Couple finds international missions at Louisiana port
RESERVE, La. (BP)--Steve and Ann Corbin believe they have the gift of hospitality, which proves handy for entertaining strangers, especially when the strangers do not speak English.
As Mission Service Corps missionaries with Global Maritime Ministries at the port of Reserve, La., the Corbins open their doors weekly to seafarers who come from around the world, bringing the challenge of international missions to the couple’s doorstep.
“We didn’t really know anything about working with seamen,” Ann said, “but we knew God was leading us here.”
Global Maritime Ministries operates a center in New Orleans and one in Reserve. The centers are havens for the 300,000-plus individuals who come through the ports annually and who spend weeks to months at sea, away from family and beyond the reach of a traditional church ministry.
Churches, associations, individuals, the Louisiana Baptist Convention and the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention all partner to make a Gospel impact through the centers.
The window of opportunity for sharing the Gospel with the seamen in port may be only a day or so, but the Corbins have found that’s enough time for God to begin to work in a seafarer’s life.
The Corbins had just met a new crew in port when a Hindu known as Pat told them he was so unhappy and wanted to know the purpose of his life. Steve shared with him a copy of the booklet synopsis of Rick Warren’s “The Purpose-Driven Life,” which the Corbins’ home church, East Pickens Baptist Church in Pickens, S.C., had sent to them the week before.
Pat did not make a commitment to Christ that day, but Steve and Ann were encouraged to learn that one of Pat’s fellow crewmen, Thomas, was a former Hindu who first rejected Christianity but came to faith in Christ after reading a copy of Billy Graham’s “Steps to Peace with God” given to him by a California port chaplain.
Knowing that part of their mission is to plant seeds that other Christians will nurture, the Corbins now pray that God will use Thomas’ witness and the material they gave Pat to lead him to faith.
Taking on a fulltime volunteer position was not a decision the Corbins took lightly. Having surrendered to the ministry years before, Steve didn’t feel that the role of pastor was the right fit for him.
Their volunteer work with various church-sponsored community ministries through the years helped them find their niche in ministry, but their attention turned toward the Mission Service Corps when one day Ann asked Steve what he would do if money were no object.
“We changed the way we looked at things,” Steve said. “And we learned that you don’t get your money together first and then do what God calls you to do. When He calls, He provides.”
After completing a bivocational assignment with Mission Service Corps in Gunnison, Colo., the Corbins returned home to South Carolina. In March 2005, Steve trained for the South Carolina disaster relief team, just one month before a tornado touched down in Pickens and five months before Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast.
Steve soon was called to New Orleans with the disaster relief team. Although Ann had not been trained in disaster relief, she was allowed to accompany a team with five trained members, leaving her with no more excuses for staying home.
At the time, the Corbins believed God was preparing them for a move, but the uncomfortable conditions following Katrina were not what Ann had in mind. They dreamed of having a coffeehouse ministry where their knack for helping others feel comfortable could be used to share the Gospel.
“Surely you don’t mean Louisiana, God,” Ann prayed. “I don’t do sweat and I don’t do bugs.”
The Mission Service Corps coordinator in New Orleans showed the Corbins different ministry opportunities in the area, but none seemed to fit. The final stop was the port center at Reserve.
“As soon as we walked in, we knew,” Ann said. “The former VFW hall had a big bar. Steve said, ‘Ann, this is our coffee bar.’”
When the Corbins joined port chaplains Philip Vandercook and Jared Walley in the work of Global Maritime Ministries in March 2006, they were concerned about language barriers and dealing with different people groups simultaneously. But they discovered that love transcends all barriers.
“Words can be misunderstood,” Steve said. “But what comes from the heart communicates what words never can.”
Their dog Kettle became an unexpected ambassador of sorts by helping the Corbins bridge the cultural gap. Their concern for how the seafarers would react to a dog proved unwarranted as Kettle turned out to be “a missionary who helps the men open up and feel at home.”
While many seafarers never return to the port at Reserve, others have regular shipping routes that bring them back. Steve and Ann’s friendly rapport with the crewmen prompted one Filipino cabin steward to call them “Aunt and Uncle.” And in times of crisis, the seamen turn to the port chaplain.
A young crewman who had been at sea and out of contact with home for more than a month arrived in Reserve to learn that his family was facing a serious legal crisis. With only a short time in port, the seaman appreciated Steve’s counsel and his long distance phone call to pray with the frightened wife.
The Corbins believe they arrived at a place of fulltime, faith-based service only by following God’s leading one step at a time.
“You can only take the step He gives you, and it always calls for trusting Him,” Steve said. “But when you can’t see the solution on paper, that’s when you see God work.”
Marilyn Stewart is a correspondent for the communications team of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. John L. Yeats, team leader, contributed to this report. To learn more about Global Maritime Ministries, go to www.PortMinistry.com; call 504-895-2028; or write to P.O. Box 750787, New Orleans, LA 70175.
