It has been reduced to a mere footnote. Somewhere on the back pages of today’s news, hidden between small notices to fill the page is a small heading that you may miss if you do not look for it. Even when you read the notice, the information no longer shocks you. It is common. New news and new suffering appear in bold letters on the front page. 

But, it is not so for the officer that sits in front of Danie in the Port Elizabeth harbour.  The destruction remains as real as the first day. He talks without emotion. His eyes are cold and hard when the words are spoken. The words are about death, destruction and pain. The war in the Ukraine is far removed from Coega, thousands of kilometres away, but it pressed the last bit of life and hope from him and left his heart cold. As the words tumble from his mouth, we see the same picture that we at the CSO see every day on our visits to the ships. The house where he grew up is a pile of rubble. Children died. People walking to work, paying the highest price - a missile from Russia. It is different when you read about it on the back pages. It is far from sight and so, far from the heart. It is radical when you hear this man naming names of those whose lives were stolen. Friends, family, acquaintances - dead.

Danie feels that mere listening cannot be enough. When the man’s words dry up, Danie does not try to cover the wound with a little plaster. He also does not try to make it better by saying a few nice words and sharing wisdom to brighten up his day. No, he asks if the man would mind if he prays for him. From the Bible he tells them about those that suffered too and how they eventually found God in the most unexpected places while they were suffering.

Much later, as Danie prepares to leave, a rare smile appears. ‘Thank you for what you did for me today’, the man says, now very emotionally. He also takes a Bible and asks Danie if he would mind very much to continue praying for him. 

As Danie walks away, a few thoughts remain. The first is, how we can never become used to pain and suffering in this world and to reduce it to the back pages of newspapers. The second is, that we should have a deep awareness that we are not powerless. The Man of the Cross gave us all hope, mercy and love to share. Simply listening often brings hope. The third is, to know that we at the CSO are privileged to have donors that make it possible to support the men working at sea each day with the love of the Man of the Cross. Won’t you consider it, also in prayer, to support us financially? The needs are real.

PS. Here is the link for the debit order: https://bit.ly/43khwDO Please fill in and email back to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Our bank details are: Christelike Seemansorganisasie. ABSA. Current. 1520-230-226. Use your donor code as a reference. We keep praying for each other.