“Meri, we’re in trouble. Please call the church and ask the congregation to pray for us.” That was the brief and distressing phone call that I received from my husband, Bob Haworth, via satellite phone last August 27th. Bob was calling from the 46-foot ketch-rigged sailboat, “Glory” which, at that moment, was floundering in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Before he could divulge any details about the trouble they were in, the phone went dead and I later learned that he never could hear me on his end.

Bob had been invited by our accountant, Rick McGee, to crew on his boat and assist with sailing “Glory” home to Los Angeles from Honolulu. Although Bob has had some sailing experience as a Sea Scout on Emigrant Lake during his school days here in the early 1960’s, and in later years on Puget Sound, he had never sailed on the open sea. Capt. Rick assured Bob that this would be an easy crossing and that, as a former member of Rick’s favorite group, “The Kingston Trio,” Bob’s main duty would be to provide musical entertainment. So, along with a third crew member, they set sail from Honolulu in mid-August with expectations of a care-free leisurely trip.

Halfway through their voyage things began to go sideways. It started with “Glory’s” mast snapping off, sending her sails to Davy Jones’ Locker. With only enough fuel for a few more days of motoring, and still 1300 miles from LA, the guys realized that they were in real trouble. A fortuitous encounter with a Chinese freighter offering assistance with refueling turned nearly deadly due to rolling seas that caused “Glory” to collide several times with the freighter. This resulted in serious damage to “Glory’s” hull, the price paid for the successful transfer of enough diesel fuel for a few more days of motoring.

Then “Glory” began having engine problems, necessitating daily repairs. As a consequence, the batteries were not being charged, and the minimal electricity available had to be diverted to essential navigation equipment. That meant no food refrigeration or cooking as well as failure of the two toilets on board.

Due to my inability to communicate with Bob, I had no information about the details of their situation. Friends watching weather reports from the area where we believed they were located informed both my parents and me that a hurricane was pounding that part of the Pacific. Rumors of exceptionally high waves, driving rains, sharks and even (LOL!) sea monsters began to circulate and all we could do was pray for their safety.

Now, at this point some of you may be humming that old Kingston Trio song: “Did he ever return? No, he never returned, and his fate is still unlearned…” But actually, the power of prayer prevailed and Bob and the other crew members were reunited with solid ground on September 6th, the day of our 25th wedding anniversary! Ah, but I haven’t told you the story of how they were rescued. And that’s one of the best parts of this saga.

So, I’m going to leave you on that cliffhanger…and invite you to hear the whole story from the sea-horse’s mouth, so to speak. This is a free event at the new Jacksonville Presbyterian Church, 425 Middle St., on Saturday, March 12th, starting at 12:30pm. Bob Haworth will present his “Learning the Power of Prayer,” story, complete with a powerpoint presentation of photos and videos from the trip, and even a couple of songs he wrote while lost at sea.

In conjunction with this event we want to introduce you to another life story deserving of our prayers and support. Bob and I recently had the pleasure of meeting darling 23-month-old Noah James, who is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. (You may have seen the cute photo of Noah strumming his ukulele on the front page of the Sunday, Jan. 17th issue of the Mail Tribune.) At our event on March 12th, Jennifer James, Noah’s mother, will tell his story, including the discovery of his problem five months before he was even born. She will walk us through what the two of them have faced, what procedures have taken place, and what is in store for both of them in the near future.

When I first approached Noah’s grandfather, Jim James, about my interest in providing this opportunity to tell people about Noah, he was overwhelmed with the idea and guided me to COTA—the Children’s Organ Transplant Association—at COTA.org. After hearing Noah’s story I hope you’ll be moved to donate a little bit to help the James family with their ongoing expenses related to his transplant. Donations for Noah’s transplant may be made online at www.COTAforNoahJ.com. I will also have envelopes at the March 12th event in case you would prefer to write a check for your tax-exempt donation to the COTA for Noah James fund. You may then leave your envelope in a box at the event or drop it in the mail later. Hope to see you there!