A 'Ping' and an audible vibration indicate a new WhatsApp message to Danie. The notice, the name and the tiny profile picture make Danie scramble to open the message. He types in the code to unlock the phone. The message is from the other side of the world, way across the sea. As Danie reads, he smiles a relieved smile. The news is what he has been waiting for and he has been praying for this for months. 

The origin of the story can be traced back to a few months ago, with the arrival of the gigantic iron ore carrier in the Port Elizabeth harbour.  Danie visited and was barely on deck before being summoned to the captain's office. It was as if the captain had been waiting, watching the quay, hoping for someone to appear from thin air, expecting that person to climb the hundred or so steps and trusting that it will also be the right person to arrive... 

Arriving at the captain's door it became clear, very quickly that the captain was ready to explode, like a red-hot grenade. He had to talk urgently. It had to get out of his system. The secret became too heavy to bear alone. The symptoms that the experienced seaman listed were classic symptoms of fear. Restlessness, the feeling that you are standing on the edge of a dreadful abyss, rapid tiring, concerns that simply won't go away and nightmares of his ship sinking into the deepest darkness. Fear leaves a person in a very vulnerable condition. It leads you to believe that everything is an emergency. It does not rid tomorrow of sorrows, rather it empties today's power. This, in a nutshell summarises the captain's emergency call.

This emergency call was the start of the road Danie and the captain walked together. They shared information through countries and across oceans until Danie received the WhatsApp message: 'I am home, with friends and family with whom I can talk. I am better. Thank you, thank you for everything!' On that first day he said that he wished to talk to someone for a long, long time. But who could he talk to? There are many sweet stories about handling mental health within the industry. However, reality remains that a scar of 'fear', 'depression' or 'emotional instability' renders you worthless for getting or renewing a contract. On the first day they prayed together, the Bible open on the office desk. That was only the first of many discussions, lots of prayers and of continued hope. 

This is what we do at the CSO. We walk the road if necessary. We walk that road in the Name of the One that taught us to care, love, to have mercy and to hope...  To do this we need donations. Please consider financial support for our work. Do so in prayer and careful consideration - it makes a difference in many lives.