An Invitation Too Good to Resist
When I was 22, I got an invitation I couldn’t resist. A friend from the U.S., who was serving on a tiny island with only about 100 inhabitants, invited me to come preach for two weeks.
This island was literally in the middle of nowhere.
First, I took a six-hour bus ride, then a four-hour boat ride to get there. I’ll never forget how mad my friend was when I showed up — all I had brought was a kilo of bacon, thinking there would be a store on the island where I could buy more food. Turns out he had told me to bring food for two weeks… I just didn’t listen carefully enough.
The Day Everything Changed
The very same day I arrived, I met this amazing sister who was also from the U.S.
The first day we went out in service together, we started talking about how safe the island was.
She laughed and said, “Yeah, it’s super safe… but the other night I was sleeping with my door unlocked — you know, because it’s ‘safe’ — and I woke up to find this huge man on top of me telling me to shut up!”
She said she punched him right in the face and he ran off!
I was shocked — but even more shocked by how calm she was while telling the story.
Later that same morning, a woman at the door accidentally gave it away: she said she had sent her son off to the city “not because he was guilty” but because she “had to,” and she was sure whoever did that to the sister had just been drunk and didn’t mean any harm.
We knew it was her son.
More Than Just Strong
From that moment on, I had so much respect for this sister. She wasn’t just strong — she was smart, creative, and hardworking.
She made tables out of random pieces of wood we found by the river.
She could even carry the motor of the boat by herself — something that was too heavy for me!
And on top of it all, I’m pretty sure she had been a chef because the meals she made were incredible.
A Twist I Didn’t Expect
After a few days, my friend casually told me that she had actually followed him from the U.S. to Ecuador… and even all the way down that river.
He admitted he was a little scared of her because of that!
Honestly, I didn’t see it that way at all — she was awesome. She was focused, hardworking, and just genuinely a joy to be around.
Before I left, I told my friend he was a loser for not giving her a chance.
Happily Ever After
Oh — and by the way — they’re married now.
They have little kids.
And they’re living happily ever after.
Haha.