My Journey in Search of a Purpose

I HAD been in the Sri Lankan fishing village for nearly a month. It was calm and tranquil, really idyllic. I had a small hut, and for just 70 cents (U.S.) a day, a neighbor provided me with rice and vegetables and occasionally fish.

One morning, as if out of nowhere, a suntanned Caucasian walked across the sand toward me. My first reaction was that he might be a fellow New Zealander, but his greeting told me right away that he was an Australian.

“Do you have anywhere to stay?” I asked, surprised how Eastern hospitality was already rubbing off on me.

He seemed glad to accept my invitation, so he began to unpack his few belongings to settle in. My eye caught sight of a green hardbound book.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“A Bible.”

Now, I had a churchgoing background, and I thought I already knew everything “Western religion” had to offer. Besides, I had rejected it as being totally hypocritical.

“Why do you bother carrying a heavy thing like that around?” I asked rather cynically.

“It’s got some far-out stuff in it,” Adrian replied. “It even speaks about the end of the world as we know it!”

I was skeptical. “Can you show me that?”

Show me he did. And was I stunned!

My Journey Begins

What was I, a 21-year-old New Zealander, doing in Sri Lanka back in November 1976? Well, I was on a journey in search of knowledge, and it took me to many places: from balmy, moonlit nights on tropical Asian beaches to dingy opium dens in Penang; from near shipwreck off the coast of Africa to the crowded markets of Port Sudan.

In 1975, I said good-bye to my parents and my career-type job and headed for Australia. My plan was to earn money in the Australian mines to finance a round-the-world trip. Everything went according to plan. I obtained employment in a uranium mine, and the money was coming in. But even before I began my trip, my thinking began to change. I began to be troubled with questions about the meaning of life. So in hopes of finding answers, I started to read books on philosophy and religion.

Next, Down to Sri Lanka

The months of rugged travel, along with the oppressive heat and poor diet, were taking a toll on me physically. I needed a place to rest up. More than that, I needed a reason for what I was doing, really a reason for doing anything​—a reason for living.

I had heard of the beauty of Sri Lanka, the pear-shaped isle just off the southern tip of India. It was described to me as a tropical island with sandy beaches, coral reefs in crystal-clear waters, cool tea-growing plateaus, and tall mountain peaks. What better place for a rest and further meditation!

The east coast had been recommended as suited to my needs, so I settled there in a little fishing village. It was here that I had my chance encounter with Adrian. But why was I stunned when Adrian read from the Bible in answer to my question? Because the two passages he showed me were from the 24th chapter of Matthew and the 3rd chapter of 2 Timothy. I had never heard these read in church. Why, here were forecast for “the last days” increase in crime, love cooling off, constant skirmishes among the nations, people becoming fearful, and so forth! I couldn’t contain my astonishment.

Adrian laughed. “Oh, there’s more,” he said.

We sat on the beach under a starry sky and watched a giant orange moon rise out of the sea. Adrian explained what he knew of the great purpose that the Creator had for our planet. Although that purpose had been delayed for various reasons, it was going to occur, and very soon.

I didn’t understand all that Adrian said, but there was something about this whole conversation that moved me in a way I had never before experienced. The next day I wrote in my diary: “For the first time in all my dealings with Christianity, I feel truth. The prophecies are obvious; the end of the system is not far away.”

It began to dawn on me that if almighty God had a purpose and if we acted in harmony with that purpose, we too could have a purpose in our life. The thought of living forever on a paradise earth​—though still seeming a bit way-out—​certainly would be a grand purpose, and I decided I would look into it more deeply.

Then another scripture really took me by surprise. Adrian told me that God has a personal name, and he showed me Psalm 83:18: “That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” I now began to see that this Creator was not just a force but was a real person with a personal name.