a tale of two divers

-
Elwyn Davies tells the story of the days he was stationed in North Africa during the Second World War. In the harbor were 187 sunken ships and it was the task of his men to send divers into these ships, to find the safes and blast them open to find documents that pertained to the enemy and his plans.

In those days the divers wore the old-type diving suits, not like those used today. Every diver had a buddy and every buddy had a reserve buddy.

Across the harbor at this station were chalk cliffs where caves and tunnels had been dug in. One such cave had three chambers: the innermost chamber housed the divers, the middle chamber held communications and in the outer chamber, the buddies stood waiting.

When the diver went into the water his #1 buddy would sit on a three-legged stool by the water’s edge holding in his left hand held a pressure gauge. His right hand held the handle of a small, innocent-looking wheel. When immediately the helmet was fixed and the diver entered with water the eyes of his buddy were glued to that gauge and his hand carefully turned, pumping the air into his buddies’ lungs.

And as long as the diver was in the water, his buddy was fixed, immovable, just turning the wheel and watching the air pressure.

In those days were also dive-bombers: fast, low-flying German dive-bomber, who every now and then throughout the day would come sweeping down into the harbor area splattering their bombs.

Over and over again, the buddy would sit on the stool clutching the gauge in one hand and turning the wheel with the other, eyes glued to the dial. Over and over again, that buddy would be cut in half, sliced right in half by the bullets and bombs. Over and over again, before his body fell into the water, another buddy would run out of the cave, snatch up the gauge and turned the pumps.

In all those months, not one diver was lost.

This is what prayer is all about to missionaries serving Jesus in the ends of the earth, living in lands not their own.

I was recently told by a local church that asking for support was against policy, but they would pray for me as I finish preparations for going to Africa.

Everybody prays when divers were in the water and dive-bombers zoom overhead, but who is on the stool?

Thanks to those who have manned the pumps . . .

Popular posts from this blog

The Smooth-flowing Life

-
Image
Legend has it that the astronomer Ptolemy (1st century A.D.) suggested that falling stars were caused by the gods moving in the heavens, thus knocking stars out of their places. Somehow people reasoned that that if the gods were moving, they must be getting close to earth so they would lift their "prayers" or "wishes" (literally, "desires") whenever they saw the stars falling in hopes the gods would notice and grant a favorable answer. But how does one wish on falling star? Once you see it, it's gone before the wish or prayer can be made! The answer is simple: meteor shower. That's how to get your wish. Mrs. Ann Hodges had a wish fall right into her lap. Sort of. In 1954 Mrs. Hodges was sleeping on the couch when a 8 1/2 pound meteorite fell through her house and into her living room where it bounced off the radio and struck her left hip leaving her with a bruise. Not sure what she was wishing, but that's not how to do it. Epictetus hel
Read more

A Reflection in Plato’s “Republic” Book 2

-
Image
Early in Book 2 of Plato’s “Republic,” the discussion turns into the story of a man named Gyges who finds a ring that makes him invisible. Using the powers of the ring, he reports to the court of his king, seduces the queen “and with her help conspired against the king and slew him, and took the kingdom.” What would happen if there were two rings, one worn by an unjust man and the other by a just man? The story attempts to make the case that a just man will act unjustly if given the opportunity to think he is doing right, if only by himself. But what if he doesn’t? What if there was no ring, and what if there was a perfectly unjust man and a perfectly just man and both had everything they needed in life? The unjust man must cover his steps in order to be distinguished and succeed. In the eyes of others, he appears to be just. But what about the just man, who appears to be unjust?    “They will tell you that the just man who is thought unjust will be scourged, racked, bound-will have hi
Read more