CHAPTER ONE of the Sequel: No Greater Love Hath Man

 

Book 2 - The Sequel to

SHORT IN HEIGHT, TALL IN COURAGE The Story of God's African Special Forces Unit

ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

 

CHAPTER ONE of the Sequel

No Greater Love Hath Man

 

 

 

     Artie Shaw and Giff Davies were currently in a very heated discussion with their Mossad Chief, Hadar Gabbai. He was up against two of the most stubborn men God had ever created, and Hadar knew it. However, he was arguing not to deny their request necessarily, but to test the soundness of that request. Hadar suspected that if this crazy two-man mission to save six British aid workers in the heart of Al Shabaab country in southwest Somalia had any possibility of success, the two men sitting across the desk from him were capable of pulling it off. Still, it had a high probability of being a suicide mission. 

     Currently, Israel is fully occupied fighting Hamas in Gaza, and quite often against Hezbollah, Yemen, and Iran at the same time. A commitment of valuable resources to a side rescue that would involve heavy fighting with military assets that could be provided only by robbing Abraham to pay Moses. 

     Hadar explained this to Artie and Giff. He also laid out to the men that the U.S. military had its hands full with Yemen, Iraq, and Iran in the Red Sea. Britain had stretched its meager assets to aid the U.S. and NATO's objectives in the area. France, well forget it. Germany was still sluggishly rearming with a guilty conscience. The mission would need to do some very creative ally generation from God only knows where. 

     Artie smiled at that last comment. "You should know my God because he is your God, too, Hadar. At times, we act like we are in charge, while it's always God that's calling the shots that count." 

     Artie had thrown Hadar a curve ball that made him lean out of the batter's box.

     Giff took advantage of the respite to throw in this, "So, Hadar, if we can find alternate allies, the mission is on?"

     Hadar let out a defeated sigh, "Yes, Giff, but you two are on your own. This is not a Mossad-backed operation. Understood?"

     Not bothering to answer, Artie and Giff jumped up and ran out of the room. Hadar was left staring at their empty seats, as he pondered what had just taken place. 

     The following morning, Hadar sat up straight in his office chair upon receiving word from his adjutant that Artie and Giff had somehow commandeered a civilian aircraft with a willing pilot and two parachutes during the night. No flight plan was filed. 

     "God only knows where those two fools and that plane are headed. They're below radar level," responded the Adjutant.

     Hadar pounded his desk with his fist while shouting, "I know exactly where those fools are headed! Headed to southwest Somalia where they'll manage to get themselves killed! I'm not going to let their deaths make me feel guilty. I warned them - I told them! Get me any satellite images of the location where the British aid workers are being held. Get me the Sayeret Matkal Chief on the line - now! I should never have let those two imbeciles into Mossad. They are not going to make me feel guilty about letting them commit suicide just because they want to save six of their countrymen. I was warned about these do-gooder Christians."

     The Adjutant studied his iPhone, "It's about 3,500 miles to their POC. All we have to do is check all the airports en route through Egypt, Sudan, etc. then grab them at one of them. The Cessna 182 only has a range of 1050 miles."

     Hadar gave his Adjutant a dirty look, saying, "Is your hearing going bad? I said, I do not care."

     The Adjutant had a sly grin on his face as he quipped on his way out, "Yet, those two are your favorites just like JJ said they would be. Trouble makers in leisure - indispensable in combat." 

     Hadar threw a book from his desk at the exiting adjutant. 

     The Cessna 182 landed in Cairo at the International Airport with its pilot and two passengers. The Cessna was piloted by an ex-SAS buddy of Artie and Giff. They stayed overnight at a hotel close to the airport. They needed rest and to make phone calls to gather supplies for the mission.

     Phone calls to the right contacts found those supplies in Ethiopia, right on their planned route. A wealthy relative of one of the British hostages was footing the bill for all the supplies and equipment needed. He had greased the way for the flight with pre-approved landing, servicing, and fuelling. More importantly, the powerful man had paved the diplomatic road through each country. Artie and Giff just needed to come up with those much-needed allies Hadar spoke about. That was growing more difficult by the moment with all the turmoil ratcheting up in the area. They were committed and nothing, not even the lack of allies, would keep them from attempting the rescue. Still, Hadar wasn't far off base when he called it a likely suicide mission. 

     What, once upon a time, would have been so crazy was now a common occurrence for the two. Stopping everything, they got down on their knees and prayed in the middle of the hotel room floor while the pilot and longtime friend looked on in total disbelief. 

