The following is a summary of how God called us into ministry.
In the summer of 2000, Charlotte and I received a vision to serve the Lord with ships. He gave us a specific ship that we learned to prepare and operate called “Amazing Grace”, a 100 ft steel hull trawler. The Lord gave us clear direction to sell our house and buy the ship. That summer, as we looked through a “Yachts For Sale” magazine, we spotted this 100 foot vessel. We prayed and asked the Lord as to what we should do. That evening, as we read our devotional “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers, the Bible verse said “Get into the ship and go to the other side.” The next day, after having dinner, we stepped into the backyard to watch the beautiful sunset. A cloud formed and it looked like the face of Jesus. I didn’t want to say it. I looked at Charlotte and she nodded with acknowledgment then Chatelier, our 4 year old daughter at the time, blurts out, “Look Dad! That looks like the face of Jesus!” as she points to the clouds. Charlotte and I with joy thanked God for the two confirmations. Reading the devotional later that evening, the Bible verse said “You will see Jesus in the clouds….” We received 3 confirmations just as I asked for.
So we flew up to Seattle to survey the ship. When we returned, we asked God how much we should sell the house for? He gave us a price two times more than we purchased it 5 years earlier. We spoke to our realtor, although reluctant, listed it for that price. Thinking that it was a crazy idea, I ask God for another confirmation that the house sells in 1 day. Within four hours after listing it on the market, our realtor received an offer for the asking price and we accepted. Thirty days later we closed on the house, purchased this ship in cash and renamed the motor vessel to “Amazing Grace.”
Fourteen years later, Chatelier attends a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Bible university called University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii, a Christian missions organization. She enrolls in a bible course scheduled to be on the main campus; however, her class and dormitory relocated to a newly acquired facility next to the Kona harbor. She sends us a picture with her name labeled on her door “Chatelier Ebio, YWAM Ships.” After finishing the quarter, she participated on YWAM Ships’ maiden voyage to Micronesia’s Line Islands, about 1000 miles south of Hawaii, where she served as crew and bible teacher for 2.5 months.
Since then, Charlotte and I prayed for clarity about how our ship, Amazing Grace, can support YWAM Ships’ mission to serve the isolated, poor and the needy. God answered with YWAM Mazatlán. They have been praying for a ship for the last 5 years to serve in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. Charlotte and I met with the leaders and after much praying, we agreed to support their cause. In 2014, Brent and Heather Madsen and Ikaika Hobbs, leaders of YWAM Mazatlán, visited us in Bethel Island, California. We discussed their vision and showed them our vessel to see how we can assist in achieving our mutual goals in spreading the gospel by providing for the spiritual and physical needs of the people. With that said, we have organized our non-profit to be the instrument to manage and maintain the ship while YWAM Mazatlán focuses on the operational functions of the outreach.
Please join with us to discover and develop God’s vision for us and our ship, Amazing Grace, as we partner with YWAM Ships Mazatlán by praying for us and sending your charitable donations. Amazing Grace Maritime Missions, established in October 2014, is a Non-Profit Tax Exempt 501(c)(3) corporation Tax ID #47-2157488.
Make checks payable to:
Amazing Grace Maritime Missions
Mail it to 12935 Alcosta Blvd #983 San Ramon, CA 94583-9998
Jesus Loves You!
