resacate

on the 5th of august 2010 the collapse of a mine in chile left 33 miners trapped half a mile below ground. it was 17 days before rescuers on the surface were able to contact the trapped miners, and almost 70 days before they could be rescued. on the 12th of october a newly-bored shaft and a rescue system began to extract the sequestered men. the next day the last of all 33 men was restored to the surface, the sunlight, and the anxious arms of his loved ones.
i was sitting in the doctor's office the afternoon the men were rescued. while watching the live feed on CNN i had the distinct impression that i was one of those miners. in fact we're all like those miners. we're far below our true home up above, and we are incapable of cleaving the barrier that separates us. we are stuck, but mercifully we are not forgotten. there is a Plan to restore us to our home and it is anxiously being carried out. there are numberless souls aflutter on the surface working to establish a path to us, and there is One willing to descend below all things to save us. sitting in the doctor's office and staring at the television i couldn't help but weep for the love that i felt in that moment. even though we are isolated, if we allow His Atonement to enshroud us, Our Savior will lift us to the surface and into His arms. we can be restored to the surface, to the light, and to our families. and like those miners in chile, He has the capacity to save every last soul.