     Artie looked up at the shocked pilot, saying, "Join us, it's time you chose a new path, my friend."

     The pilot never said a word. He just bent down to his knees, and joined hands with the pair, as tears came rolling down his cheeks.

     The plane glided smoothly over the night-masked Somalie terrain spread out beneath them. It appeared so deceptively peaceful in its slumber. 

     Artie sitting in the co-pilot's seat staring at the GPS, said, "It's time. Giff you ready? Per the plan, rations and backup equipment first. Next pass is us."

     The first drop went according to plan, hitting within safe range of their landing point. Next pass, Giff went first, loaded with too much armament. Next, Artie yelled to the pilot his heartfelt thanks. A split second later, he was out and floating. He saw Giff's chute open far below. He guided on that chute. The pair came softly to an upright landing. Veterans of many night jumps into enemy territory, Artie and Giff no sooner hit the ground than chutes were off and stashed in the brush. 

     Risk was an old friend. Lurking death was a welcome and familiar face. They spoke no words. Any necessary communication was by hand signals. A bushpig resting nearby, unaware of their stealthy landing, let out an excited grunt and shot off into the brush when Artie tossed a rock at him. The poor creature surely believed in ghosts after the encounter.

     The backup ammo, water, food, and special-needs meds for the hostages were dragged a few feet to a clump of scrub trees and camouflaged lightly. The spot was saved on the GPS.

     Giff, staring at his shielded GPS, signaled Artie the direction. The pair scanned the area carefully avoiding even small twigs. The terrain was heavily brush-covered with a few groups of trees here and there. The night vision on their heads gave longer-range precision sight than mere human vision, but not perfect. Still, the two had many years of combat experience wearing such devices. The night was theirs, and they intended to make full use of that advantage combined with their cat-like approach.

     They took a well-worn trail to cut the noise of going through the tall brush which averaged about 4 feet in height. Taking trails was dangerous, but noisily traveling through the thick brush was worse in their estimation. 

     Encountering signs, the partners slowed to a creep as they worked their way to within an estimated 100 feet of the Al Shabaab encampment, Artie, in the lead, spotted a man bent in half up ahead. The pair didn't hesitate. Artie accelerated to the man. With an effortless motion, he disabled the man by slamming his fist into the man's kidney while clapping his hand over his mouth to prevent any sound from escaping. The man's mouth was covered in something mucky. The smell told Artie it was vomit. The man was still convulsing. Sensing the man wasn't capable of sounding an alarm, Artie released his vomit-covered hand over his mouth. Whispering in a guttural and threatening Arabic, "Where are the hostages?"

     The sentry was shaking from fear and heaving as he managed quietly, "All are tied together on their backs in the middle of the camp."

     During all this, Artie had withdrawn his stiletto from its sheath. With the information obtained, he plunged the knife firmly into the base of the man's neck just under the skull, penetrating his brain. It was over thanks to Mabior's method. He and Giff placed the man in the brush beside the trail. 

     It was not the time for soldiers to moralize. It was time to disable the enemy and rescue. These terrorists had placed themselves knowingly in this situation. Samuel had taught the two men well. He told them to always be prayed up for situations just like this. 

     Giff and Artie were coming upon a scene totally unanticipated. A scene only God could have created before them. Everywhere they scanned through their night vision goggles, they saw men heaving while bent helplessly and unarmed on their hands and knees.

     The twosome stopped and stared at the gruesome commotion all around. Finally, both turned and looked at one another. Both wore a devious grin. 

     Giff spotted and pointed out the hostages amid the cacophony surrounding them. He yelled to nobody and everybody, "Charge!"

     They rushed up to the hostages, who were revolted by the sight of the otherworldly-looking men covered with all their military equipment attached to and sticking frighteningly from their clothing. The odd thing about the hostages was that none were convulsing. 

     Artie knew he had to introduce the SAS to the hostages. "Listen carefully, we are Brits, SAS, sort of, here to rescue you! We have to act quickly and quietly. My partner is cutting you loose, then we'll head to a pre-chosen area from here to await rescue choppers. Move!"  

     There were four men and two women. Giff cut the first man loose, then handed him the dikes, and instructed him to free the others. He resumed scanning their surroundings for any threats after that. 

     The group moved out through the sickened men, some appearing as though dead, and maybe they were. The rag-tag group was out of the enemy area unchallenged, and on the move to where the equipment had been stashed. Artie at the lead, and Giff bringing up the rear of the small eight-person column.

