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The Anchor Published Monthly by Global Maritime Ministries, Inc.
within an hour. All I could do was as-
sure Salvatore that I would do my best to
locate his package.
I went back to my desk and continued
to work. A few minutes later, I saw a
UPS truck pass by the center. I said
“Oh” (rather loudly I am told), jumped
up from my desk, and ran out the door
after the truck. I ran down the first
block, nothing. I ran down the second
block—no truck there either. I had no
idea where it had gone, so I turned to
walk back to the center. Philip had come
out by this time to see what in the world
I was doing. I told him I was chasing the
UPS truck, and we got in his car to see if
we could find it. Miraculously, we
found it in the block behind the center.
We asked the driver about the package
and he said that a neighbor had signed
for it. We drove back around to the
house and he followed us to make sure
we got the package. I knocked on the
door, but no one was home by this time.
As I turned to leave, I saw the package
sitting on the front porch next door! It
At GMM, you never know what
the day will have in store for you.
That is one of the fun aspects of this
ministry. During a recent cruise ship
day, I had a Carnival officer come in
to retrieve a package he had ordered.
He gave his name, and I told him
that we had not received anything
for him. He said that he had confir-
mation that the package had been
delivered about an hour before he
arrived and was signed for by some-
one named Jones (name changed). I
told him that UPS had made a deliv-
ery about that time but there was no
package for him and we did not have
an employee by that name. He had
ordered a very expensive camera with all
the accessories, and he was quite anxious
about locating the package. I asked to
look at his confirmation. At first glance,
it looked like our address, so I got on the
phone with UPS to try and track down
the package. While on the phone, I took
a closer look at the confirmation and
noticed that there was one incorrect digit
in the street address. The delivery ad-
dress was actually a block from the cen-
ter. Philip walked to the address that was
listed. No one was home, and there was
a note on the door saying that delivery
would be attempted again the next day.
Now we were really confused. The of-
ficer had a confirmation that the package
had been delivered and signed for, but
the note on the door stated that delivery
would be attempted again the next day. I
relayed the information to customer ser-
vice representative and was on the phone
with her for the next thirty-five minutes
trying to find out if the package had been
delivered or not. She finally told me that
a local representative would call back
All In a Day’s Work Gina Sabine had not been there when Philip saw
the note. It was left there later by
the neighbor.
I returned to the center with a big
smile on my face, sweat on my
brow, and the package in hand!
Salvatore was one happy guy to see
that box. He told me that he had
been on the phone with his girlfriend
when I ran out the door. He said,
“She is crazy!” We laughed about
me chasing the truck. He again said,
“You are crazy!” He told me he
would never forget this day. Then,
he unwrapped and proudly showed
me each item he had ordered. He
said the first picture would have to be of
me, and it was. I told him that getting
his camera was a gift from Jesus because
He is the reason behind everything that
we do. We all do everything we can to
show the love of Christ in tangible ways
every day. It may be taking a little treat
to the guards at the port, sharing a cup of
coffee and encouragement, praying for a
need, or giving a Bible to someone. The
next day it might be buying an item for a
seafarer who is not able to leave his ship,
helping send a package to family on the
other side of the world, or chasing down
a UPS truck. Every day is an adventure,
but its all in a day’s work for us!
As you can see, our ministry is all
about building relationships and trust so
that when we share the Gospel our ac-
tions match our words. This is why we
are always asking for more volunteers.
Every additional volunteer is the oppor-
tunity to build one more relationship, one
more opportunity to share the Gospel,
one more chance to change the world.
Why not come join the fun?
Volume 29 Number 7
July 2014
The Anchor
Page 2
Not My Ship Norman Mangum
Upon arriving at the center last week,
I was greeted by Norman saying that a
seafarer from the Lombardia had re-
quested me by name to pick them up
and take them shopping. I laughed at
first because I wondered who would
remember my name. Well, to my sur-
prise, as I arrived at the vessel, I recog-
nized the crew member from months
before. He was as excited to see me as
I was to see him! I remembered that
the last time he was in New Orleans,
he was here for about a week. His
name is Koobu and he is from Sri Lanka. I had gotten to know Koobu and his crew
members very well and was their re-
quested driver and host during their
previous stay in port. Before he left
this time, we exchanged email address-
es and Facebook information. To my
surprise, I recently received a message
from Koobu stating that the crew had
said they were lucky to meet people
like me and they thanked me for the
kind service. I hope they are able to
return to New Orleans, and the center,
in the future.
Requested By Name Ahsaki Hammond
Working in port ministry over the
years, I have come to expect the unex-
pected. You never know what is going
to take place when dealing with interna-
tionals. You just have to take things in
stride or “roll with the flow,” as we say.
