Mission to Seafarers

The Mission to Seafarers is a charity and part of the Anglican Church. It is a worldwide organisation, and offers help and support to seafarers.

The Mission to Seafarers asks us to remember and pray for the seafarers who bring so many essentials for our daily lives to our shores. Over 90 per cent of our imports are brought to this country by sea, including much of our food, clothes, oil, toys and electrical goods.

Sea Sunday

I am pleased to report that a total of £341.13 was raised from the retiring collections at the services on Sunday 27th July and I would like to thank everybody who gave so generously to help further the Mission’s work amongst seafarers.

My article about Jiang, a Chinese seafarer, who suffered an accident at sea and, following hospital treatment, was befriended and supported through his convalescence by the Falmouth Mission to Seafarers until he could return home. I have reproduced below (with permission of the Mission to Seafarers) a photograph of Jiang with Penny Phillips and Graham Hall, a volunteer.

Penny, chairman of the Falmouth Mission, saw our magazine article. She wrote to thank me for reproducing her article and said that the centre which opened in 2005 has become busy and popular, welcoming almost 4000 seafarers from 46 nations.

Falmouth is but one of many ports across the world where the needs of seafarers are met by the Mission through its staff and volunteers such as Penny and Graham.

Thank you once again for your support that enables the Mission to carry out its ministry.

If you would like to read the annual review for 2007 – 2008 of the Mission to Seafarers please let me know.

Lawrence Dark

A loving environment for a visitor in distress

At the Falmouth Mission to Seafarers centre we have just said farewell to Jiang Liang, a Chinese seafarer whom we have been helping to get better after a serious accident onboard his ship. Jiang was badly injured when he was struck by a heavy, water-tight door during rough seas. His injuries were so bad that he had to be airlifted to Treliske hospital for urgent medical attention.

Jiang, due to bad weather, had been onboard for two days before he was able to be brought ashore. His head felt twice its normal size and both his eyes were so bruised that he could not open them. After successful surgery, Jiang was transferred to a local hotel in Falmouth to recuperate and it was here that The Mission to Seafarers in Falmouth stepped in to help him.

We provided him with new clothes and a small allowance to help him during his time in the UK. We also gave him a new Chinese/English Bible so that he could pray and helped him send emails and make telephone calls to his wife and parents in China via our centre’s facilities.

After the traumatic experience he had suffered, Jiang began to experience severe toothache. A visit to the dentist, accompanied by the Mission’s chaplain, soon sorted this out.

As well as getting local care, Jiang benefited from the international network that the Mission has and through contact with central office in London, we were able to get Jiang a Chinese interpreter who could help him communicate with the medics that saved him. During Jiang’s 49-day stay, his English improved tremendously.

Being in and around the port for so long, Jiang became a regular at the Mission’s centre which operates within the Falmouth docks, and he took an active role in helping the Mission prepare for Christmas.

On Jiang’s last evening with us, we presented him with a traditional Newlyn fisherman’s smock for his 8-year-old son and a small replica of HMS Victory. We were very pleased to welcome Jiang to the Mission in Falmouth and to help him in any way we could. However, we are pleased that he has now been reunited with his family for whom the experience must have been equally as frightening as for Jiang himself.

It just goes to show that at The Mission to Seafarers, we never know just when we will be called on in times of trouble. But, because of our commitment to seafarers of all nationalities and faiths, we are ready to step up and meet the need as and when required.