     Stealth was not the main priority at this point. It was speed. Distance from that former danger gave them a slightly better chance of pulling this insane mission off. The dormant Mossad boys knew word would get out to the local Al Shabaab population in the area, and they would come for them with a certain animus in their hearts. 

     Artie was scanning with an experienced eye for any sign of enemy presence. As he did this, running through his mind was, "It's so different operating with God. The impossible just seems to flow around you in an impenetrable and protective mass."

     The dubious group arrived at the equipment dump site. Almost immediately, a muffled sound of chopper's rotors could be heard in the distance. The ground vibrated as the chopper came closer. The little time before extraction was spent frantically creating insight into the bizarre situation at the enemy camp. 

     It seems the hostages were limited to a few scraps of bread and foul-tasting water for nourishment while their captives were dining on half-cooked and contaminated meat that night. The hostages were spared the misery of food poisoning while the enemy was totally immersed in the plague sent by who else - "the God of Israel," spoke Giff. Everyone smiled at Giff"s powerful comment.

     Time was short. The Chopper, an old Vietnam-era Huey arrived from another old friend from the SAS working as a mercenary in Ethiopia. Artie commented, "Didn't know you could fly a chopper me old mucker."  

     His chum answered, "Just learned to fly it last week when the pilot was killed in a firefight down Dire Dawa way. I'm pickin' it up along as I go."

     That's when the group got themselves in a bit of what Giff called, "A pickle." Actually, everything went south in an instant. Al Shabaab backups arrived and surrounded the rescuers and hostages. Incoming small arms fire inundated the area. 

     Immediately, Artie signaled Giff to Sweep-fire the surrounding bush while he tossed grenades all around the perimeter. 

     After the grenades, Artie signaled the pilot that the hostages were loaded and to leave. "Now, without he and Giff." 

     The pilot didn't question the order. He was a former SAS and knew their ultimate duty was the safety of the hostages - no questioning. Furthermore, as was expected of good SAS men, Artie and Giff were sacrificing themselves for something larger than themselves. Some people understand and respect this concept, some do not.  

     While Giff laid down cover fire and backed slowly to the scrub trees where the equipment was stashed, Artie rushed into the equipment and pulled out a 50cal. machine gun and set it up. They knew all along this would most likely be a suicide mission, and they were prepared to give the enemy a devastating "dog and duck" (fight). 

     Artie threw a bundle of Scar clips to Giff before opening fire with the 50cal. Giff walked calmly to Artie placing his back to Artie. They were in their element. 

     Enemy fire slowed to sporadic with the intensity of fire the bad boys were putting out. Screams of the wounded came frequently from the tall brush. Here and there fires flared up and the screams turned to panic-stricken with that. Occasionally, Giff would stand and calmly toss several baseball grenades from a box he had dragged next to him. Both men were studies in concentration and tranquility.

     By their faces and reactions, you wouldn't know that both men had been wounded at least once each, other than a field dressing quickly stuffed inside their clothing to staunch the bleeding. This action enabled them to further punish the enemy. At one point, Artie casually grabbed a plastic water bottle beside him, took a drink, and offered the remainder to Giff, who nonchalantly replied, "Thanks." Then Artie lackadaisically opened up a new 50 cal. ammo canister while whistling the classic Irish tune "Molloy Malone," and reloaded the machine gun, as Giff joined in on the tune. 

     More Al Shabaab reinforcements were arriving. Al Shabaab fire and RPG rounds were coming closer and increasing in volume by the minute. The "Gruesome Twosome," as their former SAS comrades referred to them, their time on earth seemed to be coming to an end. Not that one could tell that end was near by looking at these two godly men, yes, godly. They displayed no indication of fear nor even the slightest concern. They were prayed up.

     An end-indication came as Giff took a wound to the stomach, a wound as painful as they come. taking in a deep and painful breath, he turned and tapped Artie on the shoulder. Pointing to his wounded area, he said, "I think it's time to attack."

     Artie nodded in emotionless agreement. He pointed to the ammo canister, indicating when it was out he was ready. The plan was that when their death was imminent, they would do a kamikaze charge into the Al Shabaab ranks, taking as many as possible with them. It was at this moment that an RPG rocket blew up almost on top of them. Both men were stunned and knocked defenseless. The end was appearing different from that which was anticipated and planned.

