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The Challenge of Preaching in One of the World’s Largest Ports

ROTTERDAM, situated where the Rhine, Europe’s busiest river, enters the North Sea, enjoys the distinction of being one of the world’s largest seaports. With some 500 shipping lines coming here, Rotterdam has direct links to more than 800 destinations worldwide. It is truly an international port.

However, this 650-year-old Dutch port is more than a crossroads of shipping lines. It is also a meeting point of people. A flow of sailors arrives every day and night from all corners of the world. These seamen have not escaped the attention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Netherlands. Like Witnesses elsewhere, they look for ways to preach the world’s best news​—that God’s Kingdom will soon turn the earth into a Paradise—​to people of all sorts, including sailors.​—Daniel 2:44; Luke 23:43; 1 Timothy 4:10.

“Missionary Assignment in Reverse”

Some years ago, the Watch Tower Society in the Netherlands asked six full-time preachers, or pioneers, to work from ship to ship throughout the port of Rotterdam. The pioneers jumped at the chance. They gathered data from the port authority, surveyed the harbors, and soon realized that they had a challenging assignment.

“It’s like a missionary assignment in reverse,” says Meinard, who coordinates the harbor preaching. What does he mean? “Usually a missionary makes a long journey to go to the people, but in our case the people make the long journey to come to us.” He adds, “our preaching territory is probably as international as you can get it.” The Rotterdam Europoort yearbook of 1985 stated that in 1983, the year the pioneers began this special work, the port of Rotterdam received 30,820 seagoing vessels from 71 different countries. That is international!

Fittingly, the “port missionaries”​—as sailors soon began to call the pioneers—​also reflect an international flavor. Geert, Peter, and his wife, Karin, are Dutch; Daniël and Meinard came from Indonesia; and Solomon is Ethiopian. Their European, Asian, and African roots cut across eight language barriers, but to succeed in this work, they had other barriers to tackle.

“The Cycling Church”

“You can’t just walk up a quay, climb a gangplank, and board a ship,” says 32-year-old Peter, a former sailor. “You need terrain permits.” That means permits to enter quays and permits to board ships. “It was a lot of red tape,” recalls Peter, “but after we got eight permits, complete with our photographs and official stamps, we were ready to go all out.” They divided the 23 miles [37 km] of harbor quays into three sections, each one cared for by two pioneers.

How, though, do you deal with the multitude of languages spoken by sailors from so many countries? Even though the pioneers stocked Bible literature in 30 languages and carried as much as possible on their bicycles, there never seemed to be enough. “You never know for sure which languages you will need,” recounts 30-year-old Solomon with a smile. “It often happens that sailors want books in the very language that you did not bring along, and then they tell you that their ship is leaving in three hours or so.” Not wanting to disappoint the sailors, one of the pioneers dashes off, gets the right books, races back, and hands them to the eager sailors. “When the same problem came up while we were preaching in parts of the harbor located three hours away by bicycle,” says Peter, “it was obvious we needed another approach.”

One day some Witnesses living in the harbor area surprised the pioneers with two bicycle trailers, each the size of a washtub. The pioneers stuffed the trailers with literature in all available languages, hooked them to their bikes, and headed for the harbor. Soon the trailers became a familiar sight. “They have become our calling cards,” says one of the pioneers. “When a gatekeeper sees us coming, he opens the gate, waves us through, and shouts: ‘There goes the cycling church!’” At other times, when a guard notices “the cycling church” coming his way, he opens the gate and calls out: “Two Polish and one Chinese!” Such helpful hints enable the pioneers to go aboard with literature in the proper languages. But they must also go at the proper time. Why?

Timely Visits With a Timely Message

The pioneers can talk to the crew only during their morning and afternoon coffee breaks or their lunch hour. The cook, however, has different working hours, and the captain and other officers can be found throughout the day. Moreover, the pioneers learned that British ships anchored in Rotterdam stick to British time (one hour different from Dutch time), so that their crews head for the messroom when non-British crews return to work. Obviously, for a harbor pioneer, a reliable watch is a necessity.

Are sailors willing, though, to use their breaks for Bible discussions? “As a rule, I find them to be open-minded toward the Kingdom message,” says 31-year-old Geert. “Perhaps that’s because they see firsthand the failure of human governments.” For instance, some sailors told Geert that the heaps of grain they had unloaded for starving Ethiopians were still lying there months later when they called again, only by then the grain was rotten and infested with rats. “No wonder many sailors have lost hope in politics,” Geert notes. “So the Bible’s promise of one government for all mankind appeals to them.”

