Woman saved from drowning!

Last week Katie and I had the great fortune to help a woman from drowning. It begins with the weather changing drastically from one hour to the next as the ITCZ or the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone was very near us. This Zone is where the northern and the southern hemisphere weather meet at and can cause very unpredictable weather. It so happens for us is was one of those night where the rain was of and on but with NO WIND. This with an already 100% humidity made for very damp sleeping conditions. So this night Kate decided to have the port-hole next to our bed open for some air flow that occasionally moved thru the window. IT was in this very act which does not happen very much as its either to rainy or too much wind to sleep with when open but this night of all nights it would turn out to be life saving!

It was around 2am I couldn’t sleep due to a large side rocking action and had resorted to watching a movie with the laptop while Katie on the other hand was sleeping. While sleeping Katie dreamed that a woman was saying, “help me, help me”. Then waking and hearing the same thing was unsure whether she was awake or still sleeping. In placing her head up to the port-hole she could clearly hear someone saying, “help me”. But was unsure where it was coming from. We hear all kinds of sounds that carry across the water from shore, so many times have we gone up on deck thinking someone was just right outside only to find that it was a group on shore walking and talking. Anyway Katie got up came to me said that she was hearing someone asking for help. I immediately grabbed a flash light and turned on our overhead deck lights that lights up the boat and started doing a sweep of the boat and to my amazement there was a woman hanging on the Mooring line asking for help. Jumping into our dingy I walked it to her and grabbed her to pull her into the boat and at that moment she passed out. So I hastily grabbed her and pulled her into the dingy and as I sat her upright to check on her she looked up and said, “kommol tata, I am so cold”, then continued to point and Ebeye and said, “that is my island, and those are my people”. It was at this point I looked up and could see that on shore there were flashlights here and there and it was evident that they were looking for someone. At this point Katie went and got a towel to cover her in as she was showing signs of over exposure to the cooler waters of the pacific (at least to a people who are used to this water and air temp it is cooler than it is for us). At this point I decided it best to get her to shore where everyone was looking so they could stop looking.

We have not seen this woman since we dropped her off on shore with those that were looking for her. We have confirmed that she was intoxicated and that she had walked by a young man on her way to the lagoon and said she was going to end her life by drowning. He immediately began to try to notify individuals of what was going on but by the time they got to the water she was gone.

We are going to make contact with her and try to council her and her family. God is so good to have used us in this. God so loves this woman and wants her to find His grace and love as well.

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Life on a boat continued…

Imagine this…

It is bed time for the kids so its around 8:30pm you head topside to the deck and look out and what do you see? You see what looks like lightning happening but it’s not in the sky it is in the lagoon water! So to confirm what I am seeing I grab our deck bucket and toss it in to grab some water and sure enough right where the bucket lands is an explosion of lights! Sure enough your imagination is quenched it is the phosphorus life that lives in the ocean and at times is in high volume making the water look somewhat of an art show! Now that I have called the Kate and the kids to come look at the spector we end up spending the next hour playing in the art show! We even got in the dingy and started to drive it around causing a trail of light shows! It is amazing to see the things that God has created out here.

This amazing show happened while we were at Carlos riding out a storm that was passing so it was even more enjoyable to know that even though we were not in Ebeye where “we” wanted to be that God could bless us. We are learning to except that God is in control. You would think that we would already know this but it is different when your life is daily and often hourly literally in His hands as the waves toss us around uncontrollably on the boat. We can thank God for letting us get the mooring installed the day before the next storm came through. Then it didn’t let up for 2 weeks, in fact it got so bad we decided that it would be better on anchor over at Carlos then riding it out on the mooring.   In fact that is where we are at while I type this message. Once again we are running from the weather which is not what “we” want to be doing…..we have started to feel that we are just never going to get away from this boat! We know that this is not true but it feels that way. We have made friends here in Carlos and will continue to show Gods love to them when the weather allows us to leave the boat. This is the part I speak of in knowing that God is in control. This is not what we pictured as part of doing ministry here but God has us right where He wants us even if it is not where we would want to be or event the reason we are here hiding from a bad storm!

The locals tell us that they have not seen weather like this in the last 14 years! So why God would you call us here during this time? To draw closer to you? To trust you more? To learn to sail in lousy weather? To what?

