Redeemer.html

The Redeemer and

our Mission to the

Philippines

Redeemer now Castor

Abshott Publications

11 Hayling Close

Fareham

Hampshire PO14 3AE

nbpttc@yahoo.co.uk

www.TrojanHorseInternational.com

1 Meeting Alastair

I first met Alastair in 2001 ( he is a young man, I think just 80 years old and what you might call an old sea dog).

Alastair Sutherland

This was soon after my return from our mission to the Philippines, in October 2001. Gordon Smith and I had been to the Philippines working in the Prisons and cities, and in particular New Bilibid Maximum Security Prison.

The Big House

My brother Michael was an inmate who had been sent there in 1996 and was serving a 16 year sentence. We had gone to bring help and relief to him in October 2001.

On my return to England I met Alastair, who was a friend of Gordon, and he had been connected with ships, and knew all about those things I didn’t, and he told me about the LoodsBoot Castor that at one time had been called Redeemer.

Motor Vessal Redeemer

Redeemer on the Thames

I became interested in the ship because it sounded an ideal answer to our needs and could be used to further our mission work. It was at that time in Holland and could be brought to Portsmouth and put into service.

It was 46 metres long with cabin capacity of 40 in (4X6 berth, 2X3 berth and 2 X 1) berth cabins. It was a beautiful ship. Built in 1950 and was one of seven. It was a coaster and it is believed to have been reserved for the Dutch Royal Family during the cold war.

Alastair informed me of the Redeemers history and his connection with it.

He told of two of his friends, Denise Collins and Maurice Vitty. Denise Collins was the Captain of the Logos whilst Maurice was the Chief officer.

Vietnamees Escaping Communists

Vietnamees boat People

It was in 1979 and the Vietnamese were in serious trouble and many boat people set out to sea. Denise and Maurice came across many boat people and rescued them who were escaping persecution by the communists. The Logos stumbled upon these boat people in the South China Seas, who had no were to go and their boats were destroyed by sea pirates. There were about 100 or so. No body wanted to help these people but these men did and got into international trouble.

Boat People being rescued

Vietnamees exposed to sea Pirates

The pirates robbed killed threw victims into the ocean raped little girls and older people. There was no help for these people. This sparked of the idea in Maurice Vitty to purchase his own ship to do Christian mission work. It was then he purchased the Castor, which was one of seven built in 1950.

The Castor

The Ship was renamed Redeemer and set off for the China Seas but ended in Malta where it remained until 1997 doing various mission work.

Alastair mean while had worked on YWAM Mercy Ships, one called the Anastasis and The Good Samaritan. It was then that Alastair was asked to bring the Redeemer to Falmouth and then on to Urk in Holland when it was purchased by Patrick. It was the knowledge of this ship and its history that had caught my attention as it sounded ideal for our use. The proposed use I will tell you about in a moment.

We went to Holland, saw the ship, spoke to its owner and is was offered to us for 130,000 euros.

We go to Holland

Video’s (Click to view)

1 Bringing the Redeemer to Portsmouth1

2 On board the Redeemer now Castor2

It was a beautiful ship, ideal for our purpose. I was able to write about our plans and send them to Michael, my brother and Lucas and those plans were published on our book Trojan Warriors.

2 Back to our mission

Our mission to the Philippines was brought about when I got news of my brother, in 1996.

Michael Arrested in the Philippines

He had been arrested and sentenced to a 16 year prison sentence to be served in New Bilibid Prison, Muntinlupa City Philippines.

I had learned that he had become a Christian after reading C.S. Lewis’s book, Mere Christianity, after serving 5 years of his sentence. He had been given it by an English man called Suny Wilson, who had served 4 years on Death Row, and was finally acquitted in 1999, as he was an innocent victim of crime.

Video (Click to view)

3 Sentanced to Death Suny Wilson3

When I first heard news of my brothers arrest my heart was hardened towards him as I felt he had been stupid and was no having to suffer for his actions. It was through meeting Suny Wilson and hearing of the problems that occur in the Philippines with regard to justice that I began to realise Michael had been set up for a crime he hadn’t done.

