"Uh, I guess I've thought about why it happened to Bethany," "I guess what I thought about before was what if, what if it happened to me, or someone else that was out there." "Maybe it was a message." "Maybe it was a spiritual message." "I don't know why she did, why she got attacked, or why it was that day and everything." "I don't know." "When people, it's like why do you get struck by lightning, why does it happen to that person or whoever, you know?" "You don't know." "I wish there was an answer." "Sometimes we don't know why bad things happen in our lives." "Until now, I wasn't sure of that either." "Well ever since Bethany was a little baby I knew she was special." "Good Morning, mom." "Even in the hospital, when I first looked at her face, and they brought her in the room," "I looked at her, I go," "She's gonna make me laugh." "I Just knew it." "I mean even as a little girl" "Bethany Just had a lot of compassion towards other people." "Bethany, say hi." "She Just always had a really soft heart." "I think that's why at a young age she accepted God into her life." "Ever since then I've Just lived a life for him, and um," "I Just knew that he loved me and he had something great planned for my life." "I Just remember when she did give her life to Jesus, it was it was from her own heart." "Jesus means everything to me." "He's the one that loves us no matter what." "Kauai is a very special place." "Everyone knows everyone, and when you're a kid it's Just like so laid back and fun." "It was Just one of the most beautiful places on earth, that I've ever experienced, and it still is." "Tom and I both surfed, so it's only natural that you want to do that with your kids when you have children." "My parents put me on a board basically before I could walk." "I was pretty much born to surf, and uh, I Just fell in love with it a young age." "She had two brothers that always surfed" "You know she's Just always been a surfer." "She's been little, little surfer rat at the beach." "You know, running down the beach, playing at the beach all day long." "Bethany's Just your little typical beach grom." "She was an incredible swimmer, uh real explosive in almost any sport she did, and um that was kind of a gift from God, because you can't really train someone to be like that." "Some people have it and some people don't, and Bethany was one of those people who had it." "Bethany has always had a good knowledge of the waves, like which ones to catch and where to sit." "When she surfs she's Just fluid and graceful." "It's very attention getting, like everyone likes to watch." "Bethany's a total beach bum." "If the waves are good you can't keep this girl out of the water." "She'll surf all day long if she can." "We've got to bring food out to her in the water." "Like, she won't even come into the beach to eat." "What's so great about surfing is Just it's always different, it's always changing." "It's like a new adventure every day." "Just the rush you get when you're surfing, it's so indescribable." "Me and Alana met each other when we were in third grade and we started surfing together everyday." "Growing up with Bethany was really fun." "I've got other friends, but not like Bethany, my surf buddy." "Well I think surfing was really the thing that brought them together." "They were probably the only two girls I think, that age at Hanalei School that even surfed." "When I was about thirteen, um I wanted Just to be really used by God in my life, and I wanted to Just start getting more serious with my walk and everything." "We were praying consistently for God's will for her life." "Me and my mom Just started asking God to use me and um," "Just show us the fruit of what we were doing." "For two weeks solid we focused on," "God, what is your will for Bethany, bring your will into her life." "That's when God answered my prayer and started using me in big ways." "Halloween day, 2003, was um, Just like every other day." "We woke up, and we went surfing." "It was Alana and Byron and myself." "We went to Tunnels." "Bethany's mother, Cheri, came over and dropped Bethany off with us, and we all went out to Tunnels." "And tunnels kind of picks up the swell, the wind swell, so we knew there'd probably be some little waves to surf out there." "We Just went out Just to get practice, and like, cause we wanted to get good." "Alana and Bethany had already Just caught a few waves." "Bethany when she paddled out, she kinda was sitting a little farther out than," "uh than Byron and I" "And probably about a half an hour to forty-five minutes after we got there, is when it happened." "I was Just laying on my board, waiting for a wave, and my arm was Just kinda like dangling in the water and my other arm was holding the nose of the board." "Then all of a sudden it Just like," "I felt like a tug on my board." "Right away I knew what was happening." "It happened so fast there wasn't much time to think." "A shark had Just taken my arm." "You know we didn't hear anything, all of a sudden Bethany Just goes," "I got attacked by a shark, and she started paddling in towards us." "I looked down and saw that my whole arm was gone, and I don't know it Just kinda freaked me out." "Yeah when we were paddling in," "I didn't think she was going to make it." "Her arm was gone, and like" "I was so, like devastated." "I thought I lost my surf buddy." "I mean, you don't think someone's going to make it through that, and I knew how, you know, we were twenty minutes from the beach." "When I got to the beach, there were some people waiting on the beach, because Byron had told them what happened, and they helped me, you know, drag Bethany up on the shore." "Right before we were heading to the hospital, um, one of the paramedics came up to me and he whispered," "God will never leave you nor forsake you in my ear." "Looking back on it, I realize it was a miracle God kept me calm." "We finally got to the hospital, and we Just had lots of families showing up, and Just giving, showing their support, and nobody," "nobody really knew what to expect." "You know, we didn't know if she was going