The Anchor Published Monthly by Global Maritime Ministries, Inc.
Volume 29 Number 4
April 2014
With a Song in Our Hearts Alicia Weber
I would bet that you thought
singing would not be part of the
job description of a port chaplain.
Surprise! Sometimes it is.
During a ship visit, I was wel-
comed by a group of seafarers
who were in port for a few
weeks. All the ice and bad
weather had kept the cargo oper-
ation from being completed at a
normal pace, so we got to know
the guys on the ship quite well.
Often, I would be requested to
come pick someone up and
would be invited on board for a
meal and conversation while the
guys got ready. One memorable
evening after I returned them to
their ship following an outing,
they insisted that I come on
board to have dinner and wait for
the next round of guys. Next
thing I know, dinner is over and
I’m being ushered into the rec
room where there is a micro-
phone and a book of music laid
out. This is when I start panick-
ing. I don’t sing in front of peo-
ple. Singing in church is one
thing, but a small room with a
bunch of people watching me
karaoke is another! I attempted
to decline politely, but the cap-
tain convinced me to sing by
saying he would sing first. I
agreed, assuming he was jok-
ing...he was not. He allowed me
to take some pictures, however,
so I figured I owed him the co-
medic spectacle. Thankfully, I
shattered no glass, and soon more
of the crew filtered in to join in
the silliness. Admittedly, it was
a lot of fun and the guys were
very good, due to lots of practice,
no doubt!
Cue one of our volunteers:
James Long. He had been com-
ing to the center primarily to
interact with the Chinese seafar-
ers because he speaks the lan-
guage. If there is an opportunity,
I like to give volunteers the expe-
rience of riding to the port. It
isn’t something one gets to do
every day. James found out just
how interesting this can be! We
made a request for his first-ever
visit to a ship. The captain was
kind enough to show him the
bridge and common areas, as
well as answer the myriad of
questions that non-seafarers
have. Not only was James given
a tour, he was also treated to his
own karaoke debut.
Like any other job, we have
our ups and downs. We also
have the experience of never
knowing what the next day will
bring. Will we need to offer en-
couragement to a lone Christian
on a ship? Will we need to help
someone buy a gift for his wife?
Will we fellowship in unexpect-
edly musical ways? Will we
need to practice the disciplines of
waiting and patience when noth-
ing is afoot? One thing is cer-
tain: where there is a need, we
are waiting with outstretched
hands. We are ready to share the
love of Christ with the world and
to do it with a song in our hearts.
The Anchor
Page 2
A Blessing To Be a Blessing Ahsaki Hammond Being a port chaplain is so exciting! I
love being able to interact with different
nationalities and cultures from around
the world. There is never a dull mo-
ment, and I am grateful for the oppor-
tunity to serve alongside those who once
served me when I was a port worker. As
a port worker, there were many long,
weary nights and it seemed as though the
twelve-hours shifts would last an eterni-
ty. I would look forward to seeing a
friendly face and a smile. The chaplains
would always ask how I was doing. I
thanked God for the many visits from
GMM port chaplains as they not only
took care of the seafarers but also the
port workers. I am grateful for the
cookies and every cup of hot coffee
given to me as well as every word of
encouragement that was spoken to me.
I must not forget the Christmas presents.
Now I am on the other side and I love
it! I enjoy being able to serve coffee
and cookies to the port workers. I was
even able to deliver some of the Christ-
mas presents this past year. I enjoy tak-
ing the seafarers out shopping for gifts
to take back home to their loved ones. I
also enjoy them coming to the center
and helping them connect with their
loved ones via Skype. It is nice to see
them being able to talk to their family
whom they haven’t seen or spoken to in
months due to lengthy travel at sea. It is
a blessing to be a blessing.
Giving and Receiving Ann Davis I have learned a lot of things during
these past few weeks at GMM. Some
things I knew but experienced in a new
way. When we give to others, we re-
ceive so much more in return. The sea-
farers I have met are so grateful for the
smallest kindness, whether a smile or
help with something. Sincere thanks are
heard all day, and many are eager to
return the kindness and share what they
have to give. I have learned it is im-
portant to accept what is offered even if I
don’t feel I have done anything to de-
serve it. I have two examples of such
appreciation. The first was from a
sweet, young lady that gave me fruit that
she had just bought from Walmart. The
second was from Marvin. Marvin is a
ship photographer. He was recently
looking for a package containing some-
thing he needed for an upcoming wed-
ding. He was eager to receive the pack-
age because this was his first wedding on
the ship. I made one phone call and was
able to find the package. We have been
friends ever since. He took a couple of
pictures of me and my husband and re-
turned the next week with an album for
us.
The most inspiring thing to see is the
eagerness of the Christian crew members
to share their faith and what God is do-
ing in their lives. Leonard and I came to
GMM to love and encourage others, but
we are finding out that we are the ones
receiving the love and encouragement.
Central Baptist Top Ten We recently received an email from
Suzanne, one of our faithful Central
Baptist Church (Jonesboro, Arkansas)
volunteers. She listed the “Top Ten
Reasons to Minister at Global Maritime
Ministries.” Drum roll, please. Her list
is as follows:
10) Family Friendly - Great trip for
families with children. Remember, these
men and women are away from their
families up to 10 months at a time.
