While visiting with the seafarers over the last few weeks I have been reminded of the various challenges and dangers they face at sea:

• A seafarer suffered an injury to his eye due to sparks while he was welding. Fortunately he was able to be seen by a doctor who gave him some medicine.
• During a Bible study, a crew asked me to contact ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation) for them as some hadn't been paid for their overtime  and others were underpaid. They were encouraged to speak first to their captain regarding the situation. Their captain listened to them and agreed to talk to the company about the issue. Please pray that their company will treat them fairly and pay them legally.
• A seafarer friend, who I first met in 2022, spent an hour talking about his difficult life situation as his family lives in both Russia and Ukraine. Remember the families who are being torn apart by the toil of war.
• Dealing with homesickness - a crew member told me it's difficult to work onboard as he always thinks about the day he'll go home.

Some of the recent heart warming encounters include:

An Ukrainian chief officer proudly shared a photo with me of his two year old son wearing the woolly hat which I had given to him last winter. He said that his son loves it! At the moment his family lives in Lithuania. He always thanks me for the practical and prayerful help for him and his family.

It was great to renew contact with Angelo in a Bible study on a container ship. We hadn't seen each other for nearly four years as he had moved to a different ship. Previously he never failed to join a Bible study. He is now married with a young family and was sharing about the difficulties of being away from home for long periods of time.

On a tanker, I met with a crew who had a broken guitar. It was a joy to be able to give them the gift of a new red guitar with funds donated by some of our SCFS supporters. The crew were thrilled to receive it and are thankful for your love and care in Christ. We enjoyed a great worship time playing the guitar.

The encouragement of seeing over 25 Bibles in English, Russian and Ukrainian being taken in one week.

A seafarer asking for a Bible because "the Bible has God's answers to my prayers".

Another crew member seeking a Bible as he had a desire to draw himself close to God.

Often it's the simple things mean so much to the seafarers, such as a shopping trip into the city!