‘We Aren’t Leaving’
All Things Possible
Setting Captives Free - Physically, Emotionally and Spiritually
Goodbye Saigon… On this day in history, the last U.S. troops left South Vietnam, ending America's direct military involvement in the Vietnam War (1973).
‘We Aren’t Leaving’
We recently came across an incredible survival story involving four college wrestlers who encountered a grizzly bear in the wilderness near Yellowstone National Park.
Below is an excerpt from the original story published on ESPN. We encourage our readers to?read the full article.?
A good friend never lets his buddy step in bear crap. So when Brady Lowry stumbled upon a fresh pile back in October, deep in the thick brush of the Wyoming wilderness near Yellowstone, he turned his head and began to alert Kendell Cummings.?Those were almost his last words…
Brady had talked to Kendell about how much money he makes doing "shed hunting.” Shed hunting involves meticulously scouring the dense mountain trails…looking for horns that elk, moose, mule deer and other male animals lose once a year.?
They'd gone out with two other Northwest College wrestlers, Gus Harrison and Orrin Jackson…As sunset approached, they split up into pairs…
Brady and Kendell had waded into a deep brush. Kendell was about 50 feet away when he heard Brady yell, “Hey, watch out for this big pile of bear s---.”
That's when they heard a loud cracking noise. Brady ended his sentence and was only able to blurt out “Bear!” before?a 500-pound grizzly hit him in the chest.
Suddenly the two wrestlers were in the toughest match of their life.
The bear — likely a mama grizzly — struck him and knocked him 30 yards. She ran right alongside his tumbling body, clobbering him as he rolled.?
Kendell found himself about 30 yards away, facing the bear's back as the initial attack unfolded. He watched this indescribable brutality happening to his friend and couldn't believe how fast and vicious it was…?He realized his friend had maybe 30 seconds of this before he'd be dead…
So Kendell started yelling at the bear. No reaction.
He picked up a stick and threw it and hit the bear. Nothing.
He threw a rock, a perfect strike in the middle of the bear's back. Still nothing.
The bear was in kill mode, and sticks and stones were not going to distract it.
So he launched the most dangerous takedown attempt he had ever tried.?Kendell ran and threw his body onto the bear's back, yanking on the fur around her neck.?
That got the grizzly's attention, and she swung around just as Kendell released his hold and started sprinting away. Kendell hoped maybe his counterattack would confuse and distract the bear long enough that Brady could scrape himself off the ground and run in the opposite direction.?
Maybe, just maybe, the bear would be content to just let them run off…
She clubbed Kendell to the ground and pounced on top of him… Her mouth eventually clamped down on his face and head, biting several times until Kendell went limp on the ground… Finally, when the bear was out of sight, Kendell pulled himself up off the ground and started trying to find a path down the mountain.
Kendell yelled as loud as he could muster.
“Brady!”
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And that's when he heard the crash and crunch of something that wasn't his friend.
The bear was coming back.
Brady scrambled to his feet…He called 911. Gus and Orrin could see that he was carrying his left arm like a baby, limp and pinned to his side.
The 911 operator was advising them to not go back into the woods.
“We're not leaving,” Orrin said, and he hung up.
Gus…hoisted Kendell up on his shoulders in a fireman's carry, and they bolted across the bumpy path to safety…
Eventually, they'd made it a mile or two away from the attack scene... Brady finally broke down and looked at his friend. The tears began to flow, and he ran over and gave Kendell a huge hug.
It was the best hug they'd ever had.
Inspirational Insight
It’s hard to not hear the words of Jesus ringing out in this harrowing tale.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”?—?John 15:13
How would we respond in this same situation??Would we look beyond our own personal safety and lay it all on the line for a friend??That’s exactly what Kendell did. It’s what Orrin and Gus did by ignoring the instructions of the 911 operator and choosing to do whatever it takes to save their friends.?
One of my favorite Hebrew words is?hesed,?a word that denotes lovingkindness.?Hesed?is often demonstrated through acts of kindness toward strangers?— a kindness normally reserved for loved ones.
The term is almost always used in conjunction with God. Followers of Jesus,?may we be guided and inspired by His?hesed?to care for others, particularly the “least of these.” (Matthew 25:40)
Click below to read the full article.
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