“What do you mean, God is still working on you?” asked Jenna.
“It’s kind of like a voice that whispers to you, and you know it’s not your own thoughts,” Bethany explained shyly.
“I think I’ve heard something like that voice,” Jenna said with a note of amazement. They looked at each other and smiled.
For the rest of the walk back to where Malia waited, Bethany explained to Jenna about her relationship with Jesus Christ and how he wants to be invited into a relationship with everyone and to grow inside of them. She explained to her about how God had given her strength to conquer her fears after the shark attack and how he was beside her as she struggled to relearn to surf.
What Bethany said felt right to Jenna. Jenna could remember things her dad had said to her years ago about God — that God was “her rock.” Jenna felt that God was probably talking to her too . . . through her memories of her dad.
“I thought you were just strong and determined,” Jenna said, glancing over at Bethany.
“Not strong and determined enough to do it without God’s help,” said Bethany. “Everybody, sooner or later, finds themselves getting washed around in life, kind of like you did out there. Without him, we drown!”
“It’s a lot to think about,” Jenna said. “But it kind of makes sense.”
“Yeah, well, take it in slowly,” said Bethany. “It’s like surfing; you learn an awful lot just by trying and failing.”
“Well, I won’t have any trouble with that part,” Jenna said wryly, and they both laughed.
Malia, who had helplessly watched the drama unfold, quickly hobbled down the beach to meet the pair.
“Jenna! That’s down the beach, not up the beach! It’s only for experts down there!”
“Yeah, I found that out,” said Jenna.
“Why don’t you rest a while and get something to eat,” said Bethany. “My ice chest is the blue one over there. My mom always puts in extra stuff, so help yourself!”
“Thanks,” said Jenna.
“I’m going surfing, but when I come back in, I promise, I’ll give you surf lessons!” said Bethany.
“I think that might be a good idea,” Jenna said with a grin.
“We all need lessons from time to time,” Bethany said, but she was looking at Malia, smiling.
“See ya in a bit!” she said after a moment.
With that, she jogged down to the edge of the ocean and plunged in.
ten
Acooling breeze lifted the curtains in Jenna’s room. Outside her window, ginger plants were in bloom, and the breeze brought their delicate sweet smell in with it.
On the wall, Jenna had pinned pictures of waves next to pictures of horses in full gallop. She was a child of the ocean now too, but more important, she was also a child of God.
Jenna glanced up from the New Testament that she had been reading while lying on her bed, and she smiled — a smile that she felt deep in her heart.
It had been six months since Bethany had pulled her in from the surf, and Jenna would be the first to admit, it hadn’t always been easy. But it had been exciting and adventurous.
She had worked hard to get the fundamentals of surfing down pat. And with encouragement from Bethany, Malia, and the other girls of the Hanalei Surf Team, she had enrolled in swimming lessons at the neighborhood pool.
“We aren’t coming out to rescue you again if your leash breaks,” they had told her. “You’re gonna have to swim yourself outta those problems.”
While not yet tackling the bigger, more dangerous waves, Jenna felt right at home on the smaller, zippy waves.
The Hanalei girls had, for the most part, been gracious and warm toward her. Monica was less than thrilled with her entry into the friendship circle and still kept a cool distance from her. But Bethany, Malia, and the rest of the girls had made Jenna a welcomed guest at their spot at the beach anytime she showed up.
And Jenna had discovered something else in her journey around the island: there were actual cowboys living in Hawaii! Not much different than those she had known in Arizona. Thanks to her new friend from the garage sale, she learned that the paniolo, or Hawaiian cowboy, is an old and revered part of the island culture.
Because there were stables nearby where visitors would take horseback rides into the Kauai backcountry, Jenna was able to find an after-school job grooming and caring for horses. She still didn’t own one outright, but the owners kindly allowed her to saddle and ride one of her favorites whenever possible.
But the biggest change in Jenna’s life was that she had discovered firsthand what it meant to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
At first she had been cautious, even a bit skeptical about the whole God thing. But so many of the girls she had met seemed to talk about God in an easy, relaxed, and natural way, as if it were the most obvious and common thing to talk to him, be guided by him, and live for him.
These girls (and not a few guys) were not weird, sheltered church kids. They were attractive, normal, fun-loving teenagers who seemed to find excitement, energy, and fun without the typical mix of sex, alcohol, or drugs.
Jenna was fascinated, and for a time she merely watched and listened. And even though Sarah Hill had offered to pick her up for youth group or for church on Sunday, she resisted. As always, she wanted to find her way on her own.
Thankfully, it didn’t take another near-death moment for her to see the truth. It just seemed to grow in her day by day until one day, she finally accepted Sarah’s invitation and started attending youth group meetings, and then occasionally, the big tent church.
What Sarah taught made good sense to her. Jenna asked if it might be possible to get a Bible, and later that evening Sarah dropped off a brand-new and very easy-to-read copy of the New Testament.
Somewhere in the middle of her reading that night, Jenna had put down the Bible and said a few simple words to God. She sensed that she had crossed a line. That there was something real and powerful going on, and it seemed to be the turning point in her life. She had become a believer in Christ.
