04/09/2026
Almost everything…
"Thank you..." It is all he says.`
He hugs the Tagalog Bible close to his chest, using both arms. The drone of engines, the calls of the crew and the mad rush fade away. His face shows a smile that tells a story of something that cannot be defined in words.
A little earlier, Danie, the CSO Chaplain in PE, stands in front of a ship, looking at it. He realises how completely a modern ship provides for its crew. There is food, water, a bed, medical care and even internet. It provides everything a man working at sea may need to survive months on board a ship sailing on the open seas.
It provides almost everything... but there is one hunger that no ship can still.
Amidst the activities he meets a young man from the Philippines. Behind his friendly smile hides a broken heart and longing. He talks about the bitter and difficult long months away from home, his wife and his children. He talks about the silence of the ocean and the questions he struggles with. How does one stay near God when the horizon is endless? How does one cling to hope when home disappears behind tens of thousands of swells?
Danie only listens.
Then, as the young man runs out of words, he takes a Tagalog Bible from his bag and places it in the young man’s hands. Astonished, without ceremony the young man simply sits down, right there on deck. Without fail, all around him is the drone of the gears of the harbour in action. It is noisy, it is loud, but he is unaware of it. He reads. He pages back. He reads again. It is as if he does not only discover words, it is like coming home.
Without any hurry, Danie sits down next to him. He allows the young man to experience all the emotions without spoiling these with a few nice words. The two of them simply sit. The young man pages through his new Bible. Danie is quietly aware of a very special moment.
When they get up, quite a while later, he hugs the Bible close to his chest.
"Thank you..." only that.
This is more than a thank you for a Bible. It is a thank you because someone saw him. It is because someone stood still long enough to listen. It is because he remembered for a moment, every thousands of sea miles from his loved ones, that he is not alone.
That is why the CSO distributes God’s Word in the languages of the men working at sea. When such a man receives a Bible, it is so much more than a book. He receives hope. He receives the mercy and care of the Cross. He receives the quiet assurance that God is there, wherever the oceans may take him.
Thanks to donors for their support to make these moments become a reality each day. Thank you for making this possible.
