He is an orphan of this world - one of the forgotten. His ship is being moved today, to a part of the harbour where it will disintegrate in rust. He has no say in the matter. This is the thing about being forgotten. Your voice is swallowed by the wind.
For the people in the harbour, it is possibly a matter of being out of sight, out of mind. The ship that has caused headaches in the Durban harbour for months, has a crew consisting of a single Indian man. On board there is no food, water, bathroom facilities or electricity. It is often so for the forgotten...Only last week Chris met with the Who’s Who of the harbour. These people enthusiastically promised wonderful things, but on Chris’ return to plead the man’s case, he walks into a wall of empty niceties. Suddenly all are too busy to answer his calls and his e-mails disappear into the ether net. It is often so for the forgotten. Those with power to effect change have more important things to do.
Now and then the ship’s agent arrives with a few scraps of food. Typically it is not enough and there is no indication of how long the scraps should last or when the ‘kind’ owner will send more alms. Chris is also there when the agent appears for her latest visit. She declares, proudly, that the owner made available R800 for food. She unpacks the food on the quay. Chris estimates that it is worth, at most, about R300 and that her ‘commission’ must be about R500. It is often so with the forgotten - that they are swindled out of the little that they do have.
There is no gangway between the ship and quay, only a doubtful rope that will allow you - if you want to risk your life - to move from ship to quay. Her good deed done, the agent leaves and Chris helps to tie the small quantity of food to a rope, allowing the seaman to hoist the food on board the ship. It has been several months and it will last several more. Yet, daily there is no one to continue the fight. The forgotten will be forgotten more each day. That is why Chris is there - to remind all and to give a voice to the seaman. He will provide food and water when the alms stop coming and the agent fails to arrive. He will give the man a chance to phone home. Chris will do this every day, until that day when his help is no longer needed.
This is what we, at the CSO, do. We are - where possible - the voices of the forgotten. But, more than that, we are also there to remind the forgotten that the Word is true and so is God who sees everyone. He will never forget. Your donation will help us continue to help the forgotten that cross our paths and care for them in the Name above all names.
To give a monthly donation through debit order, click here to download the debit order form. Email the completed form back to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Thanks for the opportunity to connect. We appreciate your time. As its getting more and more difficult to connect with our donors via the post office, we are trying our utmost to connect by other means which include email, sms and social media. Please take a moment to read our plea.
We are all busy in this crazy rush of life and don't always get around to things we would like to do or support. We have now heard this from quite a few donors.
To make it easier for you: Would you please consider signing a debit order. We do ALL the administration at our office and can make any changes with an email or Whatsapp or phone call from you. The options of monthly, quarterly, every six months or annually are at your disposal. You can also choose the day of the month.
The big advantage is, you don't have to go to the bank for it at all!
Please consider this prayerfully. Click here to download the debit order form. Please fill it in and email it back to us and we'll do the rest! Our email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
A big thank you from every seafarer we come into contact with.
PS. If you already give on a regular basis - thank you very much. We really appreciate it and we know you realise its importance!
The TRINAD ADENDORFF is caged in at Gqeberha. Caged, anchored, on hold, if you want to play word games. Unfortunately, it is everything but that. Here, on land, life is almost, not completely, but almost back to normal. We can return to restaurants, walk in the streets, everyone free from them being caged in.
At sea it is different. They are still being caged in. Their only pleasure is the versatility of the cook. Unfortunately the cook is not what lured you to the sea in the first place. The lure was promises to see the world and earning trunks of money. For others the lure was simpler without much choice. They had to choose the sea to survive.
Today Danie is visiting the TRINAD. On deck is a seaman, almost an acquaintance. He is also South African. He is tired and exhausted. He feels a little overwhelmed by the world's disasters and suffering. If only he could feel the solid ground of Africa under his feet. Unfortunately, he is being caged in. He is in a cage at the docks. Solid ground is a mirage. It is an emotional reminder of being caged in. He tells of their visit to Durban. His family was desperate to see him. From behind a wire fence they tried to make eye contact for a split second. They wanted to make sure their son is still alive. It is to no avail. The situation is eating and tearing at his soul.
