Soul Surfer

You may remember the incredible story of Bethany Hamilton. As a teenage girl, Bethany was surfing on the North Shore of Hawaii and was attacked by a shark. Although she survived, she lost her arm. Despite all odds, Bethany preserved. She was determined to not give up on surfing. In fact, she was so determined, she was back in the water in less than a month! How was she so determined? Why did she continue to preserve? Bethany will tell you that it was her faith in God that strengthened her. What would seem to be a tragedy to the world was used to bring glory to God. I like to call it a "holy handicap". :)

Pretty incredible story, huh? Well, it gets even better! After years of traveling and sharing with the world about her tragedy, Bethany and her family agreed to make her story into a movie. The Hamilton's believe that Bethany's story is a testimony of God's grace and mercy and want to share it with the world. So, the movie Soul Surfer will be coming to theaters April 8th.

Now you may ask, why are you so passionate about Bethany's story? I'm glad you asked! This past week, I had the opportunity to meet Bethany at Focus on the Family. As a part of Focus Leadership Institute, I was able to do a taped interview with Bethany. The purpose was to get peers to ask Bethany questions regarding her faith, identity in the Lord and how God helped her to overcome the trials she faced. Focus is planning to launch the interview on their site (i believe) when the movie is released. Their desire is that it would be an encouragement and challenge to teenage girls.

I also had the opportunity that night to see the movie for myself. Bethany was there at the end to answer questions we had about the movie. I can honestly say, it is a movie you don't want to miss! make sure to check out the trailer and site below!
soulsurferwave.com

I'll try to post the picture of us with Bethany soon!