John Barnard reports on an exciting visit to a ship in Grimsby:
"The crew on this coaster visiting Immingham seemed an odd mix - Russian and Indonesian with Dutch officers. I didn't think we would have long because I was told the ship would only be staying that one day. I asked where they were headed next, and I was told Grimsby. This is just up the road, so I was able to arrange a further visit the next day.
"I was sitting in the mess room waiting for the crew to come in for a tea break. One of the Russian crew came up from the engine room and we started to talk. I told him how I used to be an engineer on the submarines. He smiled. 'Me too!' he exclaimed. Here sat two men who would have been on different sides during the Cold War. Now we sat drinking coffee, sharing our experiences on submarines, and talking about God. He seemed interested in the work I now do as a Port Missionary and wanted to know more. I was able to give him some literature in Russian and so I believe the seed was sown in the heart of this Russian ex submariner."