Michael’s Testimony4 (Click to view)

I wrote my book

How ever when I got news of his conversion from crime to Christ I decided to finish my book, Converted on LSD Trip5 and publish it.

Front%20cover%20Converted1stEd.jpg

Converted on LSD Trip

As a result of that Gordon Smith , an old friend from Aylesbury contacted me as he had seen a write up in the news paper and we planned there and then to go to the Philippines to bring relief and help to my brother.

Cast your net on the other side of the ship

When publishing this book I was reminded of a verse in scripture, which says, after they had cast their net on the other side of the ship, and he was astonished and they that were with him, at the draught of fishes that they had taken. I will explain that shortly.

Working at Fareham College

I was working at Fareham College at the time and had been there since 1988, as a lecturer and had taught electronics for over 20 years, and I got to know many students and saw certain difficulties among young people with drugs and crime.

Fareham%20College.jpg

Fareham College

I lived in Stubbington and my daughter was born there in 1997 and soon learned of the drug and crime problem in the village and documented my findings. The videos are on Youtube today. When seeking to help and do something about it I hit a brick wall. No one was interested or responded to the problems that I highlighted. The Police, the Schools, the Council and County Council even the News were not interested.

Informing Prince Charles

So I sent my findings to Prince Charles and he wrote back to me thanking me for informing him and encouraged me to continue the work we wished to do.

Letter from Prince Charles

Here go and watch the video’s

Stubbington Village a drug problem6 1

Stubbington Village a drug problem 7 2

Stubbington Village 10 years On8

Dead Man speaks to the young people in

Stubbington Village9.

These youngsters were in a prison without bars but they could not see it.

3 Our mission to the Philippines

New Bilibid Prison is the largest prison Asia’s Far East housing at that time over 23,000 inmates in the Minimum, Medium and Maximum security compounds. Michael was in the Maximum Security Compound, that housed over 13,000 inmates, and also contains Death Row in which were over 1200 due to die by lethal injection.

NBP%20Tower.jpg

NBP Guard Tower

New Bilibid Prison

Michael had come to an end of himself in 1998 and eventually read a book by C S Lewis, that was given to him by an English man that had been on Death Row for 4 years. His name is Suny Wilson. Michael was convinced that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God and as a result like me in my early years searched out Christian books and the bible to learn the gospel of Christ.

CS%20Lewis.jpg

Mere Christianity

There were many Christian and religious groups in the Prison.

NBP%20Maximum.jpg

New Bilibid Prison sattelite picture

The prison is 12 hectors and there are Catholics, Born Against, Evangelical Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist that all have their differing views, so Michael like me at the age of twenty did his own reading and learned the truths of the Gospel from the Bible its self, without the Gloss of a religious persuasion.

Lucas P. Dangatan Jr.

Video (Click to view)10 Appendix 8 of Trojan Warriors

Michael got a lot of help from Rev Lucas Dangatan, a former inmate, convicted of robbery with violence, who loaned him all his library books and when Michael realised we were coming to help in October 2001, they work together, with another Korean Pastor, to put together an itinerary.

There were many criminals in the prison who too, like Michael had turned from crime to Christ and they worked together in groups teaching:

1 The gospel

2 Para Legal Skills

3 Communication skills

4 Education

They formed self help groups to help one another.

Michael and Lucas agreed on a plan to form the first ever Teacher Training College in a prison and we took all the necessary steps to achieve this.

4 Over whelmed

Both Gordon and I were over whelmed by the good work that was being done by religious volunteers, as many criminals were being converted from Crime to Christ and seeking to learn the gospel of Christ.

A proposal to the Undersecretary

and Director of the Prison

We went to the Undersecretary of Justice Joes Calida and discussed a proposal for qualifying inmates to be transferred from other Jails to the Maximum Security prison and partake in the education and training that they would need to function as a teacher of the Gospel, on leaving prison. This was agreed and we share our idea with the Director of the Prison and he was happy with the plan and said if the President her self agreed then that was fine by him. This meeting was televised and is on Youtube. Praying with the Director.

