Camp Hope

It seems so obvious that I am tempted to give it a miss, yet how could I avoid commenting on the extraordinary liberation of the miners trapped underground for more than two months in Chile. All of them must be grateful beyond words -- except for the guy whose wife and girlfriend found out about each other during the long vigil. He was the one who offered to stay where he was!

What is it about this situation that has captured our imagination? After all, we regularly here of larger groups of miners killed in Chinese accidents, or people wiped out in bus crashes or capsizing ferries. In fact, tens of thousands die every day in mishaps around the world. Surely it has to do with their fortitude while in that netherworld, literal and figurative, between life and death. We simply can't imagine what it would be like to maintain hope in such grim circumstances.

We do know that many of the miners are people of faith and that one of them became a sort of chaplain for the group. And above ground in the makeshift village called Camp Hope vigils and prayers were maintained on their behalf. A number of the miners have dropped to their knees in grateful prayer once they emerged into the light of day. One of them said, “I’ve been near God, but I’ve also been near the devil. God won.”

As I write all 33 miners, and the rescuers who volunteered to go down to them, have been brought to the surface well ahead of schedule.

Have you followed the drama through these past fews weeks and particularly in the past 36 hours? Have you been impressed by the way these guys handled this challenge? Would your faith make a difference for you if caught in a life-and-death situation?