     

 

     

           

      

    

 

    

 

    

 

 

    

    

 

Sun Tzu's Book THE ART OF WAR

 

Not much is known about Sun Tzu, aside from his book THE ART OF WAR. Tzu is a Chinese General who lived during the Eastern Zhou Period in China, 771-256 BC. His book with its theories on how to engage in war revolutionized combat. I find his methods very common-sense methods of waging war that practices conservation of forces. Strategic retreat most likely came from his thinking, directly or indirectly. I introduce him into the conversation due to his book being required reading for The Team per the Chief. Evidently, Samuel had read this book as a young and insatiable reader. He practices Tzu's theorem, "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting...", time after time. The first time we see Samuel involved in a battle, he subdues the enemy by deception, not killing. He used his faith to find the courage to accomplish this act of not taking human lives to accomplish victory. Had Samuel been wounded or incapacitated, the battle would have gone south in a hurry. The non-violent approach is God's preferred method.

The book can be purchased at local bookstores, Walmart, Target, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc...for around $24 American Dollars. Or, you can go to your nearest library and check it out for free!

Part 2 SHORT IN HEIGHT, TALL IN COURAGE - ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD - Note

Chapter One: There Is No Retreat When You Are Surrounded

A little peek into Chapter One

Artie and Giff find themselves surrounded in Southwest Somalia by Al Shabaab while trying to rescue six British aid workers. Mossad and IDF are up to their necks in Gaza with Hamas. The United States Military is all eyes on Yemen in the Red Sea. Nobody to turn to for help. The Islamic Council of Islamic Courts that control most of Southern Somalia (Al Shabaab is their militant wing) is pouring it on the trapped ex-SAS and current Mossad operatives. The pair's phones are out of juice, and no friendly organizations have a clue what the pair are currently up against. It looks to be the end of the trail for Artie and Giff. 

 

 

James Webb Space Telescope: as Christians, we need to be paying attention to these science-altering discoveries by JWST.

 Einstein's Theory of Relativity is still hanging in there, but is the JWST telling us the BIG BANG is out and INTELLIGENT DESIGN back on the table for agnostic scientists? Is TIME, as Einstein predicted, an invention of our minds to deal with this world where everything, past, present, and future, are happening all at once - thus making God's creation all the more palpable to the scientific world? We need to be paying attention, our world leading Christian Astrophysicists certainly are, like Dr. Hugh Ross.

You might like to join Dr. Ross on YouTube for what is called PARADOXES SUNDAY SCHOOL:  http://paradoxes.org/ 

Christianity is not a mythical magic show. It is real and backed by science, archeology, and history. There is more proof for our Lord Jesus Christ's existence than any other ancient figure. Being a Christian does not mean accepting everything with blind faith. Our Lord asks us to be informed and make intelligent decisions and arguments for and about God's creation and faith to gather disciples. 

Jim Newton, April 4, 2024

James Webb Space Telescope 'sees triple' with help from Einstein (photos)

News

By Robert Lea

published March 6, 2023

 

A stunning new image from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a supernova hosting galaxy not once, not twice, but three times at different points in time.

This seemingly time-defying image by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was possible thanks to the massive gravitational influence of a foreground galactic cluster and a light-bending phenomenon predicted by Albert Einstein over a century ago called "gravitational lensing."

In his theory of general relativity, Einstein predicted that mass warps the very fabric of space and time, or "spacetime." This is analogous to placing a ball on a stretched rubber sheet, with the ball causing a dent in the sheet. The greater the mass of the ball the larger the degree of warping it causes. This is also true in the case of spacetime, stars cause a greater "warp" than planets, and galaxies cause a greater warping of space than stars. 

This warping affects the passage of light as it travels past the object of mass from a background object. In extreme cases, because light can take different paths around the lensing object from the background lensed object on its way to us, it can cause the background object to be magnified or even appear at multiple points in the sky. That means this phenomenon, "gravitational lensing" has become a powerful tool for astronomers in studying very distant objects.

The lensing object in this new JWST image is the galactic cluster RX J2129, located around 3.2 billion light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. RX J2129 is lensing a background red-colored supernova-hosting galaxy replicating it.

The supernova explosion was discovered by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and is a Type Ia supernova designated AT 2022riv. These are often referred to as "standard candles" by astronomers because of how uniform their light is. This uniformity means that Type Ia supernovas can actually be used as a tool of measure cosmic distances because at the same distance, they would look exactly the same.

