~ You cannot discover new oceans until
you are willing to lose sight of the shore ~
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| Photo of me on deck of the MS Restoration, raising my hands to God, thanking him for a successful--and challenging--voyage! |
Have you ever had a day when everything was going great ...
dancing on the deck of a ship in the middle of the Mediterranean ...
when suddenly, out of nowhere,
there's a rifle staring you in the face?
Well, that was me.
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| Entering the port of Sochi, Russia in 1995 to pick up Russian Jews. Liv, the beautiful ship's nurse, and I on deck of the MS Restoration. Note: Liv went to heaven on August 2017. She had recently married, and was a strong pro-life advocate in Norway and Sweden. She is missed. |
I'm going to take you back to 1995.
Here is Chapter One of my book:
1
July 1995
Within minutes of the MS Restoration's entering the Haifa harbor, an Israeli gunboat sped from the port and circled the World War II vessel. Two soldiers aimed their deck-mounted machine guns at the ship. Another soldier shouted instructions in Hebrew through a loudspeaker.
The captain of the MS Restoration responded over the ship's radio, "Please speak to us in English!"
Rosie grabbed the rail. "Do they think we're terrorists?"
Jesse touched her arm. "Rosie, calm down."
"They think we're pirates."
"Just calm down," her husband repeated, holding her hand.
"Will they make us jump overboard? I don't have my life jacket," she spoke, fighting back her fear of water that was trying to surface once more.
"Rosie, you must get hold of yourself."
Her mind raced as she gazed up at the man who'd brought her on this unpredictable journey. Jesse's right. What's come over me? Rosie asked herself, all the time wishing she didn't have to go down below to the head. She didn't dare leave his side.
The ship, her fellow crew members, and their special passengers--the Russian Jews--had finally reached their destination. No more troubled waters. No more hurricanes. No more delays. On this hot July morning, they were home free--or so they thought.
Rosie looked at the crew, poised as if they were ready to hit the deck. "Isn't this ironic? We've traveled halfway around the world, and this is the welcome we get."
"Stop your engine!" the soldier shouted.
Within seconds, they were dead in the water.
Rosie's stomach churned. She hung her head over the side of the ship and let it rip. She wiped her mouth with a hankie, then grabbed hold of Jesse's arm. She'd heard stories about people who'd experienced close calls. Her seventy-year-old father once told her about the time his ship almost went down in the China Sea during the war. "At that moment, my whole life passed before me," Talmage said.
Feeling lightheaded as the Israeli soldiers glared at the Restoration through their binoculars, Rosie wondered if this was her moment.
end of Chapter 1
(60-second video of crossing the Atlantic Ocean, sailing by Istanbul, and Israeli gunboat in Haifa Harbor is available on my website)
(60-second video of crossing the Atlantic Ocean, sailing by Istanbul, and Israeli gunboat in Haifa Harbor is available on my website)
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| After being in mothballs after WWII, this is the MS Restoration after dry dock in Seattle, Washington 1994. The beginning of her complete make-over. Isn't she pretty? Believe me, she was a mess! What began as a week of volunteering, Rob and I stayed 14 months as volunteers on her maiden voyage to Haifa, Israel. |
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| Map of Restoration's 1994-95 maiden voyage from Seattle, WA to Panama, Stockholm, Sweden. Scandinavia. England. Latvia. Greece. Russia. Israel. I visited places I never dreamed of. And a few places that I had. |
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| We sailed under the two bridges of Istanbul, on our way to the Black Sea. |
One of many lessons I learned during this journey:
If God can bring an old ship out of mothballs and use her for such a time as this,
how much more he can use us for that which he has planned for us.
The crew truly saw God do great things before our eyes,
on shore, and mile after nautical mile at sea.
Many miracles.
Many miracles.
I consider it an honor to have been chosen to be a small part of God's prophetic word
to help bring the Jews home to Israel.
Always remember,
it's never too late to say yes to what God has called you to do.
it's never too late to say yes to what God has called you to do.
Whether big or small, the task that he has chosen for you is
GREAT in his eyes.
The Restoration transported almost 2,000 Russian Jews
before she was laid to rest.
If you haven't read my book, jump on board
for a great adventure!
Until then,
I wish you oceans of travel blessings!
Shout and sing for joy, you people of Jerusalem,
because the Holy One of Israel does great things before your eyes.
Isaiah 12:6
You can order at www.amazon.com/author/www.sharonleaf.com
or go to my website:
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| My 72nd year portrait |