Her mom was skeptical about the new faith thing, but Jenna never wavered. And not long after she had made the decision to follow Jesus, she also made another very important step. She apologized to her mom for all the times that she had hurt her. Even though it was hard for them to see eye to eye sometimes, she knew in her heart she needed to make an effort to be nicer to her mom.
Because it mattered to God . . . and her mom too.
Not long after she apologized, her mom had actually agreed to go to church with Jenna when she could make it.
Jenna heard the gravel driveway crunch under the tires of a car. She jumped from her bed, grabbed a small backpack and ice chest, which sat in the hallway, and burst through the door.
Sarah’s car, roof rack stacked high with surfboards, stopped in front of her house.
“Come on, slowpoke, let’s go!” called someone from inside the car.
Jenna tossed her gear in the back end of Sarah’s car and then ran back onto the porch. She produced a small surfboard wrapped in a striped red board bag.
“Wow! New board?” one of the girls asked.
“New used board,” Jenna said with a grin. “Bethany gave it to me . . . said she outgrew it.”
“It’s a lot shorter than your old eight-footer,” said Sarah. “Can you ride it?”
“We’ll find out soon enough!”
Just then the postal carrier pulled up and stuck a wad of mail into the mailbox.
“Hold on a second,” Jenna said to Sarah as she jumped out of the car to check the mail.
Rummaging through the mailbox, she pulled out a large colorful postcard and ran back to the car.
“Whatcha get?” asked Sarah.
“It’s a postcard from Bethany,” Jenna said.
“Where is she now?” asked one of the girls, with just a hint of jealousy in her voice.
“This postcard is from Australia,” said Jenna.
“That Bethany is sooooo lucky,” said Malia from the front seat. “I wish I could travel around the world like she does.”
“This time of year, the water is pretty cold down under,” reminded Sarah. “I’m sure Bethany has to wear a wetsuit and booties.”
“Ugh, I hate cold water! She can have it,” one of the girls responded.
“She says here that she and her family are going to Samoa after they leave Australia. Where’s Samoa?” Jenna asked.
“It’s somewhere south of us,” Malia said.
It took over an hour of driving to get to their spot. The winter swells that normally give surf to the Hanalei side of the island were starting to diminish, and the swells coming from the southern hemisphere were beginning to show up on the other side of the island.
Sarah had offered to take her crew on a “surfari” to the south side of the island to grab the new south swell hitting those shores.
Eventually, the girls stood on the coarse sand in front of a surf spot called the Waiohai. This place was all reef bottom and sharp as well. Surfing this spot would have been unthinkable for Jenna a few months before, but today she confidently looked at the crisp lefts without a speck of fear.
Tourists from the nearby hotel clogged just about every available space on the sand, but the girls managed to find an open spot where they could drop their ice chests and towels.
After waxing up their boards, they stood on the edge of the water together, looking at the break in the distance.
“Anyone care to offer up a prayer before we go?” asked Sarah.
“I will,” Jenna said without hesitation.
In an Australian hotel room Bethany rubbed a sore calf muscle as a chilly rain soaked the patio furniture outside. She had not done as well as she had hoped in her contest heat, but she knew that this was just one competition among many and that she would have more chances to move up in the ratings.
The cold water always played havoc with her calf muscles if she didn’t stretch extra before surfing, and now she was paying the price.
On the dresser, her mom had left the travel brochures for the surf camp in Samoa that they would be heading to after Australia. Bethany felt the excitement of the trip warm her in spite of the weather. This would be a family vacation — a surfing family vacation to be exact. No contests, no photo shoots, no people looking for autographs. Just two weeks hidden away at a remote beach camp.
And even better, the camp held only twelve surfers. With the five Hamiltons, that left only seven other surfers at the camp to deal with.
“This oughta be heaven,” Bethany whispered.
Then she picked up a letter that was at the top of their mail stack and saw that it was from Jenna. She opened the letter and took out a single sheet of stationery.
Dear Bethany,
You’ll never guess what I did when
I was reading the New Testament the
other afternoon! I accepted Jesus as
my Savior! Aren’t you excited?
It’s only been a few days, but I feel
so different. Like Jesus is right there,
next to me. It’s so awesome.
I’m learning more all the time
about surfing and about God.
Thanks again for giving me your board — I
rode on it the other day, and it’s pretty
sweet.
I hope you’re having a cool time
surfing down under.
Love,
Jenna
Bethany folded the letter and gently wiped a tear from her eye. Her mom’s words as she lay in that hospital room a lifetime ago came back to her.
What an awesome opportunity you’ve been given! To share your faith with so many people — people you might never have met if this hadn’t happened.
Bethany hadn’t really understood those words at the time — and had actually wondered how she could help someone else when she was still learning how to help herself.
Thank you for Jenna, Lord, Bethany prayed. Thank you for teaching me that when we help others, we help ourselves grow closer to you.
Bethany grinned, remembering Sarah’s words: “God may put a treasure in your path that you don’t recognize. Sometimes the treasure is crusty on the surface, but after you wash off the dirt, you find the real value there.”
one
Bethany felt like she had stepped into another world — or something like that.
