On March 11, 1898, a teenager by the name of Peter Dyneka sailed away from his home country of Russia, bound for Nova Scotia. For him, it was literally the other side of the world. He would become an evangelist, greatly used by God. But God was about to teach him an unforgettable lesson.
His family had saved for months in order to purchase this ticket to his future. Peter’s mother had packed enough food for the long journey. Mostly bread and garlic – they could not afford very much.
Every day, Peter would look longingly through the windows of the ship’s dining room as the wealthy patrons enjoyed their extravagant meals. Oh how he envied them, as he returned to his little room and ate his black bread and garlic.
About halfway through the voyage, some of the sailors noticed his predicament and promised him that if he would take their chores and do their work in the kitchen, they would give him meals in return. Peter was delighted and began to work very hard – and he was given meals in the back of the kitchen, as promised.
It was not until the very last day of the voyage that Peter discovered the truth – three meals a day in the ship’s dining room were included in the price of his ticket. He belonged in there with the others; he had been tricked into all of that work, to get food that already belonged to him (Erwin Lutzer, You’re Richer Than You Think (Victor Books, 1978), p. 9).
