Short-Term Outreach: Turning Point for “Soul Surfer” Bethany Hamilton
Craig | Monday, April 25, 2011 at 2:12PM 
Image: Courtesy Tristar PicturesI took my kids to see Soul Surfer over Spring Break. My nine-year-old daughter was totally into it. She gripped my hand through the first third of the movie, thinking that any scene in the ocean would be the shark attack. My eleven-year-old son, on the other hand, thought Jaws was better—I think he was looking for more blood. As we watched though, it became clear that this was not a movie about a shark attack, but a film about Bethany, her family and her will to overcome. I loved, loved, loved that the film stayed true to Bethany’s faith and that her story is still inspiring so many people all over the world.
I want to highlight something I didn’t know about Hamilton’s story that I learned while watching the movie. (SPOILER ALERT!) In the film, Bethany struggles at a surfing competition shortly after the attack, and considers giving up her sport. Later, she goes on a short-term outreach with World Vision to help those devastated by the tsunami in Thailand. During that trip, Bethany’s perspective on her life is changed. While helping orphaned kids overcome their fear of the ocean, she sees that her life can be about inspiring others.
I think this is one of the reasons that Jesus himself used short-term outreach as a strategy to expand his Kingdom, (see Luke 10). Of course, the primary goal is about announcing the Kingdom, but I believe that short-term outreaches change those that go. I’ve talked to countless long-term missionaries who have told me that they heard the call of God on their lives when they went on a short-term outreach as a teenager.
I’m sure there’s more to Bethany’s story. So I’m going to go check out her sites:
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