A Fearful Night

Last night we got a call from my dad in Kentucky around 9:30 saying that my 14 year old brother and 2 of his friends were lost in the woods around their farm and search and rescue was being called in. Now, this is not just some small woodsy area--this is the Daniel Boone National Park.

The boys had gone off to do some exploring and were told to be back by dark. When they were not showing up, 911 was called. Word was spread to different people and before they knew it the farm was filled with dozens of people and emergency vehicles and tremendously bright spotlights.

There were 22 teams of 2-3 people on 4 wheelers who went out looking for the boys. They knew that forest. They had maps and names for parts of the forest. One of the places they decided to look around was where cliffs were--not where the boys would have fallen off, but overhangs they could be sheltering under towards the bottom of a hill. That is where they were found.

The weather was in the 50s and the boys only had on t-shirts. They had just gotten so turned around from the cabin. And it was so dark they didn't even have the moon or starlight to light a way. They were found a 45 minute walk away.

Two hours after my dad called us the boys were found. I am amazed at how quickly word spread, the number of people who came out to help search, and the organization of this search and rescue. Word had gotten to the closest big city of Lexington 30 miles away and this morning they called to ask to do an interview, but were declined.

Word was spread around facebook so many people were praying. Evan and Lauren only found about all of this at church this morning when people asked us about it. Lauren--our spiritually sensitive child--first reaction was to remind us all that "God was with them." Evan was just in awe about the whole thing and kept saying "really?" and "wow" in a thoughtful, calm way as if really contemplating what exactly had happened to Uncle Sammy. Not to mention we had just finished reading a chapter book in school about a little girl who got lost in the woods in the 1800s, but the people believed that God would help them find her, and it happened. I'm actually kind of amazed the parallels between what happened in the book to what happened with my family even though there are hundreds of years apart.

All I can say to end this post is "Praise God"!!!!!!!!

P.S. On the map above at number 78 is Sand Gap KY and that is where their homestead is--all forest surrounding them.