For instance, a couple of weeks ago, I
received a call from one of the guards
telling me she had a seafarer wanting to
go to Walmart. I drove up to the gate to
see a gentleman standing and looking as
if he had a long walk. He entered the
van, and I asked him what vessel he was
from. He said, “It is a long walk to
gate.” The wharf from which he had
walked WAS a long walk, about three
quarters of a mile. I asked what country
he was from. He replied, “China.” He
said he was the captain and the only one
on the ship with a visa. After his walk,
he was tired and asked if he had to carry
his Walmart purchases back to his ship
by walking. I told him I would take him
back to his ship. As I stated earlier, ex-
pect the unexpected. He asked, “How
much do I owe you for the ride?” I said,
“We do not charge. We take only dona-
tions.” I could tell he did not understand
what the word donation meant. I said,
“Just whatever you want to give.” He
said, “I have beer, cigarettes or noodles.”
I looked at him and said “No, no, maybe
a dollar or two, or even five dollars.” He
said, “OOOH, okay.” I told him I would
pick him up if he would tell me what
time. When I picked him up and we were
headed back to his ship, he said he had
never experienced this type of help be-
fore. We passed through security and
headed toward a line of ships. I pointed
at one of the ships and asked if that one
was his ship. He said, “Yes.” As I
rounded the corner, I said, “That’s not
your ship.” He looked puzzled. I knew
that was not his ship because I knew the
captain of that vessel. There were four
ships lined up nose to tail. I started driv-
ing by each ship asking, “Is this your
ship?” He said, “No” to each one. But,
then we found it. I then asked, “How
long have you been captain on this ship?”
He said, “Two months.” I looked at him
and said, “You have been on this ship
two months and you don’t know your
ship?” I had to laugh.
The story does not end. He was so
thankful that he did not have to hike back
to his ship with his Walmart bags. He
wanted to know if he needed anything
else if he could call me. I gave him my
cell phone number. He called the next
night wanting to go back to Walmart.
When I picked him up he was complain-
ing that the food distributor had not
brought provisions to the ship. He want-
ed to buy rice to hold them over until the
supplies arrived. He bought all the ten-
pound bags of rice Walmart had. When
we arrived back at his ship, there was no
one standing guard at the gangway. He
told me to blow the horn to get
someone’s attention so they could help
carry the rice to the ship. I blew several
times and no one was responding. He
began to laugh and say, “ Last night Cap-
tain could not find ship and tonight Cap-
tain cannot get help to carry rice to ship.”
He got out and began to unload the rice.
I went around to assist, and he said, “I
got this.” I helped anyway. I could not
let the man unload all of that rice. When
he finished, he took my hand and stated
how pleased and grateful he was that I
had come to his rescue. He kept saying
that if I ever went to his country he
would take care of me. He also stated
how much he appreciated what we do.
It is often the little things we do that
make the biggest impact in the lives of
others. We are following Jesus’s teach-
ing to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We want to show them the love that
Christ has shown so freely to us.
Page 3
2014 Statistics As of June 30, 2014
Ships visited 309
Seafarers contacted 10,255
Port workers contacted 163
Countries represente 90
Seafarers visiting center 5.373
Scriptures distributed 130
Evangelistic Presentations 55
2014 Budget Requirements
Budget needs $ 165,500.00
Budget income $ 108,932.58
The Anchor
In Memory
In Memory of: Given by:
Frank Buras Cheryl’s Life Group
Calvary Baptist Church
Frank Buras Harry & Claudia Sawyers
Joseph Hodges Rose Walker
Tommy Poulos Joy Scriber
Ellis Purvis Robert Purvis
Eileen Williams Tony Bari
In Honor
In Honor of: Given by:
Bertha Buras Cheryl’s Life Group
Calvary Baptist Church
Mary Ellen Logan Dr. Joe McKeever
Norman Mangum Tommy & Bennie Mangum
Norman & Priscilla Mangum Misty Nelson
Crissy Parker Gina Sabine
Ministry is a lot of things: it is mopping
floors, cleaning bathrooms, and other house-
hold chores. It is mowing grass, weeding
flower beds, and washing vans. It is baking
cookies, making coffee, and serving snacks or
providing lunch for seafarers and other port
workers. It is visiting ships, taking needed
items to those that can’t leave the ship. It is
providing transportation to seafarers and a
safe place for them to relax, play games, or
contact family.
