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.We’ve imagined all of it.Mom and I want you to know that you can do anything with your life.That we will take care of you and teach you everything we know and give you every opportunity to follow your dreams.Imagine us smiling and cheering you on every step of the way.As for what you do afterward.we can only imagine.A Note from the AuthorThis book was inspired by two truly unimaginable stories.The first one begins with following your dreams—and we can all take a lesson from Jane and Marc Adams, friends of mine from college who purchased a sailboat, took their three young kids (Caroline, Grant, and Noah) out of school, and sailed around the world on a boat named Imagine.They set sail from Monroe Harbor in Chicago, Illinois, in August of 2008 on course for an adventure of a lifetime.Jane, a nuclear pharmacist, and Marc, who works in consulting sales, both put their careers on hold and chose to educate their children through homeschooling and firsthand experiences.Nearly four years, forty thousand miles, and forty-two countries later, they returned to their Chicago home, their schools, and their careers with a new perspective on life.They lived their dream.I highly encourage you to read more about their family and their incredible journey at www.sailimagine.com.The second story is extraordinarily moving and astonishing, yet sadly doesn’t end with a safe return.On February 18, 2011, a sailboat by the name of Quest carrying two American retired couples—one of which ran a Bible ministry and had been distributing Bibles to schools and churches in remote villages in places, including the Fiji Islands, New Zealand, and French Polynesia—was hijacked in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman.Their boat was boarded by nineteen Somali pirates, who held them captive for five days until finally killing all four Americans below deck without warning.During the days they were being held, the naval ship USS Sterett was trailing their boat, and two of the hijackers were taken aboard the USS Sterett to begin negotiations for the release of the Americans, but during that time something went very wrong.Below is an excerpt from a February 22, 2011, Fox News article.The yacht Quest was hijacked on Friday off the coast of Oman, and US forces had been closely monitoring the vessel.Unlike most pirate incidents, these pirates boarded the Quest directly from their mother ship, rather than using faster skiffs.The mother ship remains free.Vice Admiral Mark Fox, commander of Centcom’s naval forces, explained the timeline of events during a press briefing with Pentagon reporters.According to Fox, there was “absolutely no warning” before the hostage situation turned deadly.On Monday two pirates boarded the USS Sterett (one of four US naval ships monitoring the situation) to conduct negotiations for the release of the American hostages.They stayed on board overnight and it’s unclear if any ransom was offered before the killing took place.At 8:00 a.m.local time Tuesday morning a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the Sterett from pirates on board the Quest.The shot missed, but immediately after gunfire erupted inside the cabin of the Quest.“Several pirates appeared on deck and moved up to the bow with their hands in the air in surrender,” Fox said.That’s when US Special Operations Forces (SOF) approached on small boats and boarded the yacht.When SOF soldiers—from a classified Navy SEALs unit—reached the yacht, they found two pirates had already been killed by small-arms fire.As they went below deck, there was an exchange of fire that killed one pirate.The other pirate was killed by an SOF member who used a knife in close combat, Vice Admiral Fox said.The SOF found some of the Americans still alive, but all four soon died of their wounds.Vice Admiral Fox called it the deadliest pirate incident to date.This was the same week that my friends Jane and Marc and their family were also making their way across the Indian Ocean.Needless to say, it was a harrowing, frightening, and challenging time for them.For me, the story of the Quest was both deplorable and intriguing.After reading about it on Jane and Marc’s blog and then hearing about it on the news, I couldn’t stop thinking about the conditions the Americans on board had to endure [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]