THE wind had ripped the sails from the mast, and the current was carrying us relentlessly toward dangerous rocks. It seemed only a matter of minutes until we would be wrecked.

It was December 1937, and we were sailing from Indonesia to Australia on the Lightbearer, a 54-foot [16 m], two-masted yacht. For three years the yacht had been used to carry the message of God’s Kingdom to the islands of Indonesia.

Just when all seemed lost, the mate remembered reading that auxiliary engines are usually more powerful in reverse gear. Quickly he put the engine into reverse, and to our surprise and great relief, it worked! We were pulled from the rocks in the nick of time!

That was over 50 years ago. How did I come to be the only woman aboard the Lightbearer?

[Picture on page 11]

The Lightbearer, January 1935