story by Anna about what we've been doing

A Canoe Trip

“My beloved is mine”. This is the inscription on my husband Caleb’s wedding ring, which he lost on a canoe trip this weekend. We had driven from our home in Memphis, Tennessee to Hardy, Arkansas, for a daytrip down the Spring River. It was a two and a half hour drive up into the Ozark Mountains, then a rugged trip down to the river, where we stopped at a campground. A group of about twenty five people crowded onto a bus seating fifteen, while “Rocky”, “Rocky-Jr”, and “Rocky-Something” loaded up the canoes. From there we were ported upstream seven miles to our put-in, traveling an uncomfortable pace through the curvy mountains, dodging semi’s and stopping briefly on a steep slope to pick up a fallen kayak.

At the put-in, we discovered our expectations of a quiet nature experience were going to be severely disrupted by the Saturday afternoon crowd. Hundreds of canoes, rafts and kayaks spanned the river, filled with locals who managed to drink, smoke, paddle and yell obscenities all at the same time. This must be what they refer to as “Party Hardy”.

Once on the river, we discovered it to be more technical then we had expected, and with the water level being down large boulders were frequently exposed. It is a Class II-III river, but Caleb and I forged on without concern.

After skillfully overcoming a difficult bend in the river named “Dead Man’s Curve”, we headed toward more rapids. We had two distinct advantages over most of the river’s current travelers. We were experienced and sober. So when we found ourselves swimming a couple minutes later, we were reasonably surprised. All of our gear was floating downstream as we struggled to upright the canoe with the help of a couple guys. No, our gear was not tied in because this was not supposed to be happening. We managed to recover everything except for a Wal-mart fishing rod, so considered ourselves fortunate at the minimal loss and continued on down the river. It wasn’t until an hour later that Caleb noticed the ring missing from his left hand.

A loss of this magnitude was unbearable for me. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought about that day that I had placed that ring on his finger and said the words, “With this ring, I thee wed.” We were cold and wet, and regretted even coming on the trip. All we wanted was to get off that river, the river that had taken one of our most precious possessions and swallowed it up, never to be seen again.

The weekend did finally end, and we drove back the next morning. On the way we discussed how deeply we mourned the loss of our ring, yet how our hearts were cold to those around us who were lost in their sin. Did we care that they were going to a Christ-less eternity? Not particularly. We were repulsed by their vulgarity. They lived wasteful lives, not caring for or valuing their persons or possessions. How can Christ love these people, and see their worth? Yet God values them, and considered them worthy of His Son’s life.

The next day we headed into a new week, still mournful of our loss-Caleb with a twisty tie around his ring finger and me with a heavy heart. A few days later, Caleb felt he should pursue recovering the ring before giving up completely. He had to know he gave it his best effort. He called the manager of the campsite, who informed him that divers had already been through the area and it would be vain to search at this point. He called his friends who owned SCUBA gear, who told him it was worthless to even try to recover a ring in a river after five days. The ring was long gone, swept away but the rapids. He called local pawn shops in Hardy, who informed him that nothing had been turned in matching the description. All odds were against him, making a trip back to Hardy a waste of time and effort. So he went.

Once in Hardy, Caleb managed to find the area of the river where we tipped, and floated down in an inner-tube. He saw some kids by the river, who he discovered where not really kids but were married, and explained to them what he was doing. “Thar’s a guy downstream lookin’ fer stuff,” they replied, “Maybe you should ask’em.” Caleb saw an old man with a mask on swimming further downstream. The man’s wife sat in a lawn chair near the shore.
“Have you found anything?” Caleb inquired. “No, nothin’,” the man replied. Caleb then proceeded to describe his missing ring, and offer to pay a price for it. The man looked at his wife. “We may have what you are looking for,” he confessed. Caleb followed the man to his car, where he fumbled around, then presented Caleb’s wedding ring. Caleb wept, and gave the man a hug. The man’s wife got teary-eyed, and asked how long we had been married. It was all Caleb could do to lift up one finger. The man refused to take any money.

The Lord abundantly blessed us that day, and we praise Him for His graciousness. Caleb’s ring is a testimony of our marriage and of God’s goodness to us. Caleb sought what was lost, and rejoiced greatly upon finding it. The Lord Jesus is still seeking the lost, and the heavens rejoice every time someone accepts Him, becoming one of His beloved. May we pursue the lost with Him today.

“Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!”Luke 15:9