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 info@portministry.com 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

E-mail

Info@PortMinistry.com

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?