All at sea
After being raised in the Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland, Matthew Hyndman sailed the Indian Ocean as a missionary — but two worlds collided when he accidentally outed himself to his entire family and congregation
AS TOLD TO TIM HEAP
PHOTOGRAPHY: MARKUS BIDAUX
I was sitting in a packed restaurant in Taipei, when my phone pinged. I read the first line of the message and was gripped by panic. “Hey Matthew, I just received this very disturbing email from you — can we talk?”
I stumbled out of the restaurant, leaving all my belongings where they were, and crouched on the bustling pavement, hands shaking, as I clicked through my emails, the nightmare sinking in. How could I have done this?
My life is over, I thought.
From a young age, I’d wanted to change the world and I don’t care how juvenile that sounds. At 12, I was ready to move to Malawi with a missionary couple from my Church; at 14, I would have been helping street children in Mexico City had I been allowed. At 16, I desperately wanted to go to Papua New Guinea.
I grew up in the Presbyterian Church in rural Northern Ireland. Faith is an important part of my community and identity. I saw myself and formed myself through the lens of Christianity.