It is dirty. Sticky brown dust swirls menacingly in the chilly wind blowing in the Bay. It sticks to everything. Danie tries to avoid contact with the cables hanging over the stepladder, hunching his body as much as he can. It is not enough and his jacket touches the cable covered in grease and oil. It leaves stubborn black spot that burrows deep into the fabric. This will become a permanent feature of the jacket, an ever present reminder of this day. Experience has taught that the oil spot will remain there forever. 

From the deck Dimitri, handling the arrival of visitors, checking that they sign in, watches the spat between Danie, the cables and the oil spot on the now damaged jacket. As Danie signs in, they joke about a harbour that is never clean. From the check-in point, Danie finds his way to the dining area where he encounters the first Christmas tree of this year. It is green, plastic and stands skew, with very few hand-made decorations cut from pieces of paper.  

The men working on board come and go. Dimitri also arrives in the dining area, looking for something to drink. Danie soon realises that he has an ulterior motive. Dimitri waits for Danie to be alone and approaches with care, but also a little insecure. At first they chit-chat and continue to discuss the permanent oil stain on the jacket. This creates an unusual opportunity to talk about the things that bother him. There, unexpectedly, next to the green Christmas tree, Dimitri explains his past and the oil stains etched into his life. They are permanent. He cannot escape them. The story is dirty, sad, overwhelming...  

Danie has a chance to explain that many forgotten stories are hidden behind Christmas trees. There is also the story of being born in the stench and dirt of a stable and eventually, the crucifixion. Dirty. Heart-breaking. Overwhelming. It is the plea from the Cross, but always spotless Lamb... 

That is what the Child of the manger came to do for Dimitri. This is what the Man on the Cross sacrificed... to clear Dimitri of all, to make him as white as snow. Through the lenses of the manger and cross, Dimitri’s life looks radically different. On this morning, in talking to Danie, this new perspective is essential. It is not a magic wand to correct all that is wrong. They agree about this, but it gives the story another dimension. It changes the dirt and oil stains...  

After they pray together, Dimitri now holding a new Russian Bible, he states that he will come back to the shade of the plastic tree whenever he feels overwhelmed. It will remind him of the crib and the Cross.   

Our donors make this possible. Thank you! Their donations bring the crib and cross to seamen like Dimitri during this Christmas season. We hope that every plastic Christmas tree will remind you of the crib and cross that is there for you too.