Maritime Services

Place mouse pointer over the image to pause.

Mission Statement

Reducing trauma in water travel through training, safety kits, safe boats, search and rescue and maritime specialists.

Over 150 Bible translation teams live and work on remote Pacific islands, in Southeast Asia, and in Africa. Many language groups live on islands, along rivers and in swamps and can only be reached by boat. Days or even weeks of stressful and hazardous travel, often on ill-equipped small boats, is the standard transportation mode for the translators. Many of the boats are little more than outboard-powered dinghies overloaded with cargo and people.

The available water craft usually lack the minimal equipment required for safe passage on the open seas: life preservers, compasses, navigation lights and communications gear.

Maritime Services works to provide professional-level assistance and expertise to Bible translators to enable them to safely bring the Word of God to language groups that still need it.

Kwadima II Underway in Milne Bay

For many years, David and Daphne Lithgow traversed the waters of Milne Bay Province in ocean-going canoes to get to their work as Bible translators with the Dobu people of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Travel conditions crossing the open ocean in these small vessels were unpredictable, depending on the winds and weather. Through their efforts and others’, a boat named Kwadima was obtained to provide more dependable transportation for Bible translators and support workers. Kwadima means “morning star” in Dobu. How appropriate a name for the boat that marked “a new day” in the Lithgow’s travel experience! It also reflected their dependence on Jesus, “the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16).

Eventually the Kwadima was replaced by the M/V Mark, which served translators and support workers well for 15 years.

Now thanks to the prayers and gifts of many, a new boat, the Kwadima II, has replaced the M/V Mark. Presently, her crew is hard at work moving translators and support workers throughout the myriad islands of Milne Bay Province. This safer, faster travel for Bible translators increases the potential to provide up to 40 different language groups with further Scripture portions and literacy materials in their heart languages. Of the eighteen locations where language work is in progress, eleven depend significantly on the Kwadima II for transportation.

The white fiberglass boat with blue trim, featuring a steel keel plate and extra-capacity fuel tanks, is well-built, according to Captains Anne and Larry Hamilton. The cargo hold alone matches the total capacity of the old M/V Mark. The foredeck offers good, safe outside seating. The boat, with crew quarters and passenger cabin, can hold 20 people.

Rejoice with us in the Lord’s provision of the Kwadima II! The new boat will make a huge difference to those who must travel over water to get to their translation work location. Ultimately, the impact of the Kwadima II will be most apparent once the Scriptures are in the hands of those who have never understood God’s love for them.

Kwadima II Dedication Video

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Dedication of Kwadima II — Alotau, PNG January 17, 2008

Testimony

On our last trip to our work place, we had to travel by dinghy about half an hour down the coast to visit another language group. We were going to meet a cargo boat that was bringing a shipment of nails to us. On the way, we stopped to refuel and were unable to restart the engine. The motor on our dinghy quit. We later found out that the spark plugs had gone bad.

We were close to shore, within a few hundred yards, but we could not make a landing because of large rocks and pounding surf. So one of the men went to shore in a canoe that had come to meet us. He walked to a nearby village where a man lived who had knowledge of outboard motor repair.

In the meantime, the rest of us drifted along the coast in the boat. Though the motor repairman came, he was unable to fix the engine. So at sunset, after drifting for about eight hours, we used the strobe lights in our safety kits to signal another dinghy that was passing by. They stopped to lend assistance. We used the rope from the kit and with it they towed us to a nearby village where we left the boat.

Transportation mode for translators on remote Pacific islands.

Another time, when we had to be evacuated due to illness, we had to travel by dinghy to the airstrip. Unknown to us there was a high wind warning due to cyclones, but it was a bright sunny day.

While crossing between two islands, however, the high winds whipped the sea and six-foot swells pounded our dinghy. At times it seemed that we were completely airborne or threatening to tip over. We were glad to have the life jackets. We have attached the strobe lights, mirrors and whistles to the life jackets, and we wear these when we are in the dinghy.

Karla and Nicki