EBENEZER

“The Lord has helped us this far.”

Soon after World War II, this missionary family traveled from Finland to China. Though the war around the world was silenced, at a high cost of many lives, China was in the midst of a civil war between Mao Tse Tung and the Nationalist Army.

Their story may have ended right after they arrived in China in January 1947. Here is a section from my unpublished memoir, borrowing facts from my Dad’s biography:

The pilots had already left work for their New Year holiday. No ships were allowed into the harbor anymore. Ice floes were spreading their cover over the Yellow Sea. The ship's steam engines were silent. Angry voices cursed the captain for coming too late. Some even threatened to throw the captain overboard. Suddenly, there were screams: Fire! Fire! A load of bamboo on the front deck was in flames. Sabotage. My father ran up to the captain on the top deck. The captain was in a frenzy. He asked my father,

"Do you know what cargo we are carrying? We have gasoline and bombs for the Nationalistic army. Soon, this ship will blow up if we can't stop that fire!"

"Can't you turn the ship so the wind blows the flames away from the boat?"

"The engines are cold. It would take hours to get enough steam to start them up again."

"What about fire extinguishers? Why don't you use the water pipes?"

"The water in them is frozen. The pumps won't work!"

A Chinese Army General stood beside them. My father told him, 
"Command all your men to the dining saloon to pray. Only God can save us."

Just minutes later, all the soldiers and passengers were kneeling, crying out to the missionary's God. Most of them did not know who God was, but in their fear, they gripped hold of their only hope: the assurance that seemed to flow through the missionary's prayer. When my father opened his eyes after his prayer, he was amazed. The flames were much smaller than a moment ago. He saw two young Chinese men on the front deck, throwing the burning piles of bamboo overboard. The heat of the fire had melted the water in the pipes. The crew pumped water all over the smoldering deck. The sound of the hissing and steaming heat rose to the saloon on the upper deck as the last flames were put out. The two young men were doused with water as well.

With a grin nearly tearing his face apart, the ship's cook brought the two men to the saloon. Their clothes smelled of smoke, but they were not hurt. Not a sign of burns could be seen on their hands. The men said, "God told us to go and throw the burning bamboo into the sea. He promised: 'When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.' Isaiah 43:2

The fire had eaten its way under the deck and stopped just inches from the explosive cargo. Now, everyone was prepared to learn more about the eternal salvation God offered them after he had saved their lives from a sure death.

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Their second journey, this time to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), began in August 1955 on a former minesweeper, YMS 173, renamed EBENESER.

The family scattered in 1962, with some returning to Europe.

Two brothers, Emmanuel and Samuel, remained on the EBENESER for many years. Emmanuel stayed to help Dad until the ship sank in the Java Sea in September 1983. All nineteen crew members survived, including Emmanuel’s children, aged four, nine, and twelve. Dad was 74.

Emmanuel, *9.9.1942 - 3.12.2024, often quoted the words:

“The Lord has helped us this far.”

The words of the song below reflect the story above.

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free—
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of His love—
Leading onward, leading homeward
To His glorious rest above.

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
Spread His praise from shore to shore!
Praise His mercy, praise His goodness;
Praise His love for evermore.
How He watcheth o’er His loved ones,
Died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth,
Watcheth o’er them from His throne.

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
Love of ev’ry love the best—
’Tis an ocean vast of blessing;
’Tis a haven sweet of rest.
Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus—
’Tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
Lifts me up eternally.
Author: S. Trevor Francis
Tune: EBENEZER (Williams)