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There is something about a new beginning ... something about a clean page ... something about another chance. The new year always creates this feeling within me. It is a feeling that it is a clean pallet. It is clean to draw and paint to my heart's content in the new year.
Of course, there is the significance of new year's intentions. Some of us gave up long ago, but others still make that list every year, planning the do's and don'ts of the new year ... some want to lose weight, some will finally create that herb garden and others will experience that adventure of a lifetime - at last.
2010 is here and in our country, it is an exciting year. In the shipping industry, 2010 will also be a unique and exciting year: With the economic upswing that is finally within sight, seafaring men will probably have a more secure future and hopefully, it will influence the hopelessness of many of these men that were caught in the midst of the economic crisis. Yet, despite the bit of good news, 2010 will probably be marked by more severe cases of piracy. In 2009, ships avoided the East African Coast out of fear and chose to sail along the West African coast. The problem is that the number of pirate attacks along the Nigerian coast increases daily and that means that the waters around Africa became some of the most dangerous anywhere on the globe. In addition, South Africa has to overcome another enormous challenge. With the World Cup Soccer Tournament looming, one of the major problems will be the illegal influx of sex workers. It is said that ships will be one of the main means of transport for these workers, some mere children.
We would like to include in the CSO's new year's list, that we want to share each smile with a seafaring man that has more security about his future. We want to be there to dry every tear of piracy victims. In addition, we would want to be a prophetic voice that sounds loud and clear against human rights violations . . . but even more than that, we would want to introduce a thousand or ten sailing men to the God of Philippians 4: . . . the peace of God, which transcends all understanding - The God that gives hope, peace and mercy!
We wish that you will be deeply conscious of the God that transcends all understanding in 2010 - every day and in each moment. We hope that your dreams will be fulfilled in 2010. |
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 WOW! We had an amazing experience yesterday. It all started Tuesday evening just after 21:00 when our phone rang. It was our colleague, Jaco, from Richards Bay. There was someone there that wanted to talk to Chris. I listened carefully, curious about whom it might be. But as soon as he greeted Nihao? (how are you?) I knew it was a Chinese seafarer. After a lot of laughing trying to understand each other without the help of body language (English is both their second language) we were invited to lunch on board. It was the captain of the Thor Winner and he was back in Richards Bay after two and a half years. When we met him the first time he was the chief officer of a massive Bulk carrier that moored in the port for about one week. He hadn’t a clue how much God loved him in Jesus. I still remember how many questions he had: “Will Jesus understand I pray in Chinese?” Now he has some more hair, a little bit more stomach, a higher rank and his ship is a lot smaller, about which he complains a lot because a smaller vessel is very unstable in the water and they are expecting rough seas on their way to Singapore. “And God gave me one son” he adds. “Thank you for telling me the mercy of God” he said as we went on board Wednesday morning. “Me now Christian” and he told us everything that happened since we last saw him. He thought a lot about what we told him and every time after we talked to him he told everything we had shared with him about God, the Bible and prayer to one of his shipmates (whom we never met). Together they decided that they believed everything we told him. After his contract when he went home he told it to his wife who also believed it. She in turn told it to a few of her friends who believed it too. And they told it to other people in their village who also believed everything. Now they have a home church of more than 100 people (he has been on board his vessel for four months and wasn’t certain how many new members they had). WOW! Yu sailed into port an unbeliever but sailed out a bearer of the good news about Jesus, guiding his co-crewmember, his wife and 100 other people to the Light. That is something only God can accomplish. |
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 Our Warm Hearts Project for 2009 has grown immensely – and we have already started receiving parcels in 2010!
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