We know that even our testimony of being here HAS changed lives already so is that it are we done ready to move on to what is next? I don’t know the answer but know that we just have to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and keep walking forward in the direction HE last told us to go. We are building relationships thru testimony which is huge here.

Where has God told you to go? Are you doing what he last told you to do? If you ever need someone to vent or share with please feel free to send me a message at my email… scott.suderno@ywamships.net

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A moment of a life on a boat in the Marshall’s

Well we left Ebeye as according to the weather predictions Hurricane Kilo was going to pass to the north of us drawing all the wind from down here toward it which causes a west to south west wind. This kind of wind in the atoll lagoon is not the good kind as that puts us on the windward shore – meaning the wind is always trying to push us on shore. Of course this is not good and to top that off anytime the wind speed gets over 10 miles an hour it starts to create wind waves. Wind waves start as very steep and very quick, meaning they get very high and are very close together, often causing very nasty chop on the lagoon. But imagine this wind continuing and also strengthening to over 25 miles an hour the waves can get very large very quick. So it is wise if you can predict the coming winds and weather before it starts and leave to cross over to what is called the Lee shore, meaning the side the wind starts from. This does not give the wind anytime to build up the waves. And since here in the Marshall islands the land does not get any taller than 8 ft over the sea the only wind protection comes from the coconut tree’s and that is not much.

So take today it is Thursday, September 10, 2015 and since Monday we have experienced winds averaging 15 knots to over 25 knots ( 1 knot=1.15 miles per hour ) so out across the lagoon we can see whitecap waves rolling. We are on constant anchor watch which consists of keeping an eye on the computer model of our GPS track and also watching the anchor springer that keeps the chain from coming up hard on the windlass. With the wind whistling thru the halyards and rigging along with a slight to heavy swell coming from the north which rocks the boat side to side it makes it like doing aerobics 24 hrs a day. It is looking on the computer models like this will keep up till Sunday so almost 7 days of doing aerobics 24 hours a day leaves one very exhausted and tired feeling!

Yes we are in the beautiful tropics of the mid-pacific tropical Islands known as the Republic of the Marshall Islands but along with its beauty there is the terrifying typhoons and tropical storms that go raging by us this year it seems like twice a month! On top of this there is only a grocery store in Ebeye and when we leave we have to sore up the boat with supplies for a period of guessed time and many times we run out of boxed milk (the only kind of milk) and any kind of fresh food such as cabbage or apples or even meat. Much of what one eats here comes from a can! But once in a while they get some really good produce. Almost all the meat only comes in 4 oz packages because I believe that most cannot afford a REAL steak! Oh we long for a good steak and a tall glass of real milk (maybe even some half and half for me) to drink!

Anyway some would think that we are just living it up here in paradise but its hard to share the “good” without also sharing some of our challenges. Not that we have it bad but that God is stretching us here in paradise as well.

Doing school on a boat with 2 teens is another story. As parents of teens everything is a challenge. Anyone that has kids can imagine doing life – meaning doing everything from brushing teeth to meals and correction on 60 feet of boat that half the time is constantly moving! Everyone knows everyone’s business. Thus even if we say something in the not in the right tone it can be taken as wrong tone which then can escalate from there real quick if not careful. And with there only being often only 30 feet of separation from one another it can be hard to get some alone time when needed. It must be harder for the kids cause I can remember running to the woods as a kids when I was frustrated and being able to vent a bit before returning back to face the facts. We try to make allowance for this. But when the weather is nice and the jelly fish are not around the recess and after school activities are amazing!

Our family if you can believe it is a huge example to the locals as the family “structure” is very different and very messed up from what Gods true design is. I know that culture have a part in the fabric of who we are but the very essence of who God is and how he has created us to love one another defines how a family unit needs to be. At least in my opinion this is one of the very core things that has got miss directed here in the Marshall’s. It would be satan’s plan to destroy what a family unit is and destroy family relationships, which then would destroy relationships with much of the community.

Anyway just praying that we can make a difference!

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There and back again – Journey to Lae Atoll

Sorry guys I thought this was already published last year! But found it in my Drafts so thought it would be good for you all to read about last years outer island trip.

