I hope you enjoy this story from my time as an MAF missionary!

One of my favorite things we did while living in Indonesia was to enjoy an ocean ride on a homemade catamaran in Pangandaran during a break from language school. The area, once a big tourist destination, was still recovering from a 7.7 hurricane that caused a tsunami that killed 300 people in the close-knit, small community just a few months before. The people were working hard to find any way to make a living.

To get there, my husband and I took a motorcycle ride that was a little too exciting, in the jungle rain on curvy mountain roads with buses passing everyone on blind mountain curves. We had never packed for an overnight trip on a motorcycle before and ended up mailing our dirty clothes home to make the return trip a little more enjoyable. We finally arrived at a hotel just a block from the ocean and were enjoying a walk along the beach right after breakfast when a fisherman asked if we would like a ride along the coast. We said yes, eager for an adventure on this boat made from palm trees strapped together with rope, stabilizers strapped on both sides.

We scrambled on, not really in, since the boat had no sides, looking for stable footing while the boat swayed gently in the surf rolling up to the beach. As we sat down, the fisherman pushed the boat offshore and stepped on, making me feel silly for taking so long to get on board.

It is almost like a ballet, watching someone who grew up on the water. I wasted the first few minutes of this journey white-knuckle gripping the side of the boat, waiting to be toppled over into the warm water of the Indian Ocean. Then my focus finally kicked in and I looked at our pilot, calmly and confidently steering his boat to bring us alongside the breaking waves instead of plowing into them head on. I watched the boat and just how stable it was, barely moving from side to side or up and down. I thought about our pilot’s experience, probably riding on boats like this since childhood, and I finally relaxed, letting go of the side.

 I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the ride along a fascinating shoreline, full of caves and birds, on a beautiful morning. We floated alongside the Pangandaran National Park on this little isthmus. We were seeing a different world. The birds, the trees, the landscape, all of it so different from the maple trees I was used to, rolling on the Indian Ocean instead of the rolling hills on southern Indiana. I could have ruined this adventure for my husband and me by being fearful and stressed out – instead I decided to trust in our guide, accepting that even though I have no idea how to pilot a boat, he does. How much time and energy do I waste being fearful of God’s plan for my life instead of trusting Him and enjoying the ride?

What is your fear? When have you faced a fear and been blessed?

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4