The following is sent quarterly by email. If you would like to be on the mailing list, contact SealeJoe@gci.net with your request.

(editor's note: George and Cheryl are missionaries with Send Int'l and have been volunteering at the Seaman's Mission for about 10 Years)

On December 12, Cheryl’s and my plans for the holidays were quickly changed. Driving to Anchorage to fly out to Minnesota to visit family for Christmas, we were involved in a serious head-on collision which totaled our mini van. My right foot was dislocated and the heel was fractured, along with several abrasions. My greatest wound was the emotional pain of being a part of bringing pain to others. For a while I had no idea that Cheryl’s injuries were life-threatening and very serious. She had a concussion, a dislocated right shoulder, a severely broken right arm, 2 broken ribs, a punctured and collapsed lung, a lacerated kidney, internal bleeding, and a broken back. Four operations—and 3 weeks later—she is well on her way back to normal. She will be in a back brace for three months; I will be on crutches and in a plastic boot for five more weeks with no pressure allowed to be put on my right heel. But it could have been so much worse and we praise God whose “…mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.”

Now I Know by Experience What I Knew by Faith    by Cheryl Reichman

“..though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

He was with me! I have no words to express the joy and the comfort except that I remember saying, “If you only knew where I have been! It was wonderful!”
Naturally I am so quick to fear, to fear anything.
“You will not fear.." I didn’t!
I hate to be alone in trouble.
“He was with me as He said He would be. Even more, the right “brother or sister in Christ” was with me at the right time!
I was comforted and full of hope and gratitude. There is no explanation except, “God said!”

Thank You Dear Lord for being true to your Word. Thank you, my Family In Christ, for your obedience and faith concerning me. All that we have been teaching and living for In Christ is True!

“..you will know that God’s power is very great for us who believe.” Eph. 1:19

From my heart as never before, love, Cheryl

The Giving of Gifts    by David Hawkins

"This is given to you in the love of the Lord Jesus". How, I ask myself, does that translate to seafarers who are not familiar with either our faith or our culture? Well, the good news is that we all like to receive presents; whether we understand the motives of the giver or not. So it is when we distribute the wrapped Christmas presents to the seafarers from many lands.

This year a crew of Filipinos, who are themselves the most generous of people, were delighted to receive gifts. Their culture is well acquainted with the story of Jesus' birth. The Latvian crew that also visited our port during December were quite the opposite. Because of their background, and for reasons too numerous to mention, these men were rather sceptical of the motives of anyone visiting their ship. To say the least, they were rather gruff. Even so, the gifts broke the ice. To see their smiles of appreciation was gift enough for me.

Other gifts were given during this past season. The gift of God's word. One Chinese sailor was so thrilled to receive a Bible in his own language that he insisted that I go with him to his cabin. Trying to ignore the girlie pictures covering all four bulkheads I was truly touched to see him unearth from his belongings a small radio which he presented to me with soe ceremony------spirits touching across the globe. Finally, there were the Muslim men from Guinea, West Africa. One of their number, a wiper with a well educated command of the English language, told me that his very best friend back home was a Christian. He talked fondly of their companionship. When he saw me giving another crew member a Bible he asked me if I could give him one in his language for this special friend. "Yes" I replied. "I can do that. Would you like one for yourself?" I asked. "Yes please", he responded. He was without guile and expressed a genuine interest. Lets pray that this gift will be for a lifetime, and that the consequences be eternal.

"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." Mt 2:11

Dress Like Your Going To Siberia!    by Jeannette Seale

That was my response when the bell quartet from our church asked what they should wear to ring an early Christmas concert for the mainland Chinese crew on a ship unloading bulk cement. The crew did not have visas and were in the port more than 12 days. The weather had been bitterly cold and the men were worn out and discouraged.

We arrived by cherry picker onto the deck of the ship with the heavy bell suitcase and the officer on watch radioed ahead that the ship had special visitors. By the time we reached the crew mess with our glasses all fogged up and our hands stiff, the crew was assembled. The excitement was contagious. They practiced their English, touched the bells, rang out a few "bongs," and waited expectantly. The Chinese second officer, who spoke impeccable English, volunteered to translate anything the bell ringers wanted to share. The women played song after song, with the crewmen's bare toes tapping, and nods of appreciation along with applause after each song. They had never seen or heard handbells before, had never heard any of those Christmas carols, or had a concert on board ship before. Each woman shared her testimony and spoke plainly of her conversion and why she had braved the cold wind to come and play music for them.

