P. C. T. Seamen’s / Fishermen’s Service Center ~ News Letter 2016 JUL
The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan Seamen’s/Fishermen’s Service Center No.2, 1F Yukang Chung 1st Rd., Chien-chen District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Tel:886 7 8227296
Fax:886 7 8416870
Website: http://www.pctsfsc.org.tw/
Bank: CATHAY UNITED BANK, KUTING BRANCH Account No: 030501340525 Name: THE JURIDICAL PERSON OF THE PEACE SOCIAL WELFARE AND CHARITY FOUNDATION Address: NO. 149, SEC.3, ROOSEVELT RD., TAIPEI, TAIWAN R.O.C. SWT：UWCBTWTP
1
P. C. T. Seamen’s / Fishermen’s Service Center ~ News Letter
2016 JUL
Lord lights the way Social Worker / Li Sheng-i Prior to coming to the P.C.T Seamen’s / Fishermen’s Service Center, I knew as much about the fishermen and what they do for a living as anyone else. Every occasionally I came by some brief information or just a mere headline about them through media. It is when I started working at the service center and helping the foreign fishermen with all kinds of problems they were dealing with had me realize how little I understood about them. These fishermen may be from the Philippines, Indonesia, or even all the way from Tanzania. The reasons that got them onto the far sea fishing boats are truly beyond me; how they managed being away from home for so long and being alone in countries they probably have never heard of are unimaginable.here is a hymn that goes like this: we’ve become a family in Lord Jesus, in Lord Jesus we are God’s Children. We’ve become a family in lord Jesus, in Lord Jesus enter into the kingdom of God… such a warmful feeling just by listening to this, especially during the Christmas season. What more can we do to help them ease their stress and their homesickness? There must be more that we can do than merely providing them with internet access or phones so they could speak with their family. These thoughts were constantly on my mind while I was working at the service center. As it turned out, there was indeed something we could do. In Taiwan, we have the so-called “Fisherman’s Day” in July. It’s the day we acknowledge our fishermen’s hard work. This year, we decided to make it International; we decided to throw a party for all the foreign fishermen and celebrate Fishermen’s Day together! This idea got spread around quickly and we received feedbacks from so many other organizations and agencies who expressed their interests in taking part of the event. Fisheries Agency Council of Agriculture, Marine Bureau Kaohsiung City Government, the Kaohsiung Christian Hospital, and Kaohsiung New Residents Development Association were all willing to support us in making this project into realization. We had so many great ideas for the party, so much more than a party actually. We had ideas like free haircut, free health check-up & health information, short film, education workshop about fishermen’s rights and benefits, various kinds of entertainments, and, of course, Karaoke! Whatever idea we felt that could help our foreign companions in any way, we wanted to put it in. Having so many great ideas was a definite plus for the party; not much so when it came to organizing it. I have to admit I got so nervous during the process and often worried if the party would turn into a bust. Do we have enough time to plan all the details and to get everything in place? What if no one wants to come? What if they don’t find the programs attractive? All the pressure flooded me. Thanks to God, I hung in there. Through this entire process, I realized my
2
P. C. T. Seamen’s / Fishermen’s Service Center ~ News Letter
2016 JUL
individual insignificance; however, God also helped me understand that I was not alone over this course with His grace. “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” – Matthew 11:30 God never put on burdens we can’t bear. When I felt the enormous pressure falling upon me and did not know how I can pull this party through, God granted me a group of talented people, who shared the same values, and stood the same cause as I did. They supported me and aided me from the beginning and together we conquered all the obstacles we faced trying to host an awesome party. The party was so successful – way more successful than we expected. I couldn’t believe the amount of joy I felt and the laughter I heard from all the participants; they even stayed and kept on enjoying and celebrating after the party ended. I thank God for guiding us along the way of making that night possible, and I thank God for His blessing upon all of us at that party. I really can’t wait to continue my work with my colleagues and to help all the foreign fishermen in need. With the guidance from God, and the experience I learned from organizing this party, it’s going to make me more capable of planning more great events to bring more joy to the fishermen, and to enlighten their journeys. Translated by Lin Hsueh-Li
3
P. C. T. Seamen’s / Fishermen’s Service Center ~ News Letter
2016 JUL
Life on the boat Written by R.B. (Fisherman from the Philippines) A long time I had been waiting for a phone call from my agent; almost 6 months I recalled. One day the phone rang – it’s my agent, and he asked me to get ready, for I’m flying out on June 30, 2015. I was super excited because I finally got to work on a fishing boat and, for the first time in my life, be away from my country. I first headed to Singapore where the boat was harbored. Singapore is a very nice place. There was no huge crowd walking alongside streets, and no vendors occupying the blocks like it was back home. It was just clean and peaceful. After landed, my friend and I was brought to the port to join the crew. When I first saw the boat, I was scared for a second by its outlook – it was an old, dirty and small boat. Nonetheless, I didn’t let that bother me for long, because I was about to begin a brighter future! We had one week before our departure to get everything on set, the food and all the supplies for the sailing. And then off we went on to Japan. We were so excited about the journey, “This is the beginning of being a fisherman, prepare yourself!” my friend said. After 10 days’ voyage, we reached the fishing ground in the Japanese sea. Life on the boat was still pretty relaxing for the first two weeks or so because there was simply no fish to catch. But things started to change at the end of the month and the life of being a fisherman officially began. Shortly after our first catch, there came the second, the third, and so on. The down time between the catches was getting shorter and shorter; our work turned from intense but manageable to straight hectic when we hit the last week of September. Up from there, we had truly experienced the true life of a fisherman. There were too many fish to catch that we literally didn’t have time to sleep. In just 3 days all the freezers were almost full, but we didn’t get to stop there. We transferred out the fish, 10,000 boxes in total, and we headed right back into fishing. The entire crew was exhausted from the non-stopping operation; sometimes we went as far as 3 nights without closing our eyes. The body was starting to fall apart I felt, but we couldn’t stop, because we needed to carry on and catch as many fish as possible while we could. Sometimes we couldn’t even eat as we were completely drained and all we wanted to do was to sleep. That was when I concluded that the life of a fisherman is very difficult. We are working here on the boat hoping to provide a better life for our families, and I need to survive it for my family. Taiwan is a great place, and people here are kind and helpful. Taiwan is also one of the safest places I know; the streets at night are just so peaceful. I love this country, and someday I hope that Philippines will become a place like Taiwan in the near future. Thank you! God bless all of us.
4