“No”, is the quick answer - nonchalant and definite. There are no Christians on board and therefore Danie’s visit is blocked immediately and without further discussion. It is a clear fork in the road... 

How vast the distance between two of the shortest words in our language? Between “no” en “yes” we often find a gaping, like a giant wound, in the earth, a dark cliff that divides the world in two. Between steep rock-face and wind-worn crags, chiselled by time, we find the depth are hiding a cold and relentless emptiness. The other side is so close and yet so far away. It is within reach, but also far beyond our reach. A single “no” or “yes” could change our lives irrevocably and chart our paths.

Danie’s “no” on board the ship is definite and absolute, BUT...

Then, as he is about to go down the stepladder, one man on board mentions casually that there could be, that there is a possibility of, one Christian on board. Perhaps he would like to speak to Danie. Suddenly the absolute refusal seems softer and the door had been opened, showing just a visible crack. Some warbled message over the radio and then a hand sign, asking Danie to wait a moment, makes him hang around a little longer. Moments later a young man appears. “Yes, yes please...”. Danie is led to the interior of the ship, although only moments ago he was asked to leave the ship, using the stepladder. The man does not only invite him to sit down and talk, he also invites him to unpack the Bibles from the backpack and display them on a table.    

While talking, another man approaches shyly to look at the Bibles in his own language. First one arrives, then two asking what the books are, eventually picking up a Bible and paging through it. In a moment Danie can summarise the essence of the Book in three words: Mercy, love and hope.  

 Surprisingly the man that uttered the definite “no” at the stepladder also approaches to look. Suddenly there is a “perhaps”...

Then, he asks if he could, perhaps, also have a Bible.

Day after day we bear witness to the unbelievable ways in which God changes an absolute “no” into a receptive “yes”. How absolutely powerful! What we see as an unbridgeable chasm, poses no problem for God.   Your donations and prayers help us every day to take the message of the Man of the Cross to the sceptics. From there God performs miracles that far exceed our understanding. So we experience many a “no” that changes into a straightforward “yes”. Thank you for being a part of this. It changes lives.

Christelike Seemansorganisasie. ABSA. Current. 1520-230-226.