Unexpected Endings

Homeschooling with our son Caleb has provided many learning opportunities. I often think that we are learning more than he is!Yesterday, our family was able to re-live two of history's "great dreams" as we visited Oklahoma City's Omniplex and OmniDome. Both stories took place in the early 20th century, just a few years apart. Both began with great hope. Both saw those hopes crushed and shattered. The results in both were completely unexpected and unimagined.

As we stepped through the darkened entryway, we were transported back in time. The year was 1909. We strolled through a large shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. Looming high above our heads - eleven stories - was a mass of steel that would be forever remembered as the Titanic. Construction took more than three years, as over 15,000 men constructed this ship of dreams. Almost the length of three football fields, the ship was the largest moving object ever created by man up to that time. The artifact exhibit led us on a journey through the life of this great lady, giving us a peek into authentic recreations of her rooms, decks, hallways, and the lavish first-class grand staircase. On April 14, 1912, just five days into her maiden voyage, the Titanic would bump and scrape a spur of ice hidden beneath the surface. What was thought to be unsinkable disappeared in just a few hours. Of the over 2200 on board, only 705, less than one third, survived.

Our journey in time continued in the OmniDome IMAX theatre. The year is now 1914 and we are in London, England. Nearly 5000 men have responded to a newspaper ad placed by Sir Ernest Shackleton: "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success." Fifty-six men are selected for two crews. Shackleton, and twenty-seven of the men set out on the ship, Endurance, for the Weddell Sea. Their goal - to make the first trans-continental crossing of Antarctica. Conditions are extremely harsh.

Original photography and 35mm motion picture footage, enhanced with re-enactments, allow us to travel along on their journey through majestic ice floes, into treacherous waters. Eventually, the ship becomes trapped in the packed ice of the Weddell Sea. In the end, the ship will be crushed by the pressure of the ice, leaving the men stranded, with no way to communicate with the outside world and no hope of rescue. At the mercy of wind and currents, the ice floe drifts northward toward uninhabited Elephant Island, well outside the path of existing shipping lanes. Shackleton's only choice is to take the crew's rescue into his own hands. He and five others will attempt the impossible by sailing 800 miles through the world's worst seas to South Georgia Island in a 22-foot lifeboat - a feat that will be known as one of the greatest open boat journeys of all time.

The 22 men left behind on Elephant Island know this is their last chance. If Shackleton fails, there will be no way of anyone knowing where they are. Fourteen days later, the six men spot the high cliffs of South Georgia Island. But they must wait two more days to reach shore as they weather one of the worst hurricanes ever experienced by Shackleton. Finally, they land on an uninhabited part of the island, and find themselves facing a challenging 26 miles of uncharted mountains and glaciers - a route considered impassable. Shackleton and two others set out on foot to reach the whaling station on the other side of the island. Despite starvation, frostbite, and lack of appropriate climbing tools, they make the journey in just 36 hours.

Shackleton himself will return to rescue the men left behind, though bad weather delays his trip for four more months. Not one of the 28 men will be lost after spending almost two years in the barren, frigid Antarctic. Though they never accomplished their goal, Shackleton and his men became impressive examples of survival, courage, and endurance.

These stories do have several things in common. Yet, one thing in particular stands out - neither story ends the way that would be expected. With the unthinkable sinking of the Titanic, over two thirds of those on board are lost. In Shackleton's Antarctic adventure, all 28 men survive - in spite of certain failure and the expected loss of most, if not all of his crew. Often, life takes unexpected turns. One venture, marked for success, lies in ruin; while another, sure to fail, reaches unimagined heights. In the Bible, Paul said it this way, "Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful" (1 Corinthians 1:27 NLT).

Is there any hope for the unexpected turns life throws at us? Find out at http://www.hereshope.net/.

Learn more about the Titanic and Sir Ernest Shackleton at these sites:

http://www.titanic.com/

http://www.omniplex.org/html/titanic_media.html

http://www.south-pole.com/p0000098.htm

http://www.omniplex.org/html/shackleton.html

If you're interested, there is more information about:
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Contributed by Steve Klusmeyer,sklusmeyer@yahoo.comRead more writings by Steve athttp://216.74.109.125/by-steve.html