Lae Atoll

Lae Atoll

Almost 100 miles from Ebeye is another atoll with approximately 200 residents living there. This atoll has not access to it but by boat and every once in a while a plane lands there if they have the fuel to mow the landing strip down. Remember this is the tropics and it rains and things grow at an alarming rate so its often that the plan does not land do to not having fuel for the mower. We loaded up rice, clothing, food items of all types, medical supplies along with a team of 8 from YWAM Ships Kona and their belongings! By the time we were loaded we were cramped and somewhat uncomfortable in the tight quarters. We motored out of the atoll around 1430 (230pm) and the ocean was calm and there was NO WIND…So much for sailing to outer islands. So we motored the 100 miles to the entrance to this atoll. The entrance is a knocked down coral reef that has a narrow channel that you point thru and pray that the motor does not cut out!

The sail there

Once inside the atoll we made our way across its lagoon to the anchorage next to where the team would be living on shore for the next 8 days. Once we got the dingy off the deck and the engine installed we motored to shore where many of the Islanders had lined up to great us with song and shell lays. Then we had about an hour of formal exchanges of gratitude for there housing the team and the wonderful reception and reminding them we were there to help. Many of the locals adults and kids hanged just outside of the meeting area listening and watching but to shy to come and say hello. After unloading all the supplies and materials both for the locals and the team, we all were ready for a nap in the 85 degree every hour of the day heat! Of course they kept a endless supply of coconuts full of refreshing coconut water near by so we would never feel thirsty. Of course after drinking these wonderful coconuts we would gorge ourselves on the white meat inside of them that is soft and pleasantly not like what we are all used to finding at the stores back home!

The things we did while there

The schedule that the team decided on would include doing a VBS day with the kids, night bible studies, wound care clinics (2 days worth in fact), home visits, and a practical works project. Many hours of sitting around with 20+ kids sitting on you and playing around you while they played ukuleles and sang both american worship songs and Marshallese songs. I am not able to say I was an involved with much of this as I would have liked to but as I was getting over a virus pronounced chicken-goon-ya. It is said to be a lot like Dengy fever but it also can kick up again time and time again for up to a year later. This I have found true as since all this has gone on I have had it kick up twice, with fevers and aches so bad it feel like I’m in a wine press. Even as i type I am getting over 24 hrs of fever and pain. Anyway the time there was amazing even as we unloaded all the stuff to give to them all I could think was it was not much for 200+ people. That I was wishing that we had more for them! We even depleted much of our own food stores just to give to them! Made me feel small that I had felt uncomfortable with the little we had on the boat and yet was wishing that I had more. Lesson learned. Be more uncomfortable to make more comfort for others.

I had at one point made friends with a gentleman named David a local fisherman that was Mormon due to his wife family being raised that way. He later excepted Jesus as his Savior praise the Lord, we pray that he will be able to share Jesus love with his wife who was away with there 1 year old that was having eye problems! In talking to him I once mentioned that I wish we had more food for them, and his response was that it was a lot, that I should not feel that way and that in fact they were running out of rice and other food and what we brought was going to make a difference, as there local breadfruit plan had dropped the one time a year fruit early due to the over abundant rain and heat this year. This made it hard for them as they even bury some of the breadfruit in hopes of keeping some of it for future meals. The island has no electricity you see so there is no refrigeration to keep things fresh! All meals are cooked over some sort of open flame and most include fish caught from the lagoon that day. How easy we have it back in america! So spoiled and rotten we are!These people were a lot healthier than those that we have been working with in Ebeye who eat junk food which is available at every street corner along with cigarettes. Since they don’t have these items at Lae atoll they are healthier.  After creating many friendships and learning of more needs that we did not know of and how we might get supplies to them when we cannot get there we said our good byes and loaded the boat up with coconuts and bananas that they gave us in saying thanks fall we had done we set sail.

The trip back to Ebeye

The return trip was quite different as when we left the atoll we had all our sails up but the wind was light around 8 knots. Finishing my watch and knowing that the next day was going to be a long one I crawled into bed and got some shut eye. About three hours later I awoke to the boat pitching and rolling pretty good (and katie telling me to take a look) so I did and the seas had built to around 10 feet and the wind had picked up to around 15-20 knots, Anderson and Lukas were on watch and it was beginning to rain rather heavy. I put on my rain gear and took over. Not 30 minutes later the seas had built to around 15 to 20 feet and the winds were topping around 30 knots. With only the head sail and the main I proceeded toward the entrance to Kwajalein Atoll. I knew if I reduced sail that it would take us even longer to get out of the rough seas so decided not to reef instead powered thru the seas and made great time toward the entrance. It was not until we were several hundred yards away that we could see the buoys/channel markers which at this point the seas were so mixed that it was crazy but controlled. As soon as we got thru the channel the seas reduced to a couple of feet and the winds subsided behind the atoll islands to around the teens in knots. We were thru!