That is why there is suffering today, even though it has become an old friend. But, today Danie is there. The familiarity of his own language brings an unexpected blessing to the seaman. Their discussion, also brings a reminder of the Great Poet, the One that is present in the ebb and flow of the sea's perpetual movement.
That is where he finds a little comfort and rest. It is an antidote for the longing. Together they can pray:
The Lord is my Shepherd,
I shall not want,
He leads me to still waters ...
And there, caged in at the dock, the seaman finds a moment's rest in Him that gives peace and rest that transcends all else.
That is what our donors have done for the young South African. He could repose for a moment in the green pastures. For that we are so immensely grateful.
From his vantage point on deck, Rodrigo can see the outlines of the city, like a mirage in the distance. The lines of the buildings are etched on the horizon. As the days drag by, you wonder if your mind is playing games with you. Perhaps the city is in your imagination. How can it be? The magical city, the solid ground is just there on the horizon, but horribly out of reach.
Rodrigo is held captive between the iron walls of the ship. He is desperate for contact. He romanticises about the conversations that he will have with people as he explores the city. He idealises the people that get on with their normal daily tasks on solid ground. The ship turns into a jail and as the dead iron walls close in, it feels sinister and claustrophobic, perhaps closing in to pulverise you. It turns your heart and mind into personal captivity too. The city has been hovering there for two weeks now. It has been two months since the visit to the last harbour, but nine months without solid ground under his feet
Then, in a second, everything becomes too much. There on deck, he feels only the hopelessness of this life. It attacks Rodrigo like a thief in the night. In that moment, stripped from everything, the last straw is a whispered plea, a hardly spoken prayer … ‘God, please give a sign, just a sign… A seagull lands with pomp and precision on deck, just next to him, despite a very strong wind that threatens the Bay. From nowhere the gull looks him in the eyes. This is his sign, his answer. Almost instantaneously he hears the crackles on the radio. An excited voice announces with gusto, ‘Anchors up!' At last they have clearance to enter the harbour.
This is Rodrigo's story that he tells Danie at the dining table. The ship is docked and Danie's visit is another sign. Danie had been sent. He is the answer to a prayer and a plea.
They have a pastoral conversation. It is what Rodrigo needs more than anything. Danie's visit reaches an emotional, tired and overloaded Rodrigo, offering him a moment's rest. Their being together is like an oasis where you can rest after a long journey. It is also a place to prepare for what is to come. In being together, laughing out loud, crying together and sharing a prayer, Rodrigo finds what he needs most.
Please consider supporting our work financially. Each day our work brings these men that work at sea to God's waters where they find rest – peace and quiet that transcends all – rest that only He can give.
Feeling it in your own life is different. Statistics and news headlines are distant. You think you know something of the emotions when you read the reports and know the latest developments relating vaccines and medical journals. You speak freely about things that are under control and that you are strong enough...
However, if death comes like a thief at night and robs you of a friend or family member, another reality creeps in, deep under your skin. It finds corners of your heart that you never knew existed.
The hysterical fear of the officer from the Ukraine is tangible. It is not about news reports read or new statistics he researched. It is about the growing number of friends and family members that succumbed to the virus, victims of the virus that steals lives.
Now he wants Danie to explain about death. He wants to know about finding joy in this life. Death and joy. He searches urgently for a way out of the desert of sadness, hopelessness and fear.
As we do nowadays, he instinctively typed in his fears in the Google search space, hoping to find sensible answers. The result was more fear, more hopelessness, a way deeper into the desert ...
Danie can offer an alternative. It is an opportunity to talk about redemption and life hereafter. It is an opportunity to talk about happiness in a very disturbed world. The man is astonished to see the Bible in Russian that Danie takes from his bag. They page through. Search together. Pray together. These are things that Google cannot do. For the man from the Ukraine, there is comfort in the conversation. He finds a moment of peace.
For him, it is only the beginning of the road. Danie’s visit is not a quick cure to find sunshine and rainbows. It is creating an awareness of what life in God could be. It is a new possibility. It is the possibility of happiness, even in the darkest of moments.
Danie is almost back at his car when the officer catches up with him. Is it possible, he wonders, to have more Bibles for his friends aboard? Perhaps Danie has a few more?