As a gravitational lens, RX J2129 has created three images of this galaxy that aren't the same in size, position, or even age because of the different paths the light from the background galaxy takes and thus the different times it arrives at the JWST. 

The light that follows the longest path shows the background galaxy at its oldest age and at a time when its supernova was still occurring. The next image from the second longest path shows the galaxy just 320 days later, and the last one with the shortest light path 1,000 days after the first. In both of these later images, the supernova AT 2022riv has already faded from view.

Also appearing in the upper right-hand corner of the image are several background objects that due to the warping effect of gravitational lensing appear as concentric arcs of light.

The observations were made by the JWST using its Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRSpec) which was able to measure the brightness of AT 2022riv, a very distant and thus early supernova. The powerful space telescope has also been to perform spectroscopy on the light from the event, which should allow this distant supernova to be compared to more recently occurring Type Ia supernovas in the local universe.

This comparison could be used to test the accuracy of using these supernovae when measuring distances, thus verifying the results of one of astronomy's most useful tools.

Robert Lea

Senior Writer

Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.

 

The JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE PICTURE GALLERY

 https://webbtelescope.org/news/first-images/gallery

SHORT IN HEIGHT, TALL IN COURAGE Part 2 - THE TEAM - ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

 

Are you ready?

In progress - SHORT IN HEIGHT, TALL IN COURAGE Part 2

THE TEAM - ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

All your favorites - The Team is returning!

In the meantime: a few articles, quips, humor, and general thoughts to entertain.

EVERYBODY IS INVITED - Old sinners, young sinners, new sinners, righteous sinners all welcome, but we are all sinners and eying or working on becoming improved in the Lord's ways. Love you all!

 

Chapter 20 The Changing of the Guard

 

BAND OF BROTHERS  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uTAIpU0sa0

 

 
 

SHORT IN HEIGHT, TALL IN COURAGE

Chapter 20

The Changing of the Guard

 

     Shermake was placed in a medically-induced coma due to the severity of his wounds. The Team sat dutifully by his hospital bed in four-man shifts, with one man always praying.

      Due to administrative duties, I took care of the office until General Iverson arrived and ordered me to the hospital. He took over the admin duties. Mrs. Iverson set up shop at the hospital, organizing the men's needs in food, rest, and clothing changes. In other words, she acted as a mother figure for the entire hospital stay of Shermake, 37 days. Her acts were simple but comforting, and the men ate up that kind of attention.

     An example is when she walked into the hospital room to the sight of blood soaking through Amani's and Mar's bandages as they tended their bedside duties. She dragged the nurses in, bodily. There was no mistaking that she was General Iverson's wife by her take-charge attitude. Most of these men had lost their families, their mothers, and Mrs. Iverson would not let them fend for themselves during this critical time. The men began calling her 'Mama Iverson,' which seemed to further energize her. Remember, she had lost her son, Mark.

     When the day came that the doctors let Shermake wake up, the entire Team was there to await the outcome. His eyes opened very slowly, then he whispered, "God is good."

     Evidently, he wasn't aware of the crowd in the room. Everyone added, "All the time." That startled him. He slowly looked around at the people surrounding his bed, giving them a weak smile, saying, "I thought I had gone to heaven, and the angels had responded."

     Samuel clasped Shermake's hand, being careful to go around all the tubes inserted in it, and recited Psalm 100:5 from his favorite NIV Bible, "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Then Samuel said, "Let us pray." At that, he looked to Artie and nodded his head, telling him, "If you please, Artie."

     Artie didn't hesitate. He said a beautiful prayer. His conversion still sends a shock through all of us that had known him before. Indeed, for God, nothing is impossible.

     The weeks went by, all the wounded recovered slowly and returned to duty. Even Shermake was getting around with ease without his wheelchair. How blessed we are. But, as for me, I felt a spiritual tumor growing inside me. I needed to make a difficult decision, then inform The Team what their future and mine might look like. I called the meeting for the coming Friday afternoon when General Iverson would be there. Leah agreed to the commitment. I told Mrs. Akech that her attendance was mandatory, just as a bountiful collection of her treats was compulsory for the meeting. Artie and Giff called, expressing that they had been insulted by not being invited. I told them that I was calling everyone, not sending invitations. They calmed down with that. Writing and practicing hundreds of different speeches, in the end, throwing them all away in favor of just speaking from my heart.

