Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
Galatians 5:13 “For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
Romans 12:21 “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
John 1:3-5 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
This past week, Colonel (retired) Gail Halvorsen passed away after a rich long life. He is better known at Lt Gail Halvorsen, and best known as The Candy Bomber.
In June of 1948, the military of the Soviet Union blockaded the city of West Berlin and its 2-million citizens. This city was placed under siege by Russian forces, with no way to deliver food, fuel, medicine, and other supplies over land. In the face of this malicious Russian activity, the people were filled with doubt and despair, realizing that they would quickly starve without a creative solution for support.
The United States Air Force, and its allies and partners, quickly provided the needed support via a robust air-bridge that delivered supplies. During the height of the operation, aircraft landed in West Berlin every three minutes around the clock. It was known as the Berlin Airlift, and it successfully broke the will of the Soviet forces after nearly a year of persistent and effective airlift activity. But, there was a young hero that played an oversized role in bringing hope to the citizens of Berlin during this time – the Candy Bomber.
After talking to a group of kids in Berlin between airlift missions, Lt Gail Halvorsen determined that there was something extra he could do to cast light and convey hope to these young citizens under siege – he could drop candy to them from the air. As a result, Halvorsen and his crew created small parachutes with a candy payload, and after rocking his wings, he would launch these treats to the children waiting below. Throughout the Berlin Airlift, and through the support of many around the world, The Candy Bomber launched over 250,000 parachutes, piercing the darkness with light and spreading joy, hope, and resilience through kindness in a world that was filled with tyranny, persecution, strife, and uncertainty.
Christians must live our lives providing parachutes of hope. People all around us are filled with doubt and despair, overwhelmed by a world characterized by tyranny, persecution, strife, and uncertainty. They are starving for truth. We can offer them joy, hope and resilience through our kindness and the truth of our message.
PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE WILLING VESSELS TO OVERCOME THE EVIL OF THIS WORLD WITH GOOD. May we launch parachutes of hope through our words, our actions, and our message.