to live or die." "When we saw her it was Just like, she was Just, she looked all pale cause like she lost so much blood, and like, it was weird seeing her." "When we saw each other we Just started crying." "It was heavy though, because she was all bandaged up, and she was Just sitting in that hospital bed," "and looked like a ghost, you know." "So it was great to see her alive, but also kinda Just tore you apart to see her in that condition." "You, you thought there was a reason for why you got bit by the shark?" "I really sensed, God gave me a verse for Bethany right away," "Jeremiah 29:11, for I know the plans I have for Bethany says the Lord." "Plans of good and not of evil to give her a future and a hope." "And the Lord Just really began to show to my heart that" "Bethany had been a light in a dark industry, and now he was going to use her as a voice in that industry." "It was Just so weird, one minute surfing, and the next minute I was laying there in a hospital bed." "Well within the first couple of days I realized she was being really strong about it." "So, I thought well I better be strong about this." "When I first like looked down, and it was all like bandaged up, and it was way shorter than I knew." "And I was Just like, Oh my gosh, I have one arm." "When Bethany lost her arm, you know, she, she, you know, part of her felt like she lost her dream." "We were heart broken, because we wanted to see her become a pro surfer." "I was going through a hard time of accepting it, and uh and then God Just busted me," "and Just basically said you need to be thankful she's still with you and that I'm going to use her for great things." "Thinking that this happened to me, what am I going to do with my life from here on out?" "I Just knew that I wanted to serve God, and give surfing another shot." "When Bethany was still in the hospital, there was a full-on onslaught of media," "and it wasn't Just media from Hawaii it was media from all over the world." "So were Just blitzed, right from the beginning." "We were getting inundated with visitors, in addition to media requests." "As soon as the doctors let her leave the hospital, we went to this like, uh, kind of a secret house that these people lent us, because there was so much attention on our family that we couldn't really go home." "I started getting asked to do interviews and media appearances." "It was kinda overwhelming." "We had to pray and decide," "or did we Just want to shelter Bethany from all of that." "Bethany and her family decided to continue to show the public that she truly was going to stick to her goals to be a professional surfing champion." "I Just see it as a chance to share my faith, and my story." "Three weeks after the attack," "I was down at the beach watching all of my friend's surf." "Bethany Just really wanted to surf, even though she wasn't supposed to." "'Cause we kinda had planned for her to surf on Thanksgiving Day, but uh the day before Thanksgiving she called us and she says," "I'm going out already." "So we buzz down to the beach." "We got down there and Bethany, she was amping to go out, like Just couldn't wait to go out." "There was, somebody had a long board," "I don't even remember whose it was, but she Just paddled out on it, you know," "Just to see her back in the water she still had a bandage on her arm." "So we swam out, my dad had his fins he kicked out next to Bethany." "Basically she didn't want any help." "I realized how hard it was going to be, because she was on a long board and Just getting to her feet and catching waves, it was a real, a real struggle, but one thing she's always been is a very determined young girl." "My first two waves I tried to get up, and it was Just, it was hard." "It was definitely hard and I was Just trying to figure it out and I," "I couldn't do it." "It Just kinda scared me because," "I thought I might not be able to do this." "The first couple waves, you know, she uh couldn't really get the balance, you know?" "She couldn't really figure out where to put her hand." "My dad offered help and I was like, no I gotta do this on my own." "And so, boom she got up on her third wave." "When I saw her up on those third, fourth waves, you know Just doing it, I was Just so stoked for her then," "Just because I could see the smile that it brought into her heart." "It was so special, because it was like a rush, and even though it was a small tiny Junk wave, it was like, the rush was good or even better than any good wave" "I had gotten before." "It was like, it all started to come together that day." "Now that I have one arm, there are certain ways I have to adjust to doing certain things." "Right away she Just started doing stuff, like she's put stuff between her feet, and like she hardly, it didn't seem like she struggled that much." "She took it really good, like compared to a lot of people, I think." "A lot of times I would try things that I wouldn't be able to do," "This part's hard... but I would Just make sure to try them before I asked for help, and I wouldn't let people do it for me unless I gave it a shot." "That was pretty pro" "Little things like putting my hair up when it's hot out, and I have so many bathing suits, and I'm always choosing which one, and they always have to be tied, and I'm not the best person to tie them so" "I usually get a friend or family to help me with that." "She doesn't call it a handicap." "I don't even know if she'd use disability." "Well I realize I do get self-conscious sometimes, and when I see all these beautiful girls with like perfect bodies, perfect everything it's like ahhh." "The way I deal with it is I know beauty is not everything, and in your heart you can beautiful, and Just do your best to ignore the fact that you're not going to be perfect." "Bethany returning to the water after the shark attack's been a hard thing." "At first I didn't think she was going to be able to surf, and I didn't think she would want to." "Two months later she Just started surfing again." "I was like I was so stoked." "The progression was like, really really quick." "She was on a