Video (Click to view)

Praying with the Director 11 of New Bilibid Prison

The power of God

Michael and I both knew the Power of God in our lives and so knew the doctrinal basis that should form the basis of our future work. This was written and published in our Book Trojan Warriors and set by way of discussion in our three videos made in the prison in December 2002. (Click the links to view)

Video’s (Click to view)

Trojan Warriors 1, The Beginnings12

Trojan Warriors 2, The Vision13

Trojan Warrior 3, Our Doctrinal Basis14

Recidivism

When a convicted criminal has served his time, upon his release it is very difficult to get employment. A man may have been a robber, drug dealer or killer and served 20 years in prison. He would not have worked all the time. So upon his release it is very easy to see how one could turn back to crime to make a living. It was our plan to proved the necessary help for those men who like Michael had turned from crime to Christ.

Both he and I were in the same situation. I had lived to tell the way and how to avoid returning to Jail. That was our task.

We both had experienced the transforming work of God in our lives and so we were prepared to support this kind of Christian work, both in the Philippines and the UK.

Video (Click to view)

Requested 100 15 men to write Testimonies

During that first mission we requested 100 men to write their testimonies of conversion from Crime to Christ and for the next year Lucas, Michael and I wo,rked together on our project. This meeting was recorded on video and is on Youtube entitled Commissioning 100 men.

Teacher Training College

It was Lucas’s idea to form the College instead of his Institute and Michael had pledged to building a two-story build for that purpose. It was envisaged that the sale of our book would fund this venture.

This was really building on the work that Lucas was already doing. The objectives being to teach and train converted men how to teach and preach the Gospel so that upon their release they could return home and tell of what the Lord had done for them.

5 Our proven success William Poloc

William was our first man sent to go back to his home City in August 2002.

Taking the book home

On our second mission we gave a copy of the book to each inmate who was than able to show their families and friends what the Lord had done not only for them but many others. See the video the books are given out.

Writing the book and our return

to the Philippines

On our return from the first mission I met Alastair who then told me about his work and about the Redeemer. During the coming year I worked with Lucas, Michael and I via the Internet and we put together the book Trojan Warriors that tells the whole story.

Trojan Warriors

The book was published that eventually contained 66 testimonies of some of Asia’s most notorious criminals that had been converted form crime to Christ. And the whole story it told in the book.

6 The Redeemer

When Alastair told me about the Redeemer I envisaged making use of the Ship here in Portsmouth as a base to do similar work that had been going on in New Bilibid Prison. I knew the problems of young people with drugs and crime and believed I could help. Both Michael and I were both qualified criminals and know how the criminal mind worked. We also knew how to address such problems.

Portsmouth University

So Gordon and I along with others went to the Vice Chancellor of Portsmouth University to discuss the feasibility of using their Web server and educational status to run our open distance learning program, for rehabilitation and leaning and to obtain academic status for qualifying students.

The Redeemer could be a home, refuge and floating College.

Portsmouth College

We also had a meeting with the Principal of the Portsmouth College, situated just near where he planned to bring the Redeemer, in order to ascertain if he would take on board our students living on the Redeemer. I was all set to go.

Our vision

It was Michael and I’s vision to support help and provide funds to build a Teacher Training College that would teach sound gospel truth, free for the trappings of religious stupidity.

There is a lot of unnecessary religious activity done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that can be done away with as it clouds the vision of genuine learners of the gospel.

We had both experience the power of God in our lives and knew the truth of salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ and knew how to communicate and talk to the hardest and most fearful men. We knew the Gospel could change men’s lives and that was our intention. To take the Gospel to places that normal people were unqualified or too fearful to go.

The Dirty Dozen

It was a bit like the film the dirty dozen. Notorious convicted men in prison were selected and the agree to help in the war effort. It was recognised that these men had skills that were need to wage war against the enemy.

Education

We realised that if you educate a criminal, say car thief he will use his education to steal an aircraft and my be fly it into twin towers. But if you educate a converted criminal he will use his education to help others and do real good. That was our mission.

The Redeemer

The Redeemer presented her self as the ideal platform as we envisaged help for various quarters and the kind of people we planned to reach may well be former criminals, the homeless, peple needing rehabilitation. Like a halfway house. Construction work, practical skills, administration, recreation. In fact many activates that are wholesome productive and requiring discipline, which is just what was needed for these people.

