Once or twice a month, I will head to the port of Busan with some members from my church. Lately, we have been accompanied by students from Korea Maritime & Ocean University, who lead worship on the ships we board.
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| About to board the Anthea |
It's a big group. There's a certain comfort this provides when you board new ships and prepare to meet strangers. However, I can feel how unwieldy we are moving through the narrow corridors of the ships. Unlike my preoccupation with our group's physical size going through the physical structure of the vessels, Russel's is that our bigger group might actually be hindering our attempt to reach out to the seamen on board. He wants to simplify it; boil it down to the essential of introducing or re-introducing Christ to men whose lives, whether on land or at sea, he believes ought to be anchored in Jesus.
When not utterly exhausted from these excursions by mid afternoon, we take the time to exchange a few words about what worked and what didn't and what we could have done better. It seems to boil down to all of the cultural red tape present - something seemingly inherent in a company composed of multiple nationalities trying to serve the needs of those from other countries.
At the very core, we agree that we are there to minister and spread the Gospel of Christ. However, after this point, any other activity can be imposed upon our trips' itinerary by church leaders that might, upon second thought, seem unnecessary if not altogether unhelpful.
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| Piling out of the van |
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| Grabbing our gear |
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Looking up at these huge structures always inspires awe
(and the irrational fear that I might die by one of these things dropping on top of my head) |
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| I love their uniforms! |
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| Their uniforms might make them look older, but they are actually way younger than me! |
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| Welcome to Korea! |
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| Going through security again on our way out |
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| Anddd, we are finished! Heading back to the van to grab lunch together |
MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU
For those who are involved in [ship] ministry, how have you conducted your outreach? What worked for you? What did not work? Do you have any interesting stories to share about your time boarding ships and meeting people from different countries?
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