Playing cards, sharing faith
Dominee Johan Smith, port chaplain in Cape Town, South Africa, and affiliated to ICMA member the Christian Seamans Organisation (CSO) writes a regular blog on the CSO website. He writes:
We are playing cards. Everyone is enjoying the fact that I lose, because I have no idea how the game works. They barely understand my English, and we struggle to communicate, but the engineer speaks English and interprets where we lack understanding. We laugh and talk together.
They are all Muslims, without exception, and are from Pakistan. There are thirteen of them. Following the recent events relating to the death of Osama Bin Ladin in their country, I felt apprehensive about my visit to the ship. Yet, after a month, we still play cards and talk regularly. Every time I leave the ship, they anxiously ask when I will return. When I arrive for my next visit, they are ready with something to eat and drink. They also plan activities for my visit. In all honesty, I do not think any other crew has received me with more warmth during my duties over the past two years and a few months.
We talk also of our beliefs. We do so with sensitivity. It is an incongruous situation: they dressed in proper Muslim attire, and I the dominee from Christian Seamans Organisation. The divide between us seems insurmountable. Yet, somehow we get to share faith!
To see the website of the Christian Seamans Organisation and read Johan’s blog, CLICK HERE