     Friday afternoon arrived. The lobby was crowded with people munching beside tables filled with Mrs. Akech's delicacies. After each person filled their plates to overflowing, they meandered off to the meeting room. I walked into the kitchen to gather up Mrs. Akech, telling her to drop everything. She turned away and wouldn't look at me nor talk to me. With concern, I asked, "What's wrong, Mrs. Akech? Are there problems at home?"

     Keeping her head turned, she cleared her throat several times, then muttered, "I've known in my heart for a long time what you are going to tell us, Mr. JJ. I see you sitting there in your chair in your office, staring into nothing day after day. I can see a great battle that you are fighting on the inside. The Holy Spirit in me tells me many things about the hearts of other people. All those people in there, you are going to break their hearts, along with mine." At that, she turned to me with her eyes filling with tears.

     I put my arms around her, "Mrs. Akech, you are going to make me cry."

     She and I walked into the meeting room with our own plates filled with heavenly delicacies. Mabior jumped up, pulling a chair out for Mrs. Akech to sit. I set my plate on the table as I took in a deep breath.

     "Thank you all for coming. When Mark and I left the meeting where WCPN handed us this commission to form a team, we were totally clueless about where to start. Many days were spent praying for God's guidance while sequestered in our hotel room. Mark and I were frantic."

     Keeping my voice from cracking was difficult. "One morning, Mark and I decided to go out and find a coffee shop. We just sat there drinking coffee in a little coffee shop in Houston, Texas. Nothing was said. Responsibility lay heavy upon our hearts. Our spirits, along with our egos, were deflated. The excitement of the initial award had been reduced to spiritual pain. That's when Mark began to act as though someone was talking with him. I asked what was going on? He replied, "The Lord just told me to stand up and quit acting like we are dead, for He is the God of the living. Then the voice just said, 'Go!'"

     Samuel gawked at me, then uttered, "Wow! Why have you never told us about this before? I always felt you must have had a visit from God to put his stamp of approval on this holy venture. Continue, Chief."

     "Well, we went back to the hotel room to continue in prayer, but on the way in, we were approached by a man from, of all places, South Sudan, a Dinka as he informed us. He smiled and asked, 'Are you gentlemen struggling with a spiritual matter?'"

     "Both of us literally jumped back at that question. I replied, "Yes, why do you ask?"

     "His reply was, 'Have you given thought to the world's newest nation, South Sudan? The answer to your struggle may lie there, gentlemen.' Then he just walked away, never to be seen again. Our inquires as to his identity were met with negative responses. We never learned who the man was."

     "We rushed to the hotel room and searched for South Sudan on the computer. We spent the next week devouring huge chunks of info on South Sudan. A dossier was developed on the country, its government, political situation, roots in Christianity, and all the Islamic and other dangerous militia groups in North Africa. Mark and I had spent a considerable amount of our military careers in or concerned with North Africa. But we needed to refresh our knowledge and build up our Arab language skills. After going at it seven days a week for several months, it was time to go to South Sudan. We spent the next two months digging into the local Christian community. That digging with praying led us to Yei, South Sudan. For the first time, we sat down at Fred's for coffee. Trying to explain to Fred our mission. He gave us Mabior's name. Fred told us that he was an incredible Christian young man till his family's massacre had sucked the life out of him. You all know the result of that lead and the domino effect created by it to find the rest of you."

     Deng spoke up, "Chief, there is no way one can miss the implication that God has been directly involved in this mission from the beginning."

     General Iverson interrupted, "Gentlemen, there have been several instances of word from God's messengers coming to WCPN members. One only has to look at Samuel to know that God has his divine hands on this mission."

     As the meeting went on for over an hour, I decided it was time to speak my piece, "Team and guests, I have been struggling with a dilemma of late. When I took this commission from WCPN, I was up in years, past my prime. God and you men have taken up the slack that my age naturally creates. You must watch over me daily and make adjustments for the slowness that naturally creeps in as one ages. I fully knew in the beginning, as WCPN knew, that, once The Team gained the ability to function independently of me, I would step down. That time has come."

     The room was dead silent. Mrs. Akech left the room in tears. I couldn't hold the tears back anymore when I saw that everyone else was suffering the same ailment. Samuel stood slowly, asking, "Chief, what will happen to The Team? The world, Christianity needs this unit."

     I interjected with, "Samuel, this is not the end of The Team. The Team's whole is much more than the sum of its parts. All of us are loved, and any one of us being lost would hurt deeply, like Mark and Chan, but none of us are irreplaceable. The Team was designed with that very idea in mind."