long board for about two or three sessions, and then she moved into a mini tank, and like within two weeks she was starting to work her way down to a short board." "I didn't doubt her." "I knew she had the faith, and I knew she could because she's such a courageous person." "I never thought I'd see Bethany surfing again, and I'm Just really amazed that she's back in the water." "After Bethany got attacked by the shark," "I really didn't expect her to be surfing in contests." "Once she realized she could surf on a short board, she was going, I think I want to try competing." "Preparing for a competition, the main thing I would do is Just learn the waves, and figure out what I'm gonna do in my heat." "I would always Just pray, and God has his plan planned out." "She got right back into it, and she started surfing in the NSSA contests." "Six months later, she makes the 2004 Nationals, the finals, and gets 5th." "From the Hawaii conference, Bethany Hamilton" "I was Just glad Bethany got off to a quick start, and got a couple solid waves, and rode the waves to the best of her ability." "What does she do?" "2005, comes back to NSSA Nationals, and she wins." "She's still, you can't count her out" "She's no different." "Not one single bit." "You know, her ability, her will," "okay, her heart." "You know she can go far." "Just the will alone will take her far." "A lot of times we don't understand what God's doing in our life, but there's always something good that's going to come out of it." "Maybe you saw her on Oprah, maybe you saw her on 20/20, maybe you saw her with Letterman or with Leno" "Today you're going to see her on" "Again it was Just two years ago, she lost her arm in a terrible shark attack." "Bethany Hamilton" "Surfer her survived a shark attack, threw out the first pitch before tonight's Yankee's game" "Bethany Hamilton is here to show us how she's helping others overcome their own tragedies" "I started getting asked to be on a lot of TV shows, and do interviews and all that." "I Just see it as a chance to share my faith and my story, and give people that, um, are losing hope in life," "give people hope for their life." "Do you almost see it as a blessing in disguise?" "Definitely." "I have a faith in Jesus Christ, and I know that he has plans for my life." "This is not a victim." "This is a little girl that's going to take an event, and turn it into a mission, and actually help millions of people around the world." "I Just wanted to encourage people to follow their dreams and never give up, and Just Jesus loves you." "If you were given the opportunity to lift up the name of Jesus, and every media production in the world slams a microphone in your face, you can do a lot with one or two words." "I think that I got my courage from Jesus cause he says," "Be strong and very courageous." "And God uses people like Bethany to show the world that her walk with God is normal, that it's real." "And that's the only reason she does all of this." "I realized fast that I did not like it, but I kept going along with it because I realized that God did have a plan for me, and that I should be serving him since he's done so much for me." "It was really hard on Bethany because she wasn't that type of a personality, where she felt comfortable in front of the camera." "Bethany, having to go to places where there were not waves, and do interviews, and for Bethany to have to grind out books, and photo sessions, and designing Jewelry and all these things;" "They're for the purpose of giving her followers around the world a chance to understand what Bethany's lifestyle is all about." "Bethany's life has had a major impact on many people around the world." "Soldiers from all wars in the last thirty years, this is a little girl that influenced eight year old girls." "Seems like she's the only one that could handle that." "She's a good influence, on like everyone." "Bethany is one of the few people that has come across not only as a great athlete, but as a good person, and she really does care about children and people around the world." "Well God's Just given us an opportunity to travel the world, and meet, meet all kinds of different people and people groups." "It's been a real honor to introduce Bethany to World Vision, a Christian organization that not only supports people financially, but love and true hands on care around the world." "I feel that God has really used my situation to give people hope." "Just getting to travel the world, and talk to people and encourage them." "It's really awesome how God's using what happened to me to help other people and Just encourage them." "A lot of times people ask me why" "God would let like such a bad thing happen to me, and my answer for that is God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose." "He's definitely worked through me, and given me a hope for my future and it's Just been like a blessing in disguise." "The only reason I can come up with why Bethany did get attacked, and why she was singled out for this mission in life is God has a purpose and a plan for her." "I can really tell that God's working in her life, and that God inspires her to press on daily." "The happiness that Bethany shows" "Bethany's the happiest person I know in the whole world." "I think it shows that God and Bethany made the right decision." "Unless you look, and actually see that she's missing an arm, the way she surfs, the way she lives life, you could never tell." "I know that if I didn't have one arm" "I wouldn't be sharing God's word with everyone, and God put me on this earth to serve him." "And he's gone through so much worse things than what I've gone through and I know that." "Having one arm is the way that he uses me, and I'm still able to surf and do everything I love, so I'm still happy." "I had a choice to make, and it was either to follow God or to give up on life, and I chose to follow God, and so much good has come through that, and through this whole ordeal." "And I'm challenging you to choose whether you're going to give up on life, or give God a chance and let him work through you."