Surfer Girl

Surfer Girl

Bible Blast: Read Jeremiah 29:11-13

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him. 1 Timothy 1:12

Bethany Hamilton was practically born surfing. Living in Hawaii, her mom and dad started putting her on a surfboard when she was just learning to walk. When Bethany was eight years old, she entered her first surfing competition and won! By the time she was thirteen, her surfing talent became well known among other surfers. Everyone was convinced she would become a professional surfer—until October 31, 2003.

Bethany was surfing with her brother, her BFF, and her BFF’s dad off Kauai’s North Shore when she was attacked by a fourteen-foot-long tiger shark. Her surfing companions went into action to stop the bleeding as much as possible and got her back to shore as fast as they could. She lost more than 60 percent of her blood and had to undergo several surgeries. It was a miracle that the tiger shark did not take Bethany’s life—but it did take her entire left arm.

People were amazed at Bethany’s positive attitude throughout the whole ordeal. They discovered that surfing wasn’t the only thing her parents had taught her. They had also taught her about Jesus Christ. When Bethany was just five years old, she gave her life to Jesus. That’s where her peace came from in the midst of a life-changing shark attack.

Her positive attitude wasn’t the only amazing thing about Bethany. About a month after the shark attack, she was back up on a surfboard. She still wanted to become a professional surfer and had the courage to keep trying even though she only had one arm. Bethany worked hard and eventually won first place in the Explorer Women’s division of the 2005 National Scholastic Surfing Association National Championships! And that’s just the beginning of her achievements as a one-armed surfer. She’s gone on to place in many other surfing competitions, and she’s done it all without receiving any special treatment for her “handicap.”