A Place to moor the Redeemer

Alastair discovered that Great Salters Quay was derelict and not in use. It was an ideal spot to bring the ship. However despite his enquiries with the Harbour Master and Portsmouth City Council we could not find out who owned the land. We began to suspect the owner had died, as Portsmouth City Council could not tell us who owned it. So our search continued. There was no way we could purchase a ship and have nowhere to put it.

We go to Holland

We went to Holland and saw the ship. It was a beauty and were took video’s and I am sure we stayed on board. We were offered the ship for 130,000 Euros and so all we needed was a place to Moore her,

Great Salters Quay

Alastair tried his best to locate the Quay owner but to no avail and to we had to shelve the idea.

7 Qualified Criminals

Qualified to break the law

Michael and I were in fact both criminals in the 60’s and so we knew how to live and work with crime and criminals. We were both sentenced and were in Canterbury prison together, for malicious wounding and carrying a fire arm without a licence, in 1967.

Michael had been to detention centre on two occasions before that and also Rochester Borstal and finally Maidstone Prison. I was sent to Dover Borstal.

We knew how to break the law, steal cars, rob houses cause grievous bodily harm and run from the police.

We were both convicted criminals and qualified to break the Law and pay no regard to individuals or society. We were no angels.

When I left Dover Borstal I was determined to have a good time and proceeded to have a 3 year career of undetected crime.

Also Michael did not return to prison after his home leave and was on the run for over a year with a changed identity.

At the age of twenty I had no fear of God and thought religion was for cissy people and it didn’t bother me about the way I lived or the crimes I got involved in.

The one Christian woman I knew was enough to turn any one away from Christianity because she condemned all the things I was doing saying my life was sinful. How could any one enjoy life living the way she did was my response to her.

On the 16th January 1970, I had a bad experience on LSD and called out to the Lord for help and he heard my cry. I turned from crime and the wrong way of life that night and learned to follow Jesus Christ as best I could.

When I was converted I was not connected with any church and so I went to various churches learning the differences and their particular views. I studied the scripture my self and a range of classical Christian literature, to educate myself.

I finally joined the Bierton Strict and Particular Baptist church, in 1976, went to Wolverhampton Polytechnic to the Teacher Training College, qualified as a Lecturer and got my first job as lecture, in 1978, at Luton College of Higher Education, teaching Electronics.

I was also called by the Lord and sent by the church to preach the gospel in 1982 and for the next two year preached at many churches through out England.

Michael when his own way building his own business and became the Managing Director of Tudor Charm, his own manufacturing company, of wooden frames for old style houses.

Leaving the Bierton Church

I seceded from the Bierton church in 1984 (14 years after my conversion) and wrote my first book The Bierton Crisis, that related in detail the serious religious errors that I had descovered and my reasons for secession giving the Church my recommendations.

Distress since leaving the church

This expose me to all kinds of problems. I became depressed, I resigned from my lecturing post at Luton College of Higher Education and eventually move to Fareham. I wondered where God was in my life and I turned away, in unbelief, from the way I knew. I went through a divorce and remarried, which eventually drove me to seek God again in 1992.

Lessons learned

In turning back to God I face further difficulties from the religious and when I spoke to the elders of a church that I began to attend about issues which were clearly wrong, according to the Scripture, I was told to keep quiet. Conscience dictated I write my second book Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, which dealt with those issues I faced and I gave the elders a copy of the book.

I got news of Michael’s conversion and Baptism in September 2000, which prompted Gordon and I to go on our first mission to the Philippines.

8 Second Mission to the Philippines

We took a team of 5 on our second mission to the Philipinnes in October 2002, sharing the good news of our intended work and on our return it was evident the Redeemer was necassary to help in our work.

We had no further development in the land but I was able to take further steps to work on the drug and crime problem in Stubbington. I was surprised that the authorities never took my finding seriously so I interview two lads connected with Stubbington and who had a drug problem. Rob White and Jamie Roberts.

Both of the lads had an addiction problem to heroine and they both said the wanted to warn other youngsters to avoid such addiction. They wanted their stories to be told to help others. All these video’s interviews are available. They are fully documented and are on Youtube. There was a real problem and we were prepared to help if we could.