The crew heard the gospel from four different perspectives, all said it was the first time they had heard these wonderful things about Jesus. The bell ringers had never played on a ship before and two shared their testimonies for the first time in public.

As I thanked the second officer for translating, he said he wanted to be used by God. This statement caught me off guard as we had already spent many hours discussing why he could not believe God was real! As we left, it was very apparent that the Lord had worked in each heart, the ones who gave the music and those who received.

Do You Know of Any Crewmembers That Have Been Affected by the Tsunami?    by Jeannette Seale

I get asked this question quite often as you can imagine. I have heard of one young man from Burma who lost both of his cousins who were working on a Thai fishing boat off the Phuket coast. The boat and people simply vanished in an instant.

Since we have met so many people from south India, Thailand, Burma, and Sri Lanka, and especially Indonesia, we know that when the ships return in May we will hear endless stories. We need to be prepared for family tragedies, heroic rescues as well as miraculous tales of people who somehow escaped harm from the waves or the earthquakes.

Please pray for us in these months as we hear from crew now and later on. We want to be prepared for whatever they tell us, to be able to listen, counsel, pray with, and cry with crew that were not able to go home and help when the family desperately needed the money that could be earned more than the man's actual presence.

We want to be able to point them to the Lord Jesus Christ in every situation which I imagine won't be easy. Please ask God to give all of us and every port missionary the right words to say at this tragic time in history.

Lucky?    by David Hawkins

One morning during a summer, a donation from the International Bible Society arrived at the Mission. It consisted of 700 lbs. of Bibles stacked on a pallet. These were in many languages but were neither clearly identified or in any order. The task of unpacking, sorting, and stowing such a bountiful gift was far more than the regular team could manage. They had seafarers to attend to. Lucky (?) for us we had a family of five visiting on that particular day. This fine young family jumped into the task and had the job done by the end of the day. At the start of a sunny day this summer, the authorities sent us a large amount of fish they had seized from poachers. Again, a lot of work. The fish needed to be cleaned, filleted, then wrapped for the freezer. Lucky (?) for us we had an ex-fisherman working with us for just that one day and he gladly took care of the task. As an ex-gambler, I would calculate the odds of this kind of luck happening would run at about 10,000 to 1. What a blessing not to be dependent upon luck anymore.

God Speaks All Languages    by David Hawkins

We have Bibles or New Testaments in more than 80 languages. To place a Bible in the right person's hands is a significant aspect of any Christian missionary's work, but to spring the surprises we do upon the unsuspecting is, for us, especially noteworthy. How so? Take Hilton, a visiting cannery worker from Ethiopia. "I would love to have a Bible in my own language, but you would not have it." he predicted. "What is your language?" "Amharic," he answered. After rummaging in the basement for a few minutes I came up with the prize. He was astonished. Another man, a wiper working on a cable-layer, could hardly believe his eyes when I placed an Armenian Bible in his hands. This was his mother tongue which he had not seen for many years. Laotians want to know how we manage to lay our hands upon White Hmong Bibles, or Blue Hmong, as if they came from a different planet. How about Twi (Ghana), Macedonian, Malayalam (India) or Estonian? It often seems to us that the more obscure the language, the more appreciative the recipient. It demonstrates to them that they have significance. These editions have come our way through a variety of channels, sometimes "mysteriously". The subject of linguistics truly baffled me at Bible college, yet God has used me, and the rest of the team here, to pass on the fruits of those who labored to translate His precious word. He does indeed speak all languages.

Now He Really Does Have Something to Share    by Cheryl Reichman

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of his glory." Eph 1:13,14

Pastor David brought Cesar to the mission after talking with him in the crew mess of the ship M.V. "IKAN BAWAL." He said that Cesar had a desire to start a Christian fellowship on board the coal ship he worked on.

As I was showing Cesar some material he might use in a fellowship, he told me that he had a hard time understanding the Bible. Though he had read quite a bit of it, it was very confusing. I was guided to show him I Cor 2:14 "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." Cesar told me that he didn't think that he had the Spirit of God. He had heard something about "born again" but did not understand it. He was troubled because he tried hard to be right with God but he just couldn't be good enough. He knew that he couldn't go to heaven or at least he'd have to wait and see.

I had a lot of time to show him the basic message of the Bible, God's plan to rescue man from death and give him eternal life. Cesar was "a ripe fruit" prepared by God's Holy Spirit. He said 'Now I understand! He believed and received God's gift of salvation!

Now Cesar personally knew the Jesus he wanted to share with his friends!

