Raising A Soul Surfer (2 page)

If one person could be the entire “coconut wireless,” it would be Cheri Hamilton. Cheri never stops praying. When we were shooting a particularly dangerous shark-attack sequence one day, the crew and cast experienced sharp reefs, unruly waves, rising tides and a difficult setup. But in the midst of crewmembers running around and pandemonium setting in, Cheri gathered a few people on the set and prayed for safety. When tensions were high on set and a million different activities consumed every second, it was nice to know that someone was praying for God to watch over every move.

Noah, the oldest son, is the classic firstborn. He is always two steps ahead of the family, and usually most of the people around him as well. He dealt with just about every issue that came up on set, and because of his proactive nature, he, along with his wife, Becky, helped to make the film more accurate.
Soul Surfer
had a relatively low budget, and the production company didn’t have finances for an on-set still photographer. So Noah,
a professional photographer himself, offered his services. Becky, who has a multitude of high-level skills, also documented the action with their video camera. Now we have images of the cast and crew hard at work—a recorded behind-the-scenes documentary. Noah continually thinks of how to solve problems himself instead of relying on others to do the job. By now he feels like an older brother, and with all of his ingenuity and kindness, he will make a wonderful father to his soon-to-be-born baby!

Tim Hamilton, the middle child, has the disposition of a turtle. In Hawaii, that is a compliment! He is a natural waterman and is most content there. The first time I met Timmy was in the ocean. I had my first surf lesson with Bethany’s surf coach, Russell Lewis, and Tim was out in the water playing “lifeguard” for me. Of course, Tim didn’t have to look out for me—the film producers could have hired someone—but he took some prime body-board time to help me out. Tim lends a quiet hand whenever the need arises . . . never needing to be asked. Even though he says the least in the family, you have to keep your ears wide open around him. Tim is the person most worth listening to for his witty under-the-breath humor, which always makes me chuckle.

And now, Bethany . . . It is difficult to find words to explain my love and admiration for my friend and personal hero. She totally charges!
¹
I still do not understand how she pops up on such a little short board with one arm. I take for granted her tenacity and trust in God, because that’s just the way she is. You cannot begin to compare her to anyone else on this planet. Bethany’s godly behavior and playful determination have continually had a positive influence on my life and the lives of those around her.

I remember one particularly windy day when I wanted to surf. Bethany was available, so she took me out surfing. As soon as we arrived at the beach, I regretted my decision. The waves
looked more intimidating than anything I had previously surfed before, not to mention it was close to sunset (of course, sharks eat at all hours of the day, so time should be irrelevant for me). Bethany eventually convinced me that I had “definitely ridden bigger waves,” so I paddled out.

I was terrified. To me the waves seemed immense and life threatening, while to Bethany they probably seemed tame and barely large enough to have fun on. At one point, I endured a particularly gnarly wipeout (for me at least), but I’ll forever be proud of the small scar the fin of my board carved on my leg. After my wipeout, I caught the longest and most enjoyable right of my surf career to date.
²

After the ride was over, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. And I have Bethany to thank—she pushed me and taught me not to “look down.” Because she believed in me, I achieved a wave I never thought possible. Her presence ignites a vigor for life that is unique to anyone I have ever met.

Bethany, Timmy, Noah, Cheri and Tom, I want to thank you for welcoming me into your lives. You have shared with me your love for the ocean, so I want to share with you one of my favorite quotes that captures our beloved sea: “Unchangeable save to thy wild waves’ play . . . roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean—roll.”
³

AnnaSophia Robb

1
. “Charges”: having no fear and going for big waves.

2
. “Right”: A wave breaking toward the right from the vantage point of the surfer riding the wave. From the beach it would be a wave breaking toward the left.

3
. Lord Byron, “Apostrophe to the Ocean,”
Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage
.

Introduction

Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends
.
JOHN
15:13

Tom, my husband, and my daughter, Bethany
, had gone to Puerto Rico for a surf competition. Sitting at the computer, I did a search for weather conditions. That region tends to get big storms. I became concerned when I found hurricane Shary brewing, which is my name but with a different spelling. The weather report also said that another hurricane, called Tomas, my husband’s name, followed back to back and had stormed over Hamilton, an island town in Bermuda.

