Storm (9 page)

“That goes double for the rest of us,” Malia said, getting nods of agreement from Jenna and Monica.

“Are you talking to me?” Bethany said as she blinked innocently and then hurried to shut the door behind her before anyone could respond.

Chuckling to herself, she jogged down the stairs, turned the corner, and almost ran right into Eddie as he rounded the corner from the opposite direction. They both laughed.

“Almost a head-on collision,” Eddie said, grinning.

“Oh man, you aren’t kidding!” She glanced behind Eddie. “I was looking for Sarah. Have you seen her?”

Eddie nodded. “As a matter of fact, Maggie took her on a tour of the neighborhood.”

“I was going to ask her if we could go running tomorrow morning.”

“You mean your whole group?”

“Well, probably just us girls,” Bethany said, then chewed on her lip thoughtfully. “Or at the very least, me and Holly.” She grinned inwardly.
Sorry, Holly!

“You’re a surfer, right?”

“Yeah,” Bethany nodded shyly. “I kind of like to keep up on my training.” She left out the part about running helping her nerves over the mission trip.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Eddie said amiably. “I used to run myself—though it’s been a while.” He patted his stomach, and Bethany smiled.

“Tell you what: it’s not that great of a neighborhood for you girls to go running in alone. But if you really want to go, I’ll come around 6:30 a.m. and run with you.”

“Really? You don’t mind?”

“Maggie will thank you; she’s been after me to get back into running. I’m still carrying around all the stuff I ate at Christmastime.”

“Okay then, it’s a deal,” Bethany said happily. “I’ll set the alarm on my watch.”

“Don’t forget the time change. And I’ll bring the stick.”

“A stick? What for?”

“Ah, if you’re going to go for a jog around here, carrying a stick with you is a good idea.”

“For muggers?” Bethany asked worriedly. Holly might forgive her for an early morning run, but not for a mugger.

“Yeah … the
four-legged
kind,” Eddie laughed. “The stray dogs around here can sometimes get a little too close for comfort.”

Bethany nodded casually, but her mind raced.
What have I got us into now, Holly?
she thought
with a twinge of doubt — not just about the run — but the whole trip. Then she remembered her dad’s words just before she got on the plane: “Just trust in God and let him lead you, Bethany. He’s the best father any of us could ever imagine having.”

“Papa!”

Eduardo shot up from the pallet he had been sleeping on and looked around. It was dark, but he knew if he reached out his arm he could touch the cot his mother and sister slept on, knew that the other two cots his four brothers shared would be just beyond that. He put his hand to his chest, feeling his heart still racing from the dream. And what a good dream it was!

He had been running down a beautiful soccer field. So much green! He had never seen that much green in one place. He grinned to himself, remembering how he scored a goal for his team and how good it felt when his teammates thumped his back with congratulations. His smile faded as he recalled searching for his father’s face in the stand filled with people.

For just a moment, he thought he’d spotted him when he saw a man stand up and begin to walk toward him through the crowd. But people kept getting in his way, and no matter how hard
Eduardo squinted, he couldn’t make out the man’s face.

Eduardo shivered but resisted the urge to crawl onto his mother’s cot. If his brothers woke up and saw him there, he would never hear the end of it. They would say he was
loco
to dream that he would do anything other than rummage through other people’s garbage. They would also say that he was a baby to call out to a father he had never had.

Eduardo grimaced and curled up on his pallet again. He wasn’t a baby. He was five years old—old enough to know better than to wake his mother, and old enough to know he needed some sleep before he had to get up and go to work again.

Still, he thought as his eyes began to grow heavy with sleep, it would have been nice if he could have seen that man’s face. It would be nice to at least
pretend
he had a father.

On that October morning of the shark attack, everyone around me (including me!) feared that my plans for being a professional surfer were over. Who had ever heard of a surfer with one arm? How would I paddle out? How would I get up on the board? How would I balance? All the hopes and dreams about surfing that I’d had since I was little seemed to be gone.

But you know what? God had plans for me. He had bigger plans than I could have ever imagined. Before the attack, I might have become a surfer and been well-known in the surfing crowd. I might have had my picture on several surfing magazines. But now God is able to use me in a different way, above and beyond all that I could ever ask or think. He’s doing things in my life that I could never have dreamed of before the attack. He’s helping me to rise above it all.