After dropping the team off at Ebeye Kate and I decided rather than riding out the storm with an onshore swell and wind to run across the atoll and anchor up close to an Island called Carlos for short and use the sheltered area to hang out at until the storm subsided.  Four days later we sailed back to Ebeye and anchored offshore. With all of my experiences I can say that this last storm was as intense and the storm that took the Hawaii Aloha in Hawaii this last winter. We all learned something from this and one of the other things that I felt after we anchored and went ashore to get some local produce (living off cans and rice and some fish we caught- gets kinda old – sometimes a good salad is really needed) while walking to the store I mentioned to Kate “How nice it feels to be home”. Yes it is our home right now… until God says otherwise.

We look forward to the next outer Island trip. Knowing that I am going to be ok with being uncomfortable in taking more supplies to the people that have nothing. We were so blessed to have many of you send medications and clothing….Thank you so much……it does make a big difference!! Many of the local churches donated supplies and food as well…we feel so blessed to have so many that are partners with us in this task Gods has us on!

The smiles and warm expressions even though most of the time we cannot talk due to a language barrier will out weigh the un-comfort. So until next time I will keep seeking the next Island that need the help the most.

Cloud Nine & the Sudernos

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Amazing week – Four blessings

Blessing #1

The first blessing is started our first week with the new team here on outreach from YWAM Ships Kona DTS! Katie has been trying to find housing for this team almost from the day we arrived so in other words asking and begging (not really) and worrying about not having a place for them! Yes plenty of places were offered but they all needed a bit more work then we had money or time to invest for this start of teams arriving. Many of the places were in need of just complete tear down and rebuild type places.. and I’m not just saying this as a previous contractor but that in some cases thats kinda there idea of needing a little work! You know as a husband all I can do is pray and tell her everyday that God knows exactly where this team is going to stay so he will provide, but to no atlas she still worried about it. Then 3 days before the team arrives we get word that there is this place – a 3 bedroom – 2 story house that needs a little work that is available and on top of it all at NO CHARGE! Then of course we get a tropical storm that passes us keeping us on the boat so we are not able to do any work or anything to the place. Day before they arrive Katie goes to shore finds the place is beautiful… and I mean on many fronts for a place in a third world poverty location….this place is a mansion for Ebeye! The work is minimal that is needed and the owners just want to help bless a team that is here to bless the people back! God is so good – we need to learn to trust HIM more each day.

Blessing #2

11698365_10206761829702471_3869597129669118978_nThe second blessing was we had a google hangouts session this week with YWAM-SHIPS Kona and all of the people that are involved with them in the field all in one video chat session! It was so cool to hear about some of what is going on in the organization. Some of it left us still wondering what is going on but for the most part we are just glad to be a part of this great move to reach the isolated. We miss our friends in Kona that we spent a good part of the last 2 years with but know that it was for a reason. One of those reasons is just to have that word or sentence that we get from so many of you so often – that your praying for us. It means so much to know that we are not in this battle alone! Thank you so much!

Blessing #3

imagesThe Third blessing this week was that Katie and I on faith placed an order for the parts necessary to install a mooring here right out in front of the Island of Ebeye. We new that we did not have the funds right up front but knew this was what God wanted us to do. So we stepped out in faith. Well this week we got a message from friends with a giving heart that has stepped up to help us in the past that they wanted to help us pay for this. We gave them how much it was going to cost and amazingly this was the amount they were looking at donating towards this! God is so goodALL THE TIME!!

Blessing #4

21QTDsKa0WLThe fourth blessing for us- Before leaving Kona we had purchased a generator that I for sure thought for sure would be enough power to charge our batteries when needed, rather than running our main engine. Well it turns out that our charger is a 30 amp charger and the generator puts out almost exactly the same amount so it is always working at its max rating thus causing problems with the generator. Now that we know this it was for us to decide if we were going to get a new generator or look at a different charger on top of that we were not set to put this in the budget. Atlas the local church over in Kwajalein called the Chapel told us to make anything like this known to them if it comes up. We are not used to asking for help and this time almost forgot to do this but God reminded us and pressed us to let our request known. Well lets just say that they approved and have already placed the order for the new charger! What a blessing to us once again!

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