Columbus—Sailing by Faith through Uncharted Waters
哥倫布——朝著信念逆流而上
When one thinks of great explorers， Christopher Columbus often comes to mind. This man， who was born to poor workers of wool， had little education and was thought by critics to be ill-equipped to successfully navigate the ocean. However， Columbus had a goal. His goal was to find a shorter route to the Indies. Even though there were many ordeals which arose to discourage him from his goal， he courageously continued in his attempts to reach his goal.
On his first voyage， Columbus' ship was sunk by pirates off the coast of Portugal， and Columbus himself was forced to swim to shore clinging only to a loose oar from one of the life rafts. This incident helped to solidify5 Columbus' resolve to find a new route to the Indies.
In 1483， Columbus confidently brought his plans before King John of Portugal only to have them carelessly rejected. Instead of giving up， Columbus' never-dying determination led him to take his plans to the rulers of Spain， Ferdinand and Isabella. Their majesties rejected his plans twice before his persistence paid off； Ferdinand and Isabella finally accepted his proposition upon the third presentation of his plan. Another discouragement was yet to come， though. In the midst of receiving the finances needed for the voyage， he lost his wife and his only son to death.
Columbus finally set sail with his three-ship fleet—the Nina， the Pinta， and the Santa Maria—never imagining that this voyage would greatly test his judgment， tenacity， diplomacy， and navigational skills. The voyage ultimately took 33 days to sail carried supplies for only 21 days of travel. His crew often begged him to turn back， and they occasionally threatened him with mutiny. Above all these circumstances， Columbus allowed his compass to guide him claiming that “the compass always seeks the truth”. Finally on October 12， 1492， the cry of， “Land， Ho！” was heard from among the rigging， and the Americas were discovered.