February 2019 Newsletter

M2S serves seafarers 365 days a year. Look at what you helped accomplish in 2018! Thank you for your support!

We received grateful feedback like this from many seafarers, so thank you to all who gave so generously!

As always, many memorable stories mark this season of giving. Chaplain David got a unique reaction on one ship when he went to deliver Christmas parcels. The Third Officer who received him didn't know him and had never seen anyone come to the ship just to give the crew something--he couldn't imagine why people would just want to give gifts to people they don't know! He didn't know what he should do and he didn't want to wake up the Captain, so he refused to let David come on board with the parcels.

While this was the first time this ship had been to Montreal in a number of years, both our chaplains knew the captain and many of the crew very well. So the next day, when Chaplain Michelle went on board, the Captain was very apologetic that David hadn't been allowed on board. The Third Officer apologized as well, and this time they gladly accepted the gifts!

PLEASE NOTE - Next year, we'll be asking churches to consider ordering these bags from us ($1 ea.) to use for their Christmas parcels, or to sew their own cloth bags (15" H x 12" W). Bags are easier to deliver to ships and we'd like to standardize the size. 

Dennis Dubinsky, Daniel Mashtare and Gerard Bondt spent time with us in the fall. Daniel who is from the USA, needed to complete an internship that could provide him with an educational experience and exposure to ministry and leadership outside of his home country. While here, he shared his wood burning hobby with the seafarers during our Crafts & Trades Night.

Tony and Mary DeKoter provided invaluable support and leadership during "Christmas Parcel season", especially when J'aime Montreal, a local mission organization, came and volunteered for two evenings to pack and deliver parcels.

Presently doing an intership with us is Zubeyde. We are also training two new local volunteers, Mustafa (a former naval officer in Turkey) and Sean Morgado. God is answering our prayers for more local involvement and we are grateful! Pray for their integration.

A new van is still a pressing need! We've raised $3,650 but our requests for larger donations have been turned down by a few funding organizations. Pray God gives us wisdom.

Every number in the graphic above represents a person! Join us in humbly thanking God for the opportunities he gave us. Our vision for 2019 is trusting in God's provision as we build relationships and grow.

Mark April 13, 2019 on your calendars!

Christian Stewardship Services (CSS) is hosting a free Will Clinic at Kanata Community CRC and M2S will be there.

This event is for you if you want to be intentional about managing your God-given resources, you don't yet have a Will, and you wish to fight our culture of consumerism by living out a culture of generosity.

See you there!

PS: CSS will also host a Will Clinic on March 26, 2019 at Grace Christian Reformed Church in Chatham. Though we won't be there, we encourage our Chatham donors to consider attending.