October 1, 2026
ATHENS, Ga. — Stewart and Dianne Simms recently returned from a 42-day cruise with stories of 50 spiritual conversations and four crew members who came to faith in Christ.
Simms retired after serving 31 years as pastor of Beech Haven Baptist Church in Athens, but he and Dianne have continued looking for opportunities to make Christ known.
Their cruise began in New York City and ended in Sydney, Australia, with stops in Central America, South America, the South Pacific, and New Zealand.
Asked about the trip, Simms focused less on the destinations than on the people he met along the way.
“On this cruise, we had 50 spiritual conversations, and we saw four people, crew members, come to faith in Christ,” Simms said. “We had good sessions of discipleship with them during their breaks, and all appeared to be humble, joyous, and grateful.”
On several occasions, Simms noticed passengers bowing their heads to pray before meals and introduced himself to offer encouragement.
“Something just told me that they were spiritual kin,” he said.
Simms said he met at least five missionary families during the trip, including some who were traveling to new assignments.
“In my spirit, I just knew he was a fellow believer,” Simms said of a young man from South Korea. “I discovered that his parents were once missionaries to China. We ate breakfast together.”
He also met a young family from London.
“He was an associate pastor but headed to work for the Lord on one of the Mercy Ships,” Simms said.
One retired missionary they met now teaches at Gateway Seminary. Simms said one of his students was a young woman from Benin, where the Simmses previously had ministered.
“I couldn’t help but believe that she might have been one of the students who was saved while we were in her country or even one of the people we paid to go to Bible school there,” he said.
Simms said his main focus, however, was on passengers and crew members who did not know Christ.
“I had the privilege of leading one crew member into a personal relationship with Jesus,” he said, “and I prompted another crewman to renew his faith and met with him daily throughout the cruise to disciple him and help him return to a steadfast walk with Christ. I also had strong spiritual interactions with other crew members.”
They also reconnected with a shipboard entertainer they had met on an earlier cruise.
“We prayed together and had some quality discipling time with him,” Simms said.
Simms said the length of a cruise gives travelers repeated opportunities to see and talk with the same people, allowing relationships to develop and opening doors for conversations about faith.
The same approach applies wherever Christians travel, said Simms.
“Most of us know that Jesus’ words, ‘Go into all the world and make disciples,’ literally mean ‘as you are going,’” Simms said. “So, whether you travel from place to place for business, education, or pleasure, go prepared to share the gospel and disciple people along the way.
“My philosophy is, ‘Since you are going anyway, be a Christlike person on display and be decidedly purposeful in what you say.’”
Share with others
