on the mission field. Many knitted hats have been made with constant prayer for the recipient.
A few months ago Arjan came with us and received the calling to become a full-time missionary with us. Please pray for guidance and open hearts, so that he can fully join us by the end of 2025. God also provided a new volunteer, Harm, who will train with us from January. Please pray for him too, so that he can witness among the sailors in the future.
With warm regards, René Reifel.
Serving at Sea - To reach the sailors with the Good News Time flies, last time I could write about a short visit to the Sailors' Cottage in Northern Tasmania, where due to lack of training no ships were visited anymore even though the door was wide open. Now I have been in Malta for some time, where I join a new team that has risen up to serve the sailors with Word and deed. To reach the sailors with the Good News, three things are actually needed: Access, People and Literature. In many ports one or two of these are available, the differences are great. "Access" is an increasing problem. Legislation against terrorism also turns against the sailors and against visitors with good intentions. In many ports the gate is literally closed, the Good News and friendship are kept outside under the guise of "security." Praise God for the work that is being done in the ports of the Netherlands! It is not self-evident.
While the Logos Hope has sailed to the Caribbean, Bibles are being provided for the sailors in Ghana and Kenya. Presently I am working five weeks on five weeks off on the North Sea.
With warm regards, Michiel Kramers.
Rotterdam - A sailor also wanted the Bible, to read it himself All glory to God for the visits below to the "men of the sea". A special visit: a Chinese crew member heard a summary of "the Gospel", including John 1 and 3. Someone else on this ship also showed interest in the Good News, whatever it is for them. John 3 verse 16. Spoken with Topal and with "Jimmy" - Turkish crew members on various ships. A sailor also wanted the Bible, to read it himself. Two officers from two different Eastern Bloc countries wanted to receive the N.T. in their languages. Talked to cook Dempsy Deta and prayed for Carlo Eduyan on a ship with Portuguese-speaking and Filipino crew members. Ricky and Dee, two young men from the Philippines, on two ships both asked for prayer after a conversation. A surprise for the sailors: the well-filled bags.
We see so many happy faces again during the distribution of the "Christmas packages". When the opportunity arises, I have also been able to leave Christian literature or a New Testament in various languages. Sailors from countries other than the "west" are sometimes on board for up to 9 months. An "advantage" for them is that there is now Wi-Fi on the ships. Much better than before. Would you like to pray for the sailors mentioned?
A blessed new year, Wout de Vries.
Delfzijl and Eemshaven - "we wished each other a blessed Christmas". Eemshaven is wonderful place to be able to sow the seed of the Gospel there and every meeting is different. There are so many nationalities we are privileged to meet and every new conversation is different from the previous one. There is almost always a good contact and then we can explain what the difference is between religion and a relationship with the Lord Jesus. Often I have a one-on-one conversation, but group conversations also occur. Sometimes you meet brothers in the Lord and then we can testify together of the wealth that is in us, but is also accessible to everyone.
We had the chance to give fantastically beautiful hats, pens and reading material to the men, but the Bibles were especially and gladly received. We wished each other a blessed Christmas with crews from the Philippines, Ukraine, Russia and the Faroe Islands.
I have also visited inland shipping and had good conversations about the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus.
With warm regards, Harm van Zwol.
For privacy reasons, the real names of the sailors are not mentioned. The photos in this newsletter have been posted with permission. Our thanks go to: Bible Factory, WIN-NL Seafarers' Ministry, Dutch Seafarers Centrale, Seamen's Centre Amsterdam, Bible Factory / Gospel Recordings Netherlands, Evangelization of Foreign Languages Service, The Bible Association, 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 Havenlicht and their families, but especially for: Kerstin Henrichs Jan Peter Kapteijn Inez de Baat Hanny de Vries Anneke Best Wim de Baat to 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 sailors can hear and accept His Word! We are very grateful to the Lord God for the many opportunities to be a blessing to sailors, among others!
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