9) Cost - It is relatively inexpensive to
go on this trip.
8) On-site Accommodations - The
bunkrooms are upstairs at the center and
are very comfortable. Philip has also
made arrangements for a special rate at a
local hotel if needed.
7) Location - This is a seven- to eight-
hour trip from Jonesboro. Short-term
trips are available, such as a four-day
weekend.
6) No Job is Too Small - Many ran-
dom acts of kindness can be carried out
such as baking cookies and cakes, serv-
ing lemonade, and cleaning the facility.
5) Many Ways to Give - GMM accepts
donations by check and automatic draft.
We witnessed first-hand how conscien-
tious they are with the funds donated.
4) Bibles - There are currently Bibles in
fifty-eight different languages. Other
languages need to be ordered, and mon-
ey sent with our team will be used to
purchase some of these Bibles.
3) Need - Many of the duties are carried
out by volunteers. Without teams of
volunteers to purchase and prepare
snacks each week, the food that is served
to the seafarers is diminished.
2) Ann & Leonard Davis - Help en-
courage and support our Central family
on the mission field.
1) Share the love of Jesus with people
from around the world.
Page 3
2014 Statistics As of March 31, 2014
Ships visited 118
Seafarers contacted 5,124
Port workers contacted 33
Countries represented 40
Seafarers visiting center 2,755
Scriptures distributed 80
Significant Ministry Opportunities 32
2014 Budget Requirements
Budget needs $ 82,750.00
Budget income $ 63,549.37
The Anchor
In Memory
In Memory of: Given by:
Ruby Mildred Davis Buddy & Sandi Johnston
Ruby Mildred Davis Sammy & Gina Sabine
Ruby Mildred Davis Philip & Sandy Vandercook
Ruby Mildred Davis Williams’ Life Group
Central Baptist Church
Millard Mangum Ernest & Sherri Andrews
Millard Mangum Ray & Lori Griffin
Millard Mangum Paul & Misty Nelson
Millard Mangum Sammy & Gina Sabine
Millard Mangum Bill & Margarita Stanford
Millard Mangum Philip & Sandy Vandercook
Radie Reviere Robert Purvis
Rev. John Vandercook Thomas & Judy Brunet
Rev. John Vandercook Joe Earl Watford
Robert B. Winegeart E.K. Field Sunday School Class
In Honor
In Honor of: Given by:
Dale & Jo Patterson Philip & Sandy Vandercook
Chepita Dinicola Barbara Talley
Cameron Blake Osborn Sabine GDad & GiGi Sabine
Volunteers In Partnership
Anchor Angels
Steve & Shirley Barnett
Illinois State WMU
FBC Davis Oklahoma
Casey, Angela, Zachary, Abby,
Toby & Emily Harris
Rob & Shelley Noles
Martin & Nancy Russell
Chris Shaffer
Building Fund
Leonora Dowell
Deepest Sympathy
We have recently experienced two deaths in the Global Maritime family. Please pray with us
for the families of Norman and Priscilla Mangum in the death of Norman’s brother, Millard
Mangum, and also Leonard and Ann Davis in the death of Leonard’s mother, Ruby Davis.
* Save the Date *
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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 .
that he still had notes in his Bible from
years past that he was still praying for
because nobody told him to stop praying
because God had answered their prayer.
He instilled 1 Thessalonians 5:17—“Pray
without ceasing”—to every student that
went through his class.
The reason I am telling you this is to
ask you a question. Have you been pray-
ing without ceasing? As part of our min-
istry, we are constantly being asked by
When I was getting my Associate’s
Degree at a little Bible school in North
Carolina, I had a professor who had a
profound effect on me. This man had
had his Bible re-covered, if memory
serves me correctly, four times. The
pages of his Bible had notes written all
over them. I do not know how he kept
things straight. He stated continually,
“When someone asks you to pray for
them, drop what you are doing and pray.
Do not say ‘Yes, I will’ and walk off.”
He would tell us that by the time you turn
around and walk away, you will have
forgotten what is was they asked you to
pray for. He would also tell us that if he
was out in public and he heard someone
ask one of his students, present or for-
mer, to pray and they did not do it at that
moment, he would walk up to them and
tell a present student to write a ten-page
paper on why they did not stop and pray.
If they were a former student, he stated
that he would ask them if they needed to
take his class over again. He also told us
Don’t Stop Norman Mangum
seafarers and port personnel to pray for
them, for their families, and for special
needs. When I am asked to pray, I hear
the little voice of my former professor
saying, “Do it now.” Have you been
praying continually for the little girl with
juvenile arthritis or for the staff at Global
Maritime Ministries? There are times
when our staff is drained spiritually and
physically because we are continually
standing in the trenches and providing
spiritual help to the men and women
with whom we come in contact every
day. We also experience struggles and
needs in our own families.
Prayer is the strongest tool a Christian
has. Nobody can take it away from you.
Your Bible can be taken away from you,
but your prayer life can never be taken
away. Bend your knees and pray. If you
can’t bend your knees, sit down. God
will still hear you! While you are there,
please remember to say a prayer for us as
we minister here in the port.