“Our fate is sure. We are going to die!” cried out the distressed captain as he stared anxiously at the sea, the 4-knot current driving the ship directly towards sunken reefs. Glancing at the shoreline, he grimaced at the group of cannibals eagerly starting fires in anticipation of the ship’s demise.

The captain glanced at the young passenger standing at his side, “We have done all that we can do.”

At this, the passenger vigorously shook his head, “There is one thing we haven’t done. I am one of four Christians on board. We are going to unite in prayer for the Lord to give us a breeze immediately.” Without waiting for a response, he rushed to call the others to pray.

After just a few minutes of earnest prayer and being convinced that his petitions had been answered, the passenger returned and instructed the first officer to let down the mainsail. “What good would that do?” asked the first officer. The young man quickly explained that he and three others had entreated God to send a wind, that it was coming, and that there was no time to delay as they were rapidly approaching the deadly reefs.

“You can’t pray up a wind!” the officer sneered. But upon looking up, both noticed that the topsail had started to ripple. Still, the officer delayed, noting that it was just a puff of air and not enough to move the ship.

“Let down the mainsail quickly!” urged the young man. “Never mind what you think.” The first officer finally sprung into action just as the wind began to blow, and the ship veered out of the deadly current and into safe waters.

Thus began the 54-year journey of J. Hudson Taylor, the renowned missionary to China and eventual founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM). As he wrote of this experience and many others, he said, “Thus God encouraged me…to bring every variety of need to Him in prayer, and to expect that He would honor the name of the Lord Jesus and give the help which each emergency required.”

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There is a rich harvest for those willing to labor for it. Adventist Frontier Missions is committed to working for the salvation of these unreached peoples. AFM missionaries invest years of their lives in these foreign fields. However, for our labors to be successful, we need friends like you. God needs friends like you — friends who provide spiritual and financial support, friends who will share the joyous responsibility of loving and reaching the lost. God’s vessel of grace will not anchor until He rescues each of Satan’s castaways who cry out for His help.

Please continue to put wind in the sails of AFM missionaries through your prayers and sacrificial giving.