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On board a vessel in the port of Ghent |
Earlier this year we wrote about the work of
sea port evangelist Alexander Eberson. We are happy with the contact and recently we received a newsletter from him that is worth sharing in part ... so encouraging!
A bit of personal background: "I studied Theology in Brussels, followed by clerical training and I was confirmed as a pastor. I served in three congregations. In my last congregation I enjoyed working a few days a week as a harbor chaplain in the sea port of Zeebrugge. "
"In the beginning of 2019 I started my work as a pastor in the sea ports of Terneuzen and Ghent (full-time). That's why we moved to Terneuzen as a family. My wife Tonja teaches at a Christian primary school in Axel and our daughter Hannah attends the school."
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Always thankful faces |
Alexander continues to write with enthusiasm about the visits to the ships: "During a ship visit in Terneuzen I was told by a number of sailors that one fellow crew member had turned 41 that day."
"After the ship visit I went to get him a birthday cake. I told them: 'God has not forgotten you!' The sailor who had his birthday had never experienced something like this."
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Happy birthday |
"On one of my ship visits in Ghent I gave away a large Bulgarian house Bible for the 22 Bulgarians on board. In addition, I also left a small Ukrainian Bible for the only Ukrainian crew member on the ship.
The men liked this and were encouraged as a result. The Bibles were received with interest."
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Materials |
Alexander knows the importance of
building a network, he has not only made contact with
Traveling Light, but also with people from Book store Oasis, the Salvation Army and Dorcas. All people who have a heart for outreach in the sea ports of Terneuzen and Ghent.
And then some figures: In recent months, Alexander has given away 85 Bibles (Tagalog, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish), 50 bags with Easter eggs, 30 Pocket crosses, 15 Children's Bibles (English), 5 worship CDs, 2 DVDs (Ruth and John Gospel) , 5 DVDs Jesus movie, 15 knitted hats and 1 book 'Jesus, our destination'.
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Happy greetings to all of you |
The Christians are happy with his visits, because sometimes they feel lonely on board and are in need of conversation and prayer, and the non-Christians or people from other faiths really value the visits and the personal attention.
If you want to help Alexander to buy Bibles and other materials, you can make your gift payable to: St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention SAILORS.