Ubasuba

Hawaii is my home. It is a place to work, to serve and to live. To me, it is not a destination to enjoy and rest. Although the island is surrounded by the fascinating Pacific Ocean, people from around the globe come to visit, I seldom enjoy the ocean that is only ten minute away from my home. 

In May 9th, 2012, God revealed Himself to me through the waves in Ubasuba, Brazil. My new friends Luciano and Rafael, took me from the international airport in Sao Paulo to Ubasuba. We drove down from a very meandering road. Tropical rain forest is on both sides of the road. It was so green, and the tree layers were incredibly thick. After about two hours of traveling, we arrived at sea level. I smelt the familiar salty air, but we were not there yet. Rafael kept on driving, and we started to see speed bumps regularly. My expectation to arrive at Ubasuba increased with the number of the awakening speed bumps. 

Finally, Rafael confirmed with Luciano in Portuguese, and turned into a narrow, rough unpaved road. He made a few more turns, the road changed from unpaved to grassy with tire marks. We arrived at a family friend's house. Renata's mother and family from Portugal were all there. They spoke only Portuguese, and I understood none of that. 

The journey of mute and deaf started.*

After settling down, we headed out to the famous beaches of Ubasuba. There were three beaches in walking distance, and we visited two of them that day. We walked through the grassy road with tire marks, turned left, and the first beach was there. We stepped on the dark gray and dense wet sand, looking out to a very calm sea. The water was also grayish, only a man playing with his dog. Vendors along the beach were closed. One can imagine the sun-tanned crowd and laughters with the number of colorful tables and chairs.

Then, we walked to the second beach to the left, through an unpaved road. At a distance, I heard the roaring waves. Once the beach came into scene, I heard people cheering for a number of young surfers. The waves were incredible. They were not high, but they came from different directions aggressively and unexpectedly. The waves rolled into the shore, hit the cliff and rocks, then break into smaller waves. They cried out the pain during the break, then, they humbled themselves with serenity when approaching to the shore. They even healed the scars marked by our footprints on the sand. 

I sat down on a rock, under the warm sun set, watching the directions of the waves. I felt that God was in the waves, speaking to me. Jesus is almighty and powerful, and equal to God, yet he humbled himself to the point of death on the cross, so that we can be saved. His healing touch is so gentle. He is truly an amazing God. His creation reveals His characters.

*in this 2-day trip, Luciano and Rafael speak English.