I was amazed at the irony of the names, because it described in weather terms what life has been like for our family. At this time, November 2010, our nephew had just died on the East coast, and here on Kauai, everyone was in shock over the death of four-time world champion surfer Andy Irons, who had lived close by.

All of these unusual signs also acted as a confirmation to put down on paper my reflections of the storm-surging changes that have come upon my life and that of my family, as well as the Island of Kauai.

My mother said that I didn’t walk at seven months, I ran! Activity and energy have been a part of me from the start. I should
have been a pro athlete, but at the time there were few options for women.

When I went surfing for the first time, my life was never the same. I soon committed my whole life and existence to catching the next wave. For the next 15 years, I lived to surf. I focused my everyday life on finding waves and only working jobs that allowed me to have time to surf.

When I met Jesus, I personally experienced His divine providence in a way that I could not walk away from, which guaranteed that I would never deny His existence. After I had invited Jesus into my heart, I knew that I had found the truth and, at last, that my deepest desire for love was fulfilled and complete in Him. His love filled a void in my heart that I had longed for all of my life.

At the beginning, I was a young surfer girl, living my dreams, who encountered God in an unlikely place through unlikely disciples. I was a surf gypsy, with a surf gypsy husband, enjoying life in a tropical paradise. But I became a mother who had to wrestle with fear and uncertainty when the news came that her daughter had been attacked by a shark. I never expected our children to be life-changers. We had raised our daughter to surf, not to be in the media spotlight. Yet she embraced this challenge to honor God and be His witness to the world.

Our story is about a violently shattered dream that was replaced with a bigger one. But most of all, our life story has been, and continues to be, about trusting God in spite of circumstances, pressures and unexpected events.

I’ve always wanted to be involved in some kind of Christian ministry, but every door closed for me; so I focused on raising my children for Him—teaching them His Word, His ways and His unconditional love. Unbelievably, it turned out to be the very ministry God was calling me to all along.

My story tells about a journey to find hope, truth and purpose. It encompasses the perspective of my husband, a sensitive yet strong father who struggled to make sense of a tragedy, and who had to learn to trust God all over again. It reveals my struggles to find love, hope and acceptance. It includes the perspective of my sons, Bethany’s brothers, whose lives have been irrevocably changed by the sudden and unforeseen reverberations stemming from the choice our family made to allow Bethany’s story to be told.

Most of all, this story is a glimpse into God’s perspective as it has been revealed to us. Only in retrospect have we been able to see how far back His amazing providence has reached into our lives. His hand has always been active, and not just since the events of that fateful Halloween morning in 2003. From the beginning, God prepared our lives in so many ways for “such a time as this,” just as He did for Queen Esther (Esther 4:14,
NIV
).

My hope is that by reading our story you will be encouraged to pursue God regardless of the cost. He doesn’t take away or allow you to go through pain to hurt you, but to heal and transform and draw you to Himself. God’s plan is not to leave us as He found us, but to fill our lives with His purpose and His hope for an amazing future filled with His love!

I cannot get enough of God’s Word. The more I learn, the more I want to learn. His Word is so deep, fascinating and layered with insight and guidance that it is new to me every morning. God’s Word is a book that can be read for a lifetime without ever plumbing its depths. It is filled with the story of His love for each and every person that He has ever created. His Word tells us about hope and a future plan He has for everyone (see Jeremiah 29:11).

One of my favorite Scriptures, in which I put my hope, is, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9,
NLT
). I like to encourage others with the words of Psalm 37:4: “Take delight in the L
ORD
, and he will give you your heart’s desires” (
NLT
).

When I turned to Christ, I found a love in Him so pure, so perfect and so real that I wanted with all of my heart for everyone to know His amazing love too. My true purpose in life is that I want to share Jesus with the whole world.

I write these words 30 years after I accepted His grace into my life. Through all of the pain and the joy, I still revel in the wonder of His love. I invite you to see the extraordinary things God has done in our
Ohana
and become a part of it as you say yes to God and His perfect love for you!

Cheri Hamilton
Kauai, Hawaii

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably
more than all we ask or imagine
.
EPHESIANS 3:20,
NIV