     Mabior stood, he raised his hands to calm everyone, then spoke, "Chief, it has been one of the greatest honors of my life to have served under your leadership. You have treated me with nothing but the greatest respect and courtesy. As the first member chosen by Mark and you, I must say that I could never visualize the day when you or Mark would not be here among us. I know that we are capable, there is no question as to that, but capability is nothing without great leadership. Are we to become a rudderless ship?"

     Inhaling another deep breath to stave off tears, I answered his question, "A rudderless ship? Mabior, the U.S. had a president in the late seventies, Jimmy Carter, a faithful Christian. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, was a faithful Christian, also. I used one of her quotes to form my leadership style, 'A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be.'

     Once more, I cleared my throat, "Mabior, you are not just my Executive officer but a loyal and faithful friend. I have watched you grow into leadership. On numerous occasions, you have told me that you love being a Christian Soldier, but you never want to sit idly in an office while your men are out sacrificing their lives. Mabior, as your leader, at this time, I'm afraid that I have to take you where you do not necessarily want to go, but ought to and will go. I, James Jefferson, Commander of The Team, promote you to the position of Commander of The Team, replacing me in my retirement."

     All was silent for a few moments until it was absorbed into their minds. At that moment, the scene escalated into pandemonium mixed with tears for my exit. People pummeled Mabior's body with slaps, hugs, and vigorous handshakes. It took a lot of effort to calm the scene.

     Smiling, I congratulated Mabior, then asked him to speak.

     He rose slowly. I could tell his mind was going all over the place at the moment. Surprisingly he started off by cracking a smile and a joke, "Somebody by the name of Den Heijer, I think it's pronounced, said, and I paraphrase, 'When I talk to generals, I get the feeling that they are important. When I talk to Generals who are leaders, I get the feeling that I am important.'" Everybody had a good laugh at that, especially General Iverson. "I have indeed said what the Chief accuses me of saying and said it often. However, Samuel has taught me by example that I go where God sends me, and I do what God asks me to do, for it is about his will, not mine. Chief, you introduced me to Thomas Sowell, one of the greatest American Philosophers. Mr. Sowell said this about being in charge, 'People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything.' In the same manner, as our Chief, I will attempt to limit meetings. Of course, if Mrs. Akech, bless her heart, continues to create masterpieces such as this laid out before us, I cannot promise anything. Okay, I'm out of words at this point."

     Mabior sucked in a deep breath, "Contrary to what all of you must think, I was totally in the dark about this. However, make no mistake, this is truly a great honor. I shall do my best to live up to any expectations. Thank you. We all will miss you, Chief."

     General Iverson, seeing that as a good spot to introduce his news to The Team. He stood up and pinged his water glass several times with his spoon, "Gentlemen, Commander Mabior and the rest of you men are the most highly vetted men on this earth. You have no worries as to who is your new Commander or who is sitting around you. You are the "creme de la creme. I tell you this because I want you to know that none of you, whether due to illness, injury, or age, will be allowed to be put out to pasture. To prove this point, WCPN, with 100% of the board consenting, has given General James Jefferson a new position; OIC, Officer in Charge, of acquisition. His office will be built in this very compound per his request. He will not be here to spy on the new Commander or any other of your operations other than to lend technical and operational support. Let's welcome our new OIC of Weapons Acquisition." The room exploded with cheers. The General continued, "To replace Mabior as Executive Officer takes a huge man that is tall in experience and his devotion to God. The one man that stands out in this respect is huge in every respect. Mr. Samuel Nathanael Winston, stand up, son."

    General Iverson waited for the applause to subside, then continued, "Congratulations, once again, the vote was 100% in favor of Samuel's promotion." The room erupted in cheers once more.

     General Iverson reached over to shake Samuel's hand. After that, he put on his game face, as we referred to it. "Gentlemen, The Team has a space to fill. I have been given a man's name to consider by Mr. Jefferson. The name was previously unknown to you all, but he has been thoroughly vetted. He comes with astounding references in studies and athletic abilities. His name is Chad Shaw. Mr. Artie Shaw has given me permission to give you info concerning his son and his relationship. Chad is Mr. Shaw's illegitimate son that he has supported and mainly raised in secrecy. Chad has lived with his mother, that never married Mr. Shaw. His Mother and Father made sure that he was raised in the church and well educated, especially in Biblical studies. As to athletic skills, they are solid when you consider that he plays for Arsenal in England. He made it clear that his dream is to be a member of The Team and that he will forfeit his contract if chosen. Next week, Chad Shaw will fly here to be assessed in person by you all. The vote will be taken at that time. Thank you."

