WORK IN PACIFIC COAST HARBORS Oscar Zimmermann, Supt.
tain, have not been found, and perhaps will not be until the time when “the sea shall give up its dead.” It was only a few days before that the worker boarded that vessel and gave' out the Word to every one on board, including the captain’s cabin, not knowing that after a few days this same captain with his vessel and men should meet such a terrible fate. Forty or more vessels have been lost in the same way, all of which had been boarded and reached with the gospel by the workers of the Insti tute, before or on their latest voyage. Two Alaska: packers’ vessels were lost after a service was held on board, during which one man said: “When one gets on the rocks he does a lot of thinking.” On the same' voyage that vessel came to grief on the ’rocks. On another one, an English boat which was sunk in the war zone, one man accepted Christ. Again, an Australian pas senger liner, cabin boy under deep convic tion. The fate of the ship was never learned, except that it left an American port and never entered another. After hav ing seven interviews with the crew, another liner was lost on the high seas by fire; another driven on the rocks by a gale; the C. of P. sunk by torpedo, the worker hav ing left the vessel only a few hours before that boat sailed. Dealing with a Quarter master on another boat the man said, "Not today.” It was the last and only time that freighter was boarded by the worker. The M. was lost at sea. On board were left fif-
T~\ URING the last month a little vacation has given rest and fellowship, as well as quiet to plan out the work for the fall and winter in our ports. Upon return to the field a full harbor greeted the worker at San Francisco, and also a good reception on a number of ves sels since visited. In recent days there have been many arrivals and departures of ves sels, as many as twenty-five entering in a single day and the same number departing. The Lord is sending a large number of ves sels with crews to our coast, which would not come were it not for the war. Whilst before the war two or three Japanese ves sels arrived during a month, the records now show fifty or more monthly. Before the war no Dutch vessel traded here, now we have from five to eight in a week. Truly the field is white unto harvest. We are praying now for a Japanese helper to give all his time to preaching and teaching on the vessels here, some with as many as 200 in the crew, and none of these men are allowed to leave the ships under the immi gration exclusion laws. Some vessels remain in port a week or two at a time, and definite work can be done. The expense for the upkeep of a Japanese worker would be small. Will you not pray with us? God is wonderfully opening doors. ■ The news of another large vessel sunk in a storm was brought home to us. Some of the men were rescued after bein^ cast *n a dreary island; others, including the tap-
Made with FlippingBook Annual report