The ship was preparing for an engine overhaul and would be sitting still for six months. We calculated that a smaller generator could easily save $100 USD per day in fuel. It could also be placed on deck, which would make working conditions in the engine room much better for the crew. The large generators make so much noise that communication becomes almost impossible.
In the engine room of the YWAM Liberty we have three large generators. We need all of them when we sail, but if we are in the harbor, we use much less electricity. Compare it with doing your personal groceries. You would not get them with a truck. That would be a massive fuel waste. You would take a small car instead.
The overhaul was due to start on February 18th. If we did not have a generator by then we would need to rent one.
In December I visited all the generator suppliers in Port Moresby. We did not have enough money to buy one, so every night for a week we interceded, placing it in God’s hands.
At the end of the week, I received an email from one of the suppliers. There was another party interested in the generator we had an option on. The supplier asked what our status was.
I decided to write an email explaining that we did not have enough money and that the generator could be sold. Before I pressed the send button, I asked God: “Do you want me to send this email?” The answer came back: “No.”
I decided to change the email and asked the same question again. The answer was, again, “No.” Then I asked God: “What do you want me to write instead?” God replied: “Ask if you can have it for free.”
I was taken aback. Could I really ask that? It was a generator worth $31,000 USD. At first, I did not know what to do. It felt rather rude to ask via email. Would it be better to visit the supplier in person? That felt even scarier!
That evening I decided to ask for advice. I talked to Christina, the Ship’s purser, and she advised me to write an email. After all, that was what God said to do. So we did it.
We wrote a polite and compelling email to the supplier, asking for the generator and inviting them to partner with us through this donation. Then we took deep breaths and hit send.
A week later we received an answer from the CEO of a foundation associated with the supplier.
“We [at the foundation] are committed wholeheartedly to bettering the lives of Papua New Guineans and we thank you for sharing this passion,” the email stated. “Given this, I am more than happy to provide [the generator] to you as a donation and as a way of saying thank you for the incredible work that the YWAM teams do each and every day in Papua New Guinea.”
We were amazed! Soon the generator was delivered to the ship, set up on deck, and running perfectly.
I now walk up to the deck every 15 minutes to see how much diesel the new generator is using. The fuel savings are even greater than we thought and, for the entire duration of the overhaul, the noise in the engine room has been completely eliminated.
(Full name witheld for privacy reasons)
Ben S.