Rescue

I, along with the rest of the world it seems, have been watching in amazement as the Chilean miners have been brought to the surface, one by one. Their strength and spirit as they step out of the cage that has brought them back to the surface is breathtaking and inspiring. No one expected the men to have the stamina and the sheer strength they have displayed as they embrace family members, their rescuers and even the people who have been watching and cheering them on at the rescue sight. After sixty-nine days underground, we all expected more sickly and subdued men to rise to the top. We could not have been more wrong! As stories began to emerge, the world is beginning to understand that faith was a major factor in keeping these men alive and they never doubted that they would be saved. I marvel at that kind of faith. I think it has made all of us who are watching the rescue step back and realize that in this fast-paced world and in the midst of all the modern equipment that is saving these men, they still needed "old-fashioned" faith in the equation for survival. I, likely like most people watching, find myself in tears as each man steps out of the rescue cage. As they emerge from below, I am most fascinated by their calmness - evidence that they fully expected this moment to happen. As I observe them with their families, most of the men appear to be the ones offering comfort, not the other way around as one might expect. Because of this calmness, strength and faith, I strongly suspect that in the coming days and weeks, we will hear incredible stories of what happened almost a mile underground. I can hardly wait for these stories! I believe these tales will have a great and positive effect on the entire world, and perhaps in the end, that was the purpose of this terrible incident. Knowing that someone, or some power, kept guard over thirty-three miners deep in the earth for sixty-nine days . . . it's a good thing!