Still groggy from the plane trip from Australia, she blinked a couple of times and pulled her iPod headset down around her neck as she glanced around the busy little airport. Samoa didn’t seem like the Treasure Island that her mom was so into talking about lately — but it did kind of feel like another world.
A world of giants.
Giants that wore knee-length wraparound skirts — or lavalavas as her mom called them. She watched the group of men as they passed her by with their suitcases and grinned to herself. Bet no one would mistake them for girls! She glanced at Noah as he fell into step beside her.
“Big people, huh?”
“I wouldn’t want to play rugby against any of these guys,” Noah admitted.
“You wouldn’t last playing rugby against any of the girls!” Tim said, eyeing Noah’s thin frame with a sly grin.
“I don’t know — the girls are really pretty,” Bethany laughed. “Might be worth the pain.” Her attention was suddenly drawn to the group ahead of them. Had to be surfers, she thought, eyeing the three young guys with their sun-bleached hair and trademark broad shoulders. The youngest turned and said something to one of the older boys. Bethany guessed him to be close to her age. He had long wavy hair and his nose and cheeks were speckled from constant peeling. The bright red shirt he was wearing had the logo of a California surfboard company on it.
Surfers — I knew it! Bethany thought smugly.
“At least I’m not crazy enough to get a tattoo,” Noah said as he shifted the board bag to his other shoulder. Bethany glanced back at him, momentarily confused.
“Tattoo?” She looked between her brothers and frowned. That’s what she got for sleeping on the plane; she always missed the good stuff.
“Samoan tattoo,” Tim nodded excitedly. “They’re awesome; a lot of geometric design. Really tribal.”
Bethany made a face. “Only thing I want on my skin is some sun.”
“You’re not getting anything tattooed, Tim,” Bethany’s dad said dryly from somewhere behind them as their mom laughed.
Tim grinned. “Or how about a Maori tattoo —you know, the big ones that cover your face?”
“Might be an improvement, Dad,” Noah interjected.
“Don’t give him any ideas,” Bethany’s mom said exasperatedly, and they all laughed as they headed for customs.
Other than the surfboards, the Hamiltons traveled light; each had a carry-on with shorts, bathing suits, T-shirts, and one set of “going to dinner clothes.” They moved quickly through the line and into the night.
Outside, the warm humid air blew around Bethany, reminding her of home. She turned her face toward the star-spattered sky. Actually it was home, having her family with her. Even though it was almost midnight, she felt the excitement of being in a new place and couldn’t help wondering what kind of waves she would catch this trip.
When she looked down again, she noticed a huge, dark-skinned man leaning against the van parked at the curb. He was wearing a flowered aloha shirt, a lavalava, and a pair of well-worn rubber slippers.
She saw his eyes take in their surfboard bags, and he began to wave wildly, charging over to grab the heavier of the loads.
“Talafoa! My name is Tagiilima,” he said, extending a large palm to Tom, Bethany’s dad. “You Hamiltons?”
Bethany’s dad nodded, and Tagiilima vigorously shook his hand — along with the rest of his body.
Ask Bethany
Written by Bethany Hamilton with Doris Rikkers
Softcover • ISBN 0-310-71227-0
In her chat
ty and breezy style, typical of any online conversation, Bethany Hamilton shares information on a wide variety of topics about her life and faith.
Rise Above
Written by Bethany Hamilton with Doris Rikkers
Softcover • ISBN 0-310-71226-2
Young girls will get encouraging words from the Bible and from courageous, young surfer Bethany Hamilton to see them through their day. Topics that every young girl faces will be addressed in this devotional book. An extra, tucked-in feature will give the girls the “inside scoop” on what Bethany’s life is all about.
Available now at your local bookstore!
Soul Surfer Bible
Italian Duo-Tone™, Glitter Wave
ISBN 0-310-71228-9
Bethany Hamilton, a rising star in the surfing world, is an inspiring teenager with a heart for Jesus Christ. This Bible contains 12 full-color tip-ins that will help tweens apply Bethany’s mission to their own lives.
Burned
Written by Rick Bundschuh, Inspired by Bethany Hamilton
Fiction • Softcover • ISBN 0-310-71223-8
In Burned, Bethany has a run-in with an unpleasant kid on a surf trip to Samoa, and discovers something in the Samoan culture which brings healing and forgiveness.
Available now at your local bookstore!
Storm
Written by Rick Bundschuh, Inspired by Bethany Hamilton
Fiction • Softcover • ISBN 0-310-71224-6
In Storm, Bethany helps a young family lost on the Hanakapiai Trail. As Bethany’s youth group struggles to raise funds for a mission trip, her small act of kindness blesses them all.
Crunch
Written by Rick Bundschuh, Inspired by Bethany Hamilton
Fiction • Softcover • ISBN 0-310-71225-4
On a trip to Mexico, Bethany meets a soccer-loving little boy who captures her heart in an unexpected way. Because of a promise she makes him, Bethany’s competition in a prestigious surf contest is threatened.
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