Inspire, Fall 2003

26 Fall 2003 I yelled for her to hold on, and I ran back onto the bridge. I tried to tie the cord into a loop. I was using my foot to push the first throw of the knot toward my sister. Why I didn’t think of tying a slipknot, I’ll never know, but as a surgeon, I did what I usually do and tied a square knot. I knew one throw was not enough. It needed at least one more to square it. But then she slipped! Terror swept through my being, but the single throw drew tight and the extension cord snugged beneath Amy’s arms. She was dangling upright about ten feet below! God Himself stayed the knot! Amy was secure, and I began to have hopes that she would escape serious injury. We braced ourselves on the bridge and lowered her the last ten feet to safety. I sensed exhilaration and thanked God for His intervention, but quickly was brought back to the horror of what awaited below. Looking down, I saw many of the wounded moving around. A doctor and nurse were attending the motionless body of Carol’s husband, T.J. Another crowd of medical personnel surrounded a critically injured team member, while others assisted those less wounded. As rescuers called for medical supplies, I ran up to the hospital and sent the items back to the ravine. Then I radioed our co- workers in La Ceiba and advised them of the situation and asked them to notify the hospital of pending patients. When I returned to the gorge, patients were being evacuated to the hospital on makeshift stretchers. The most severely injured was on his way to our trauma room. Carol was sitting beside the body of her husband, T.J. As I climbed out of the ravine, I made a mental inventory of the team and their injuries. A chill went through me as I realized I had not seen the Atlanta gastroenterologist with whom I had worked closely all week. I searched for him at the hospital and was relieved to find him helping in the trauma room. He had dislocated his shoulder, but put it back into place and began helping others. All team members were then accounted for. Four spent the night in the hospital and the rest were housed in missionary homes. In the morning, one of the hospitalized patients was discharged. The team looked like they had been through a war. One had a splint, another a cast, many with visible scrapes and bruises, all walking stiffly or limping. God saw fit to take T.J. home soon after this terrible accident. Yet through it all the team’s spirits were good. Despite the tragedy and loss, they encouraged me and my family to keep at it! They reminded us that we were doing God’s work. Healing, both physically and emotionally, continues. The wounds will need more time. We in our humanness want an explanation. “Why?” God does not need to give us an answer. Our tendency is to cast blame and harbor anger. But God has called us to walk by faith, to trust Him. He is in control and was not taken by surprise! He has a plan, even though we may never understand it. Being in the World, but Not OF the World “We asked teen girls how often they read the Bible,” said Laurie Whaley ’97, New Century Version Brand Manager with Thomas Nelson Publishing. “The response that came back was, ‘Well, we don’t read the Bible. It’s just too freaky, too intimidating. It doesn’t make any sense.’” The idea for a New Testament in magazine format — named Revolve — grew from this marketing revelation. Teen girls seem to feel comfortable exploring the Scriptures in this fashion magazine format, which has more than 500 study notes. Newsweek (September 8, 2003) stated, “Creating themed editions of the Holy Scriptures isn’t new. But the early buzz around Revolve has been so positive — it’s been among the top five biggest-selling Bibles nationwide for the past four weeks — that the company is now planning a magazine Bible aimed at teen guys.” ABCNews.com related, “In addition to the biblical text — written in the modern English of the New Century Version — Revolve also features teen magazine staples such as quizzes, Top 10 lists, and Q&As. They focus, however, on religious topics like, ‘Are you dating a godly guy?’ and inner-beauty advice. There are also tips on prayer, volunteerism, and calendars, with entries such as ‘Pray for a person of influence: Today is Michael Jordan’s birthday’ on Feb. 17.” Laurie said, “The intent is to both make the Bible more interesting and to attract girls who would never pick up a leather-bound Bible but who would certainly pick up Revolve .” Also involved with this project were Emily Wiljamaa Seeger ’98, who reviewed the manuscript, and Phil Stoner ’81, executive vice president at Thomas Nelson. (continued from previous page) For more information, visit http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=0718003586.