God has big plans for your life too. The purpose he has for your life is different than the one he has for mine. But he’s got plans. Big plans. You need to be willing to be used by him. Trust
him. Follow him. Ask him to start preparing your heart for his purpose.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the L
ORD
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

—Jeremiah 29:11

Dear God, thank you for having a plan for me. Help me to trust that your plan for my future is the best for me. Give me patience and help me to prepare for what you have in store for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite Bible verses. My youth counselor, Sarah, was inspired by God to think of it the morning she heard about the attack. It’s been a great support for me, my family, and my friends ever since.

I’ve spent my whole life enjoying the ocean, the surf, and the sand on the beach. I know all about sand castles and the surf. I’ve seen how one wave can just wipe out a sand castle in a second. Houses, castles, dreams, or plans only last if they are built on a solid foundation. God is the rock in my life — my foundation. I keep my relationship with him strong.

It’s good to have dreams. I hope you have lots of dreams to do spectacular things. But you have to put your hope and faith into something that can’t suddenly disappear. You need a strong foundation, a hard rock platform to build your dreams and future plans upon. Anything less than that will be a total wipeout.

Popularity can be lost with one round of gossip. Money can be easily taken away or lost. Clothes go out of style. Nothing really lasts except God’s love. If you build your hopes and dreams and
your life on him, you’ll always be on solid ground and able to survive life’s challenges.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

— Matthew 7:24 – 5

Jesus, help me to put my faith in you. Help me build my life upon you, my Rock, so I will be strong and secure in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Have you ever picked up a handful of sand and tried to count the grains? Have you noticed all the different color variations and seen how it sparkles when the sun shines on it? It’s made from the earth’s elements of the area it’s in: coral, shells, rock, sandstone, quartz, etc. There are even beaches with all black sand from volcanic rock. How precious are God’s thoughts toward us that they are more in number than the grains of sand on the beach (Psalm 139:17 – 18).

One of the greatest gifts God has given me is my friends. One of my dearest friends is Alana, my surfing buddy. Alana was surfing with me when I got attacked by the shark. She stayed with me through the whole thing. She’s awesome!

I have a big
ohana
of friends too: friends from my church, friends from the community, and friends from the surfing world. Then there’s my tight group of personal friends. These are the friends who will love me no matter what. They loved me with two arms, and they love me now with one arm. My friends have been the greatest to help me through the tough times. They’ve made me laugh and feel normal again.

God wants us to be Christlike in our relationships with our friends. He wants us to be a friend others can trust and receive encouragement from — not condemnation or criticism.

Jesus is the best friend you could ever have. He wants only what is best for us. He gives us guidance in his Word for our safety and protection. He
promises to never leave us or forsake us. Real friends are like Jesus. They shine with Jesus’ love. I hope you will be a friend like that.

A friend loves at all times.

— Proverbs 17:17

Dear Jesus, thank you for being my
very best friend.
Thank
you for
the friends I have in
my life
right now.
Help me to be
a faithful friend whom
others
can trust. Help me to be a friend who forgives, encourages, loves, and laughs with others. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Ohana
is a Hawaiian word that means “family unit or close group.”

Q. It has been a long time since I have seen your picture. What do you look like now?

Q. How tall are you?

A. I’m taller now than I was when I was attacked by the shark. I was 5'7” when I was 13, but now I’m 5’ 10". I have blond hair and hazel eyes and an Irish–Norwegian heritage.

Q. How old are you?

A. I’m 16 years old now while I’m writing this.

Q. When is your birthday?

A. I was born February 8, 1990.

Q. Where do you live?

A. I live in the town of Princeville, on the north shore of the island of Kauai, in the state of Hawaii, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Q. Were you born in Hawaii or someplace else?

A. I was born in Hawaii, on the island of Kauai, in the emergency room at Wilcox Memorial Hospital.

Q. Where do you go to school?

A. I now stay home to go to school — that sounds funny, doesn’t it? Anyway, I went to Hanalei Elementary School in the town of Hanalei, on Kauai. I started homeschooling after sixth grade so I’d have more time to surf. I do my studies through American School. They have students all over the world! I pretty much
have
to homeschool these days because I travel so much.

Q. Are you a Christian?

A. Yes, I am. I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and my God. I have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. For more about my faith see the chapter “About Faith.”

Q. When did you become a Christian?

A. I’ve been a Christian for as long as I can remember. I was about five when I recognized Jesus as my Savior and committed to follow him, love him, and live my life for him!

Q. Where do you go to church?

A. I go to the North Shore Community Church near my home.

Q. What color is your hair?

A. I have medium length, straight blonde hair. It looks just like my mom’s hair did when she was my age.

Q. I heard you have blonde hair. Is that your natural color? Do you use peroxide or anything on it?