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Noah’s Ark: Builder Dreamt Of Massive Flood In Netherlands, May Take Ark To Brazil For Olympics [Video]

By Dee Sharp
Published on: 08:27 PST, Apr 26, 2016

Would you like to go on board a life-size replica of the Biblical Noah’s Ark? Now, you may have a chance thanks to one man’s hard work. “Modern-day Noah,” Johan Huibers, had a dream that a massive flood covered the province of Noord-Holland in the Netherlands, and as a result, he built an ark.

But he didn’t build just any ark; Huibers built a life-size replica of Noah’s Ark. USA Today reported that the Dutch carpenter created a new “Noah’s Ark” which has been sailing in the Netherlands since 2012 and may travel to Brazil this year in time for the Olympics. The ark will also stop at several port cities in Brazil and make four stops along the coast of the U. S., including Los Angeles, after going to Brazil. The Ark of Noah Foundation in Pasadena, California announced the voyage in the above video and is working to raise funds for the journey.

The Ark of Noah Foundation website says that hundreds of thousands of people have already visited the replica of the Biblical Ark of Noah, which is actually the second replica built by Huibers. According to the website, there are multiple floors in the massive life-sized exhibit. Visitors experience Bible-based stories and exhibitions, attractions, a movie theater, and more. The website says that the Ark of Noah “brings the experience of hope through the teachings of Jesus Christ to visitors worldwide.” The website also stated the journey of the Ark from the Netherlands to Brazil will be “an incredible undertaking made possible by donations.”

In the video below, Huibers is shown in an interview with Christiane Amanpour on ABC News about three years ago. Huibers tells Amanpour that he almost drowned in a storm surge in 1992. The next day, Huibers found a book, “The Ark of Noah,” in the wreckage, and that was when he realized that he was going to build a replica of Noah’s Ark. Huibers, a born-again Christian, said his children were excited, but his wife was not. He said it took him 13 years to convince his wife. The interview was part of a story that Amanpour had investigated about the Biblical flood on ABC News First Look in December of 2012.

The Ark of Noah Foundation website says the voyage will be streamed live on the internet, and the Ark of Noah will actually be mounted on a barge for the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. In a statement released on Christian Newswire, the foundation announced that the ark will be in Fortaleza for the 2016 Olympic Games and in Rio de Janeiro for the Paralympic summer games. The organization said that once in Brazil, the ark will use different techniques, such as virtual and augmented reality, to tell stories of the Bible in an “interactive and challenging way.” The foundation envisions using the proceeds from the ark’s visit to Brazil to build Ark of Hope centers throughout the country, which will provide social, educational, and practical support to the underprivileged in Brazil.

The foundation’s website also mentions that after docking at several port cities in Brazil, the Ark of Noah will also journey through South, Middle, and North America. Although the voyage of the ark is still in the planning phase, the foundation hopes the ark will visit Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Havana, Panama, and Columbia. Planned ports of call for the ark replica in the U. S. are San Diego, Long Beach, San Francisco, and Seattle.

What do you think of the experience of being able to go on board Johan Huibers’ replica of Noah’s Ark? Will you visit the ark replica if it comes to a port near you this summer?

[Photo by AP Photo/ Bas Czerwinski]

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