Search and Rescue

I've been following the story of the two missing hikers in Oregon. Evidently, three friends set out Friday morning a week ago to climb Mount Hood. A blizzard came in that night, and the three hikers didn't return. One body was found on Saturday. The news said that the hiker had minor injuries from a fall but died of hypothermia. His gear was gone, so it is supposed that the other two hikers have the gear which would provide them a few extra supplies. However, weather conditions only worsened as the week went on, and at the time of this writing, the search has been called off until the weather clears. What was once a "search and rescue" mission is now being termed as a "recovery" mission. In other words, they've given up hope of finding these two hikers alive.

It's a sad story that has my emotions in an uproar. On the one hand, I can't help but wonder why they would try to climb the mountain when they knew bad weather was imminent. On the other hand, I can't imagine what their friends and families must be going through right now. What a sad twist to the holidays!

Do you realize that we, as Christians, are on a search and rescue mission? When Jesus was on the earth, He said, "I have come to seek and to save that which was lost." However, when He left this earth, He gave us a command to carry on His work. No, we can't save, but we can seek, and we can lead those lost souls to the One who can save.

I can't fathom the number of souls that are lost and on their way to Hell. It's our job to reach them. It's our job to seek them out. It's our job to lead them to the Savior. When are we going to start taking this search and rescue mission seriously? Unfortunately, when our work is called off, there is no recovery mission. Let's act now before it's too late.