Peter agrees. “One German captain said that ten years ago his crew would have sent me off the ship, but today’s changing world conditions had aroused their interest in the Bible’s timely message.” One Korean ship’s cook related that during the Iran-Iraq war, the supertanker he was working on was hit by a rocket and set ablaze in the Persian Gulf. He vowed that if he stayed alive, he would look for God. He did survive. When the pioneers met him later in Rotterdam, he wanted all the Korean literature they could bring him.

Most ships remain in the harbor for several days. This allows the pioneers to return two, three, or more times to continue their Bible discussions after working hours. Yet, when a ship has engine trouble, it may remain moored for three weeks. “That’s bad for the company,” quips a grinning pioneer, “but good for our work.” Then, besides continuing the Bible discussions, the pioneers also arrange to show one of the Society’s slide programs, “The Bible​—A Book for This Generation,” in the messroom. Some sailors also come to the meetings of the many foreign-language groups of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Rotterdam. This lasts until the engine runs again. Then the Bibles must be closed. The hawsers are cast off, and the ship disappears from the harbor​—but not from the pioneers’ minds.

Encouraging Sailor Stories

By means of newspaper listings or the port authority’s public computer system, the harbor pioneers keep track of the comings and goings of ships they have visited. As soon as one of them comes in again, the pioneers are eager to call on the sailors to find out what has happened since the last visit. What encouraging stories the sailors tell!

One sailor handed out copies of the book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth to five of his shipmates after his ship had put out to sea, and the six of them had a Bible study. He also recorded the chapter about family life on an audiocassette and played it back in the messroom for the benefit of the whole crew. Aboard another ship, a sailor who had visited a Kingdom Hall in the nearby port of Antwerp put up on the wall of the mess hall a banner with the words “Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses” in large letters. Then he invited the crew members to come there when he conducted a Bible meeting. Before taking down the banner, he invited the crew to the next meeting. The following week, the banner and the crew were in place again.

The pioneers also found that some sailors never shelved their books. “When we walked into the cabin of Isaac, a West African radio officer, it was hard to find a seat,” relates Meinard. “The Society’s magazines, books, and concordances were everywhere​—and opened.” Isaac also had a list of Bible questions ready, as he had been waiting for the pioneers’ return call.

Some seamen, though, do not wait for the pioneers to call on them. One night Geert’s phone rang after he had gone to sleep.

“Who in the world could this be?” Geert muttered while groping for the receiver.

“Hello, this is your friend!” announced a cheerful voice.

Geert tried to think.

“Your friend from the ship,” came the voice again.

“It’s three o’clock in the morning!” Geert said.

“Yes, but you told me to call you as soon as my ship came to Rotterdam again. Well, I’m here!” Shortly after, Geert was on his way to meet this friend who was interested in God’s Word.

“Send Out Your Bread”

Appreciation for Bible literature is also expressed in letters from sailors to the pioneers. Following are some excerpts:

‘I have started to read the book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth . . . Now I understand many things that I did not understand before. I hope our ship will be back in Rotterdam.’​—Angelo.

‘I read the book, and I’m sending questions to you so that you can answer them in your letters.’​—Alberta.

‘I now read the Bible every day. I’m glad to be your friend. Having found friends that guide me to God is the best thing that has happened in my life.’​—Nickey.

Such heartwarming letters remind the pioneers of what the Bible says at Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Send out your bread upon the surface of the waters, for in the course of many days you will find it again.” They especially rejoice when they learn that some seamen have taken their stand for Jehovah.

Polish sailor Stanislav, for one, was thrilled by what he learned from the Society’s books. He quickly acquired a small library of Bible literature and, while at sea, studied every piece of it. “When we heard from him again,” says Meinard, “he wrote that he had been baptized.”

Folkert, an inland-shipping skipper, first heard the Kingdom message in Rotterdam. Every two months he was back in port for a week and studied the Bible for seven days straight. Then, before he left for another two-month trip, the pioneers handed him a list of Kingdom Hall addresses along his shipping route. Folkert stopped by the halls and was moved by the warm welcome he received. Before long, this skipper got baptized and now serves Jehovah zealously.

Mike, a British Navy officer, had had some contact with the Witnesses before and had been studying the Bible while at sea. Once, when the frigate he worked on anchored in Rotterdam, he used his folding bicycle to get to a Kingdom Hall. He was impressed by the love and unity he saw and told the friends that he had decided to quit his job. Though he was only four years away from receiving a handsome pension, he stuck to his decision and was later baptized.