Sometimes I get so involved with the prac-
tical things, I begin to wonder if I am making
a difference. Then I get an opportunity to
really visit with someone like Sergei. He had
been shopping at Walmart. As we took him
back to his ship, he showed me the clothes he
had purchased for his son that is due in Au-
gust. He was excited that he would be return-
ing home in time to be there when his child
was born. He shared how hard it was to be
away, but he had a plan for his future to pro-
vide a better life for his family. That was
why he was working on the cargo ship. He
will be home for the birth of his son, but
many seafarers are not. I left him with the
promise to pray for him and his family.
There was another young man from Ro-
mania that told me about other centers that he
visited. He said GMM was different. We
were always smiling and seemed to be happy
and glad to help. He asked why we were
different. It was a joy to share with him. He
said he had recently turned to God and be-
lieved what I shared with him. He was
pleased to find a place where materials were
available so he could learn more. Next, there
was a young lady that was excited to find a
place she could come and pray and have oth-
ers pray with her and for her.
These are just some examples of the op-
portunities that come when we do the day-to-
day “tangible” things to serve others. All of
these things are appreciated by the seafarers.
THIS is ministry!
Building Fund
Leonora Dowell
This Is Ministry Ann Davis
Volunteers
In Partnership
The Anchor Angels
Central Baptist Church - Jonesboro, AR
Easthaven Baptist Church - Brookhaven, MS
FBC Winfield Youth -Winfield, LA
Frank & Lyn Oerting George Sims
Trinity Baptist Church - Searcy, AR
The Anchor is Online Would you prefer to receive you copy of The Anchor in your inbox rather than your mailbox? If so, please email [email protected] and we will add you to the electronic mailing list and remove you from the printed list. If you prefer to continue to receive the printed version, then you don’t need to do a thing, except to keep reading!
Non-Profit Org.
US POSTAGE
PAID
New Orleans, LA
Permit No. 820
3635 Tchoupitoulas Street
P. O. Box 750787
New Orleans, LA 70175
Web Site
www.PortMinistry.com
Phone
504-895-2028
Fax
504-895-2029
Toll Free
1-800-413-4762
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Global Maritime Ministries, Inc. Global Maritime Ministries exists to provide holistic
Christian ministry by meeting the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of seafarers and maritime workers .
Fifty-one Cents Makes a Difference As you have read the articles in this
newsletter, I hope you have noticed a
common theme. Many time it is the little
things that we do for the seafarers that
make this biggest impacts on them. It is
the willingness of our staff to go the ex-
tra mile to help and to show compassion
to the people we serve. Often, we must
demonstrate the Gospel to those who
have never heard it. Then they ask,
“Why do we do these things for us?”
Our response is, “So we may share God’s
love with you?” Then they are ready to
hear the Gospel, often for the very first
time.
This is why our staff, and volunteers,
are so important! Because we minister to
so many different people from so many
different countries and cultures, we must
build relationships so that we have the
opportunity to fulfill the Great Commis-
sion. And as you can see from the stories
shared by our staff, they do a great job
every day and are faithful to the task to
which they have been called.
However, there is one problem. The
more we do, the more opportunities there
are for ministry. Each day we receive
more requests for our services than we
have the staff to handle. We have often
said, “The harvest is great, the workers
are few!” We simply need more help.
Unfortunately, because of the increased
security in the port, we must have paid
staff to do much of the work. Staff mem-
bers must apply for security credentials,
receive escort training, and be added to
numerous gate lists to be granted access
to most parts of the port. Some tasks that
we were able to do with volunteers in the
past are just not possible today. For the
ministry to continue to grow and to con-
tinue to share the Gospel with the world
at our doorstep, we must add additional
staff. The time is now.
So, it is part of my job to find the ad-
ditional funding to pay for new staff and
to find the needed resources for the min-
istry to continue to grow. It is a big task!
One of my wife’s favorite sayings is,
“Many hands make light work.” It is true
with projects around the house or center.
Surprisingly, it is also true when it comes
to meeting this financial need. For ex-
ample, we are in our fifty-first year of
ministry here in New Orleans. So we
decided to use the number fifty-one for
this little demonstration. There are ap-
proximately 2,300 names on this mailing
list. If each person, or church, that re-
ceived a copy of The Anchor would give
51 cents a week towards providing addi-
tional staff it would make a HUGE dif-
ference! Let’s do the math together: 51
cents times 52 weeks each year is $26.52.
Now multiply the $26.52 times the 2,300
people that receive the newsletter month-
ly and you get—wait for it—$60,996,00!
That figure would make a real difference.
So in other words, for the price of a
weekly senior cup of coffee at McDon-
alds, you could help change the world.
Now, what if you changed the number to
$5.10 a week or $51 a month? Are you
up for the challenge?