Around Town: Courage to Come Back, TWU’s ASEAN guests, Seafarers . . .

Born into a dysfunctional family, John faced physical and verbal abuse from a young age. By 10 he had turned to alcohol and drugs to escape, the beginning of 40 years of addiction.

As a result, he spent years in and out of juvenile detention and then prison, quit school at 14 to fund his habit, and was discharged from the army after going AWOL on a binge. Two marriages broke down and he lost contact with his daughters. He spent years without a home in Calgary and Vancouver, trying and failing to find recovery, and unable to ask for help. He had no family or friends to support him and was completely alone.

A spiritual experience led him to find God and Union Gospel Mission, where he graduated from the Drug & Addictions program and went on to become an outreach worker. Around this time, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, and had to fight hard not to turn to alcohol or drugs. Having been told he was worthless throughout his childhood, he proved the opposite, graduating high school and Bible college.

John and Elsa Oakley will move to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico July 1.

John has now been in recovery from addiction for almost 15 years and dedicates his life to giving back to those in need. He co-published two poetry books, raising funds for charities and selflessly shares his story of hope with media, at schools and at churches.

He volunteers at a seniors’ home and is on the board for the Canadian Bible Society. Along with his wife Elsa, he serves food, water and hope to folks in need in Vancouver, as well as running a ministry in Mexico, where he will be moving later this year to lead a congregation. He has reconnected with two of his daughters and aims to shine the light of hope for all those he meets.

Gary Roosma is a chaplain at the Port of Vancouver.

Two local chaplains were featured in a recent Christianity Today article: ‘Seafarer Ministries See Spiritual Needs in Rough Economic Waters.’

“We need a service onboard this ship,” the man said, and [Gary] Roosma, a chaplain at the Port of Vancouver with the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) Ministry to Seafarers agreed to lead them in prayer and worship that day.

Roosma was reminded, yet again, of the point of this unusual ministry. As the psalmist said in Psalm 107, “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep” (vv. 23–24, KJV).

Seafarer ministry chaplains are called to point that out to the men and women working on cargo ships.

Seafarers’ ministries are not new. They’ve been around since the 19th century, and there are now hundreds like the one in Vancouver in ports around the world. Those involved in these ministries say the need has felt especially urgent in recent days, as the shipping industry goes through rough waters, taking a toll on merchant marines.

The shipping industry has always been turbulent, but the challenges in recent years have been especially difficult. COVID-19 restrictions required many seafarers to work longer hours and receive less shore time.

Supply chain issues have impacted the world economy, leading to cost spikes and subsequent drops that impact sailors’ livelihoods. Amid all that uncertainty, they’ve also had to cope with the ripple effects of the Russian-Ukraine war.

A 2022 Review of Maritime Transport put out by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was aptly named Navigating Stormy Waters.

Also interviewed was Ray Hanna, port chaplain at Lighthouse Harbour Ministries in North Vancouver and Fraser Surrey Docks.

Go here for the full article.

TWU welcomed a delegation from ASEAN at one of their Richmond campuses June 8. TWU photo

Trinity Western University (TWU) has worked hard to develop its international networks in recent years. Here is part of a TWU report which describes one recent meeting:

On June 8, Trinity Western University was honoured to welcome a delegation from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that included the consular representatives of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines.

The ASEAN delegation visited TWU Richmond campus’ Minoru location as part of a Richmond study tour led by Councillor Chak Kwong Au from the City of Richmond that introduced the delegates to the region’s strengths.

TWU President Mark Husbands, Vice President of Innovation, Global and Academic Partnerships Phil Laird and Executive Director of TWU Richmond Rebecca Swaim welcomed the ASEAN delegation. . . .

Since its founding in 1962, Trinity Western has grown in significant ways. Today TWU welcomes over 6,000 students from more than 80 different countries. In addition to opportunities to study at TWU’s four Canadian locations – Langley, Richmond-Minoru, Richmond-Lansdowne and Ottawa – students may also choose to study online or through one of TWU’s FAR CENTRE™ Programs, hosted in partnership with several educational institutions around the world.