     A lot of whispers and aside conversations went on at the news of the recruit. Artie answered all questions with the look of a very proud father.

     Leah stood to address the crowd. She began, "Sam and I think all of you should know a couple of things about us. I was sent here to deliver an official offer in writing from the Director of Mossad. He has invited Sam to become a member of that organization."

     The room was brought again to whispering and aside conversations. I asked for quiet then motioned for Leah to continue.

     "Sam, with my complete support and backing, has turned down this offer that is a great honor for him. He wishes, in his humility, for me to tell you this, 'Here is where God has planted him, and this is where he shall stay until God assigns him elsewhere or he outgrows any usefulness.'  Also, Sam and I wish to announce that we shall marry two months from today in Tel Aviv. Of course, every one of you is ordered to be there or be executed. JJ will serve as best man. One last item - shortly before the wedding, I will resign from Mossad to become a full-time wife and soon, if God is willing, a mother of our children."

     I thanked Leah for the wonderful news and congratulated her and Samuel. After all the life-altering announcements this afternoon, I think everyone was a total wreck. It was then that I noticed Mrs. Akech quietly returning to the room. She made her way over to me. Her comment was, "What a sad and happy day that our Lord has brought to us."

       Yes, the meeting had ended with sadness laced through with new hope. The Team was and is strong. Some organizations with this many strong personalities can self-destruct, but The Team was built with strict codes of reliance on God, His word, His will. Complaining and second-guessing leadership are looked down upon. There is an outlet for complaints or concerns that carry no repercussions. Gossip is forbidden. Respect is demanded of everyone.

     Overall, it was a day of great new beginnings and continued excellence. Upon close examination, I wasn't actually leaving, and the transition to a new Commander and Executive Commander was off to a strong start by promoting from within. Excellence should be expected from an organization devoted to God.

     A week flew by. The CTeam and I stood in a single-line formation to give a warm send-off to The Team. This was their first mission since Mabior had taken command a week ago. Gradually, I had been turning over the control to him for years. The actual transition was smooth.

     The men made their appearance marching toward the waiting C130 in single file. I called the CTeam to attention as they neared, then ordered a  salute. It was all done in a very snappy military manner. I was as proud of the CTeam as I was of The Team. With Mabior in the lead, The Team came alongside us and stopped. Mabior fell out of formation to come over and give me a big hug. Then, Everyone broke formation to give me a tearful hug. I had promised myself that I would not get emotional. Right.

     After hugs, they surrounded me, and all began to chant, "For God, for God, for God," quietly at first, rising slowly to a crescendo. The CTeam and I joined in. It was emotional.

     Finally, Mabior called out, "On the plane! Remember, he ain't going nowhere. He'll be here when we return. The Chief's got that cushy job that's going to make him very fat, very soon." The laughs resounded.

     As the ramp closed and the four mighty motors fired off one by one, we backed away to the fence. The sound of the plane's engines increased dramatically as it began a slow taxi to the takeoff point. Soon, exhaust billowed as the pilot brought the motors to full rev with brakes on. As he released the brakes, the pilot guided the plane on what began as a slow lumber down the runway. Its speed picked up quickly, then the dark-green bird lifted powerfully into the air. The wheels were sucked up into its belly as it climbed at a steep angle skyward. Just as we began to turn and leave, someone shouted, "They're coming back!" Sure enough, the pilot gracefully leveled the plane, then flew a wide-sweeping circle back, making a very low-altitude pass directly over us with wings waving adieu. All of us returned the wave enthusiastically. Standing there like a contingent of plane-spotters, we watched till it faded south into the early morning sky.

     As we watched the plane disappear, I recalled the last words I spoke to The Team over dinner the previous evening, "Don't you understand? It's not just Samuel. When I found you, you were all short in height, helpless, and beaten down by life. However, every one of you was tall in courage. Not one of you refused our offer, filled with brutal expectations and danger. It has been my honor to lead you."

     Having ignored my phone's vibrating for some time, I needed to answer, "Hello. Morning General Iverson, how are you? How many hostages? Well, The Team just lifted off for Nigeria. I know that you know that, sir. Do what? The CTeam are mostly kids! I know there are six or seven that look like adults. Samuel told you that? Well, yes, they are highly trained, but..."

 

THE END

Actually, it's only the end of the beginning. See you later.