Wednesday, July 31, 2002
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Wednesday, July 31, 2002 |
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Rescue took work and prayers of all Americans By JOHN HATCHER As all nine miners were lifted out of the deep pit of damp darkness, John Weir, a spokesman for Black Wolf Coal Company, the mine's owner, said, "This is a miracle." It was a miracle of major proportions because all nine miners were alive. It was good news and America needed to hear some good news for a change after hearing about children being abducted and murdered across the land. Good news indeed. Lessons are already emerging from the pit. Imagine a small, dark, dank space up to 4 feet deep, 12 to 18 feet wide, 240 feet underground filled nearly to the top with water 55 degrees F. Imagine totally confined in this chamber for nearly three days. No food and no water fit to drink. Only nine men with their mining experience and heartâs desire to see their families one more time. How did they survive? The answer is simple: everyone concerned was doing everything they could! The rescue workers were committed for the long haul of rescuing the nine miners. Some rescue personnel refused to leave the scene, taking only very brief catnaps. In a short while the state of the art equipment had been assembled to stage a successful rescue. I don't know about you, but this blesses me to tears. Just to know that I live in a country where human life is so valued that even the state's governor made his office at the mine site until the rescue effort was a success. What a great country that treasures human life so profoundly! If that kind of thing were to happen in Fayette County, we would be equally proud of fire fighters, policemen, public service people, and other citizens as they would link their resources for a success. I have no doubt. Why? That's what our America is made of! But there was another group responsible for the success of the rescue effort. That group was doing everything it could do. They were the Christians who were praying. The local McDonalds using its marquee asked local believers to pray for the rescue effort. Imagine that for a moment! McDonalds was not begging the folks to buy their burgers, but begging the folks to pray. I like that! And there was a lot of praying going on. Churches had special prayer services and local citizens banded together for prayer. I just bet if I were a gambler that Somerset, Pennsylvania never experienced such believing prayer in its 198 years of history. Now, if we were struck with a similar set of circumstances, I have no doubt that Fayette County would kneel to pray. It's just a little sad to think that it takes tragedy to get folks praying and turning to God. But of course another group is responsible for the successful rescue of the miners. That group was made up of nine trapped miners. Stories are emerging from the pit. One of them is that when one miner was succumbing to the cold of 55 degrees F., the other miners would huddle around him to warm him up. When one miner became discouraged, the ones who were encouraged at the moment would bolster his spirits. The miners took responsibility for their hope and acted on it. The end result: "They're all alive!" Everyone did everything he or she could. And America was blessed. River's Edge Community
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