Earthquake and Fish

In 1981, a large earthquake hit the area around us. Even though we were anchored out in the bay, we felt the shock waves on the ship. We heard screams from the town on Salamis nearby. The leaders decided to use the opportunity to reach out and help wherever we could. The ship was being prepared for this very thing - to help the needy – and here we had an opportunity right where we were. They started distributing blankets and food and my father started leading street outreaches to offer people hope and stability in God for their shaken lives. 

Not too long after that, we had to vacate the ship again. The Greek officials decided that with so many of us onboard, we were polluting the Bay. The ship leaders found a small multi-storey hotel down the coast from Elefsis in the small town of Megalo Pefco. The hotel had been damaged by the earthquake and they agreed to let us live there for a very reasonable price if we helped with the repairs.

As Megalo Pefco was on the coast, it was just a short walk to where we could swim. That was where I almost did a Joni Erickson. Joni Erickson is a lady who dove off a dock into a shallow lake, landed on her head and ended up paralyzed. Fortunately, I dove shallow but I hit something sharp that gave me a cut all the way from my nose, down my right side, to my waist. I still have the scar on my torso. Not the last scars I would get from my ship adventures.

It wasn’t long before we had to move again - to one of the most memorable places I have ever lived. It was a resort hotel further down the coast, outside the town of Kinetta. It was called the Kinetta Beach Bungalows and it was right on the beach. The resort had several styles of accomodation - a main building, some apartment-style buildings and rows of four-unit bungalows. We stayed in the bungalows - my parents in one and Samuel and I next door.

Once again, we got a very reasonable price because the resort had been damaged by the earthquake…and it was winter. I think it was usually closed in the winter because it didn’t have any heat. We froze. We did have small directional heaters, which a lot of people tilted all the way back, put bread on top and made toast.

The Kinetta Beach Bungalows were also the site of a most extraordinary event. The ship ministry was (once again) very low on funds. To save money we were eating a lot of rice and beans. The leaders called for a time of fasting and prayer to ask for God’s help, including what was called a 24-hour prayer chain. People took one-hour shifts to cover 24 hours.

Strange things began to happen. One day, someone was walking along the beach and a small group of fish jumped out of the water onto the sand. A few days later, a larger fish jumped right up on the rocks. A few days later, we were in the main building in school when someone ran in yelling, 

“The fish are jumping again”. 

We all ran out to see thousands of fish jumping out of the water onto the rocks.

Some people tried to throw them back in but they just jumped right back out again. So we decided to start collecting them. We got anything we could find to hold them - large garbage cans, buckets and assorted containers. We spent the rest of the day collecting and cleaning. The official count was 8,301. The leaders took the event as a sign that God was going to provide. 

Unfortunately, I still did not like fish and (once again) I didn’t eat much. They salted some of it and continued to put out a small portion at mealtimes for a long time to come. It was a reminder of the miracle God had done and His promise of provision.


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