The Uncommon Has Become Common Place    by Jeannette Seale

Over the years much has changed as we visit ships. It's good to sit and reflect upon the changes once in awhile and thank God for his goodness. Years ago it was uncommon to meet more than 5 Christians on a ship with 350 crew. They usually didn't know each other, and there were few formal fellowship groups. Now we see fellowship groups with up to 40-50 attendees on ships that carry more than 1000 crew.

This ministry first was based more in evangelism than discipleship because there were so few Christians aboard; now I think the tasks are more equalized.

There are hundreds of Christian videos and DVD's available these days for the men to watch on the ship or to purchase and take home to their families. We have the opportunity to offer literature and CDs for ship or home use and even study books the men take home for their pastors.

Muslims come to us trusting us more each year, asking us to help with problems and asking us to pray. That didn't used to happen at all! Years ago I didn't even know what an unreached people group was; now I see someone from a UPG everyday!

We see fewer letters being mailed and with the advent of calling cards hours are spent on the telephone. Both calling cards and E-mail are common concepts now, but 20 years ago neither had even been invented!

Since the fall of Communism in the USSR, we have seen many more people groups represented on the ships. Ones started coming from Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Estonia, Serbia, and many more that had grown up in countries where only their grandparents knew about God. That has indeed changed the overall picture of the cruise ship ministry.

Even though security is much tighter, there seems to be a growing respect and acceptance of how port chaplains can help.

When I think about what ship visiting was like 20 years ago, it’s almost a different world altogether. The one wonderful constant is that the crew continue to seek the truth about Jesus Christ and I am privileged to share what I know about Him!

Does The Bible Have Any Advice For Me?    by Jeannette Seale

I was approached in the mess by a man who asked, "Are you the person who comes on the ship and talks about God?" With the situation being so sensitive on this ship that had never allowed us on board, and not knowing who this man was, I could have easily waffled and softened my answer to something less than what Jesus deserves. It also seems like it is often very large people who approach me in this way, and I am overwhelmed by their size. This man wanted someone to talk to and ask advice to see what the Bible said relative to his home situation. Even though we had such a short time, I do know his understanding of what I said led him to commit his life and future to Christ. He left 7 days later to face the problem at home, but because he committed his life to Christ, I know he did not face them alone.

Alison    by David Hawkins

Several times each winter the local social services will contact the Mission to request temporary housing for their clients. The reasons are manifold. In Alison's case the need was more acute than most as she had 6 children to care for. It was decided that she should stay at the Mission with her 4 youngest ones until suitable housing could be found for all of them. Their midwinter stay with us lasted for 5 weeks. More than a year has passed since that time, and in a wonderfully encouraging way, Alison's circumstances have vastly improved. Many of her long term social problems have been resolved. When asked by the authorities what single factor had helped her achieve this success, she replied that it was being able to keep her family together by staying at the Mission during her most difficult time of trial. We are, of course, an outreach to seafarers, yet who are we to deny those in need whom God has given us the wherewithal to assist? This woman's obvious love for her children, and her commitment to them, have helped her to surpass the influences of many of life's tough breaks, and she has been blessed for it.

I prayed,"God you meet me a person who loves you", and you came along early in the day! India

I owe you a very big apologize for not wrote you any letter for such a long time. I think it just because i felt ashame of my self who couldn't behave as a good Christian. But this few recent weeks, i have been, again, trying to restore my relationship with God. I have made my repention against God and ask for HIS forgiveness. I didn't do well in this past year, maybe even terrible. Indonesia

Many thanks for your letter and NT, and yes I have been reading it, but not as regularly and with as much dedication as I should, but one day. . . . Capt UK

People don't want to stay in darkness, they just don't know the way. Hungary

I was remembering about you and especially a question you made some day in Alaska when you was on the ship. "Do you know Jesus" After many years (19) now I can tell you that I know Jesus. Thanks to become part of my life and show me the way to Jesus. Colombia

Thanks to God for the blessing that He give it to me, by the Seaman Mission staff. To God be the glory. Don't forget. Philippines

After my visits here, I am no longer homesick. Indonesia

Remember us unforgettable trip to Alaska and quick meeting with you in the Mission. Hope you are in good health and continuous rescue for poor seamen. Capt - Italy

I really appreciated all the assistance you have given to me and the rest of the crew. Thanks a lot. Philippines

The free medical care that I enjoy is nothing but an empty promise, I cannot afford to see a doctor, so I fear any disease whatever. I am kept far away from medical care; I am in the arms of God. I pray to God for my good health. God gives his care to all, not just to some privileged people. China