Finally - the last part of our interview with Sam Ebeyer:
Bardin & Marsee (BMP): You took a Waterproof Bible with you, how did you find out about it? Why did you take it and not a regular bible in a plastic bag?
Sam: I found out about the Waterproof Bible on Google. They told me to prepare for brutal climate/rain forest type jungle and mountainous terrain. I knew a plastic bag and a paper Bible would not cut it. They told us we would have to wade through rivers and streams and sit in torrential downpour (which we did) and this was the only Bible I had ever heard of that I thought could make it through all of that.
BMP: How did the Waterproof Bible hold up to the elements of your surroundings?
Sam: The Bible held up brilliantly. No smudges, no tears, no problems through the worst conditions imaginable with some of the worst equipment. My pack was made of wicker, not Gore-Tex and the Bible took it in stride. I kept thinking of Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” I wish I had a tent made of that material, it would have been helpful. I read it whenever I had down time (as the journey went on, rest became more and more of a necessity) and was warmly encouraged and lifted to have it.
BMP: Any particular scripture passage that helped you throughout the journey?
Sam: The scripture that helped me the most was Psalm 121. I felt like I was experientially fleshing out the reasoning behind why that Psalm was penned. In adverse circumstances, men realize that they are men and they are small and at best, at the mercy of this world. I think God hard wired us to have to look to Him for deliverance. Even a mighty warrior king like David and a Louisiana boy in the wilderness named Sam. I needed to know that He who watched over me did not “slumber nor sleep” and that my help “comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” All of the wonder and hardship came from His sovereign hand. Knowing He was behind it for His glory was just wonderful.
BMP: Did you receive ridicule for carrying a Bible?
Sam: I didn’t receive ridicule for having the Bible specifically. Everyone, save for Mike, was respectful of my faith and my desire to bring a Bible with me. What I did receive ridicule for was the weight of the Bible. The cast and crew could not believe that I was hauling around an extra three pounds of weight. I just kept telling them, I need the weight of it. It is the food when I had no food and the good kind of weighty. I needed God’s word. I needed it. I wouldn’t have left it behind if they offered to pay me millions. I knew better, by experience.
BMP: What lessons from the show will you take away that will help shape you and your future?
Sam: The lessons I took from the show concerned the omnipresence of God. He was with me in the middle of a foreign place with total strangers, thousands of miles from home in the worst of conditions imaginable. We were chewed alive by bugs, soaking wet most of the time, starving, bruised, cut, blistered etc. But, He sustained me through His word like Jesus in the wilderness. The lesson I will take with me is that God is faithful. Period. It is an objective fact. He will hide His words in our hearts. He will be faithful when we are not. He will be strong when we are weak. He is God. He made this world beautiful and dangerous for His glory. It is a reflection of Himself.
Many thanks to Sam for taking the time to talk with us and for telling us about his time on the show - Out of the Wild: Venzuela. But mostly for the great reminders about who our God is and how He loves us!
Photographer - Luke Terbieten
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