January 8, 1867: James Chalmers and his wife were shipwrecked on their way to the Island of Rarotanga to begin their ministry. All seventy of the passengers aboard the ship were able to make it safely to shore, but all of their possessions and belongings were lost. Once ashore, they had to spend several days with the natives waiting for a ship to pass by and see them. Chalmer’s time on the island allowed him to spend time learning the culture of the Islanders he would soon be serving under. After many long days of waiting, a schooner saw the wreck and stopped to help the passengers. The only problem was that the ship was going to the island of Samoa, nearly a 1000 miles away from their destination. Knowing that it would be a long wait for another ship to pass by, they got aboard and prayed that they could find a way to Rarotanga. Once they arrived on Samoa, they scoured the city for a ship. The only ship they could find headed to Rarotanga belonged to Captain Bully Hayes, the notorious pirate leader. Against advice, Chalmers decided to seek Hayes out for passage. Hayes fell under Chalmers’ charm and agreed to take the missionary family to Rarotanga. Hayes and Chalmers became friends on the trip, and Hayes not only allowed Chalmers to hold services on his ship twice a day, but he made it mandatory for all on board to attend!
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 14:07:13 +0000
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