Ging Roberts

It turned out he was the ringleader and drug pusher for drugs in Stubbington village and was well known.

Rob too was know in Fareham but sadly both died of heroin overdoses soon after the video’s were made.

Video’s (Click to view)

Stubbington Village Jamie Roberts 0118

Stubbington Village Jamie Roberts 0219

Jamie Roberts Chasing the Dragon

It also turned out the Ging or Jamie Roberts father was the leading Police Drug Squad expert in Hampshire for a number of years and I now realise why he may have retired on 2000, as it was well know his son was a drug dealer and addict to heroine. It just didn’t look Good. All of this is documented and on video.

Video (Click to view)

John Roberts Curriculum Vitae20

On reflection

I realised after the event that the ship would have cost too much to run. The time taken and effort to raise the necessary funds would have been counter productive

9 Conclusion

A body or team of men and women

I now am of the opinion that rather than invest in a building or a ship, all of which cost money and accompanying legal problems. It is a better idea to build a team of people, who have the determination, skills and training to do the taske in hand. If they hav’nt the skills or training then give then the training and education necessary to go about the business of reform, education, and rehabilitation another way.

Steps I have taken

I have taken some steps to effect this in the setting up the Bierton Particular Baptists Internet College ( there may well be other ways), to encourage the necessary learning and recrute interested persons.

Buildings and ships are costly and maitainace is need all of which cost money.

I realize also that there are places, such as buildings, ships and so on, that would gladly allow there facilities to be used for a worthy cause.

At least a body of people is in fact self-sustaining self funding and self motivated.

Future Vision

A trained group , as a body, can move like a swarm of bees or birds, to do the job in hand.

Alastair and I have infact discussed the possibility of going to see Loodsboot Castor to see if she could be used in any way.

Video’s (Click to view)

Redeemer Play List21

Alastair’s Story

My first contact with Maurice Vitty was somewhere about 1982 when Denise Collins took me to Bigin Hill to meet him and his family, then his wife Hilary and their baby daughter. Denise Collins was the chief officer on the Hospital Ship Anastasis which was then being made ready for service, and which I had joined in the summer of that year at Piraeus Greece, where she had been laid up four years being made seaworthy with the help of volunteer workers.

While on the M.V. Anastasis I had got to know Denise Collins and he told me about his experience on the Book Ship Logos when he had been the Captain, and Maurice had been the chief officer, and when in the South China Sea, the ship Logos encountered some boats of Vietnamese fleeing persecution, who were in dire straits and needed help. They had been attacked by pirates and were running out of water and provisions, and they were brought on board for assistance, according to the law of the sea. The weather was bad and during the night the boats were broken up so there was no option but to keep them on board until they could be landed in some place of safety. This proved to be a problem to find a country that would accept them.

This incident was the beginning of the vision for the ship that later became named the Redeemer. After Denise and Maurice left the Logos Denise went to the Anastasis and Maurice became involved with helping those Vietnamese that made it to England, and started a work based in Woolwich. He acquired a building there and started a work with needy people, and some years followed while the vision took shape, and they looked for a ship to do the work that had inspired them in the South China Sea. After I think about seven years and looking at several options they settled on buying the Loods Boot Castor, one of several Dutch offshore Pilot vessels all named after Stars, and one which had been used as a supply vessel for the North Sea Oil industry and was laid up in Holland. She became the Redeemer registered in Malta and after initial preparations sailed to Malta en route to the China Sea. That however never happened and she became based at Malta for 10 years doing short expeditions from there in the Mediterranean.

In 1996 when I was on the book ship Doulos and at Seychelles for a period of crew relaxation, I had a call from Maurice asking if I would like to join the Redeemer in Malta, and in due course I did. I was with the ship off and on from then till 1999 when she had been sold to a Belgian Owner. I stayed with the ship in Holland where she had been taken for repair at Urk until the sale was completed, then I got married and settled in Poole Dorset.

10 Our Work

We share our life stories to all interested groups at no charge and we are free to travel at home and abroud.

11 Video Play list (Click to view)