Says Meinard: “The eagerness of Mike, Stanislav, Folkert, and others to serve Jehovah moves us to keep on searching the port for sailors like them.”

Can You Have a Share?

Looking back on nearly a decade of preaching in one of the world’s largest ports, the six “port missionaries” wholeheartedly agree​—the assignment has been challenging but rewarding. “After each day of preaching,” sums up Meinard, “we cycle home with the feeling that some of those sailors were waiting for our visit.”

Could there be sailors waiting for a visit in a port in your area? Perhaps the elders in your congregation can make arrangements so that you may have a share in this challenging but rewarding work.

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REACHING OUT INTO BANNED TERRITORIES

In one recent year, over 2,500 ships from countries where the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses were under ban docked in Rotterdam. And the harbor pioneers saw that as an opportunity to reach out to these territories with the Bible message.

On one of the first Asian ships they visited, the pioneers placed their entire supply of 23 books, leaving some crew members upset because they missed getting a copy. A galley boy on another Asian ship was more cautious. After accepting a book from a pioneer, he returned it wrapped in paper with an address written on it. The pioneer got the point. It was too risky for the boy to take the book with him. That same day it was in the mail to the Far East.

On board a ship from Africa came a sailor with a list of books the Witnesses back home wanted. From then on, each time that sailor returns home, his suitcase is stuffed with literature. A sailor from another African country was sorely disappointed when the pioneer studying with him could offer only three copies of the book Making Your Family Life Happy. “That’s nothing!” exclaimed the sailor, throwing his arms up in despair. “The brothers back home need 1,000!” For his own safety, the pioneers persuaded him to take only 20 copies at a time.

Perhaps most touching was the time when the pioneers learned that a ship had come in from a country where the Witnesses were persecuted because of their beliefs, and many had lost their jobs and property. When they found out that the steward on board was a Witness, they called on the captain and asked for permission to send relief aid aboard his ship. The captain agreed, and a few days later, a hundred big bags of clothes, shoes, and other goods were on their way to the Witnesses in that country.

[Box on page 21]

PREACHING SHIP TO SHIP​—A WOMAN’S VIEW

“At first, I hesitated to accompany Peter,” recalls Karin, the only woman among the pioneers, “because I’d heard stories that sailors are often rough and drunk. However, I have found that most are polite. Often, after a sailor learns that we are a married couple, he will pull out a picture of his wife and children and begin to chat about his family. That way, we have placed lots of copies of the book Making Your Family Life Happy.”

Visiting ships as husband and wife also makes it easier to contact the wives of crew members and other women who sometimes work as nurses. “Usually they are reserved toward strangers,” says Karin, “but when they notice me, they feel more inclined to engage in conversation.”

What was the biggest challenge in her assignment? “Rope ladders,” Karin answers. “I hated those flimsy things.” Did she overcome her fear? “Yes. Once when I hesitated to climb one, a group of sailors from Paraguay looked on and shouted: ‘You’ll make it. Just trust in God.’ Of course,” says Karin with a laugh, “after that remark, I had no choice but to go up.” Says her admiring husband: “Four years and lots of rope ladders later, she now climbs them like a sailor.”

Karin and her husband, Peter, attended the 89th class of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead in the United States. On September 28, 1990, they left for their new assignment, Ecuador, a country with a port. They should feel right at home.

[Box on page 22]

ARE YOU A SAILOR?

Do you want to attend an English-language meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses while your ship is anchored in one of the world’s major ports? Then keep this list of current Kingdom Hall addresses and meeting times handy:

Hamburg, Schellingstr. 7-9; Saturday, 4:00 p.m.; phone: 040-4208413

Hong Kong, 26 Leighton Road; Sunday, 9:00 a.m.; phone: 5774159

Marseilles, 5 Bis, rue Antoine Maille; Sunday, 10:00 a.m.; phone: 91 79 27 89

Naples, Castel Volturno (40 km north of Naples), Via Napoli, corner of Via Salerno, Parco Campania; Sunday, 2:45 p.m.; phone: 081/5097292

New York, 512 W. 20 Street; Sunday, 10:00 a.m.; phone: 212-627-2873

Rotterdam, Putsestraat 20; Sunday, 10:00 a.m.; phone: 010-41 65 653

Tokyo, 5-5-8 Mita, Minato-ku; Sunday, 4:00 p.m.; phone: 03-3453-0404

Vancouver, 1526 Robson Street; Sunday, 10:00 a.m.; phone: 604-689-9796