Another boy rescued, 8 still inside Thailand cave

The second phase is underway in the rescue of eight boys and their coach trapped in a cave in northern Thailand. Divers resumed their work around midnight ET; Reuters is reporting that one person has already been brought from the cave this morning. The operation is expected to last several hours.

A team of ninety expert divers–forty from Thailand and fifty from other countries–has been working in the cave system. The process includes walking, wading, climbing, and diving along guide ropes already in place.

As oxygen levels in the cave continued to drop and monsoon rains threatened to flood the cave system, the first efforts to rescue the boys began over the weekend. Thirteen specialist divers and five Thai Navy SEALs descended into the watery network of underground tunnels.

They rescued four boys, each of whom wore a full-face mask attached to an air bottle. Two divers accompanied each boy, one carrying his air supply. About halfway through the ordeal, they had to navigate a section called “T-Junction.” It is so tight that divers must remove their air tanks to get through.

The escape route is extremely dangerous. A former Thai Navy SEAL, thirty-eight-year-old Saman Gunan, died last Friday while trying to reach the group with oxygen.

Christians around the world have been praying for the boys and their coach. Now we must intercede for the divers as well. Each of them is risking his life to rescue someone he did not know before the ordeal began.

“Let your heart take courage”

Courage is the need of the hour.

Few of us will ever risk our lives to rescue someone trapped in a cave. But serving Jesus in our post-Christian culture requires courage on a level unprecedented in my lifetime.

President Trump will announce his nominee for the Supreme Court tonight. Pro-abortion advocates have been rallying to keep abortion legal in this country. To defend the unborn is to face the ridicule of those who elevate choice above life.

Meanwhile, those of us…