Today the world witnessed a historic event that has never been seen before. It was an event driven my hope, faith and miracles and incredible team work.

33 Chilean miners were pulled out of the damaged mine one by one. They had been trapped in this mine for 70 days. I spent most of the day watching the event live and it was incredible. I watched it online where it was easier to pick up what they were saying and it was an amazing day.

The stories of each miner and their families were incredible as were the speeches given by President Sebastian Pinera.

From the conversations, speeches and greetings I could clearly see at least 3 main keys that led this mission to success.

Honor and Gratitude To God
In President Pinera’s last speech he made the comment: What ended as a true blessing from God – started as a possible tragedy.

The Hand of God was certainly in all of this mission, AND everyone involved in one way or another recognized this and gave thanks and honor to God.

Many of the miners wore sweatshirts that had “Thank you Lord” written across the front.

Hope and Faith Was Never Lost.
Many of the miners and their loved ones were heard to say that they did not lose hope or faith. The President himself declared earlier in the day: All of the miners are coming out strong and full of faith”

Team Work
There was incredible team work among the miners below as they organized themselves, agreed to delegate certain responsibilities. It is clear that each miner both respected his position and the position of the others.

They respected their chosen leaders and worked as a team. No doubt this contributed to saving their lives.

The coordination between the miners and the rescue team was also outstanding.

A True Captain
Luis Urzua took the role of the captain of their team, and as any good captain, he was last to come up. He did not want to come up until ALL of his team were safe.

I am sure there be a lot of stories of this experience coming out in the next days and weeks, and we will all be eager to learn more.

This story is indeed the story of faith, hope and miracles and is a demonstration of the Hand of God and the spirit of the Chilean people.

Today’s experience was truly an inspiration and challenge to us all.