A Miracle in Morocco
Scott spent the past month down in Agadir, Morocco, which is on the western coast of North Africa, near the Sahara Desert. He was part of the US military presence from Vicenza who were invited to participate in African Lion, a major and multi-country military exercise that takes place every two years.
On the days when he had a little extra time in the early mornings, he would go for a run along the beach or on the promenade that runs parallel to the beach. He would often send me a photo of something he saw along the way.
View looking up toward the Kasbah on the hill above Agadir from the water's edge . . . (if only I could remember what it says in Arabic up on the hillside - something about praise to Allah I think)
The moon glowing above the waves of the Atlantic Ocean . . . (sorry that his phone takes more blurry photos)
View from his new room at The View (aptly named), where he stayed for another 10 days or so . . .
I need to throw in this recent photo of Abdel (on the left) with his friend Muhammed. Abdel is from Agadir, which is how we met in the first place back in 2022. But he is now working for the Prince in Doha, Qatar with Muhammed. I'm including Abdel in this post is because he and I swapped information regularly when it became apparent that Scott needed to stay down there a little longer . . .
Here's what happened, as best as I understand the story:
There was a group of Army soldiers (NOT from Vicenza) who were stationed out on the coast of Morocco as part of African Lion. Their camp was near Tan Tan. After the day's training events were done, a group of soldiers decided to walk over to the cliffs to watch the sunset together.
Specialist Mariyah Collington, a 19 year old female from Florida, somehow fell off the cliff and down into the ocean below. I hope it wasn't one of those times where she was trying to take a photo and then down she went . . .
Those still in the group on top of the cliff immediately pulled off their belts and attempted to form a human chain to reach her down below, but the waves carried her quite a ways out almost instantly.
That's when the second soldier jumped in to help rescue her, 1st Lt. Kendrick Key Jr. (27 years old and from Virginia). One story that I read early on said that when he jumped in, there was some concern because he was not known to be a strong swimmer. Scott told me that when Key jumped in, he hit a rock and then disappeared under the cliff where the sea had worn down the rocks and there were several hidden caves. He was never to be seen again until his body was found 8 days later.
Stories also reported that a third soldier jumped in, but when he/she wasn't able to make any headway, they somehow made it out of the water to safety, thank goodness.
Over the next several days, between 600-1,000 people helped with the search for both soldiers. Scott was asked to stay behind to assist, even though the bulk of the US military left to go home at the end of African Lion. His job was to oversee the huge map that was expertly crafted by both he and his colleague, John. The map showed where all of the assets were actively working and searching, grid by grid. Assets included drones, boats, divers, big planes and smaller planes, helicopters, K-9 search dogs, and military personnel who would rappel down the cliffs one section at a time and then move over to a new area and rappel again. Their intent was to search all of the caves below the cliffs, one by one.
On Scott's screen, he could see where everyone was and what they were doing. He could see the weather patterns and the ocean currents that were being provided by the US Coast Guard. They had a real-time clock that showed exactly how many hours, minutes, and seconds the search was underway. Any feedback or chatter that came through the various channels of communication he would then organize up on the giant computer screen so that they had real-time updates constantly. Occasionally, a General would enter the room to see what was happening, and they were always a bit incredulous about the quality of the map and all of the highly innovative technology that had been incorporated. That's my guy right there. XO
What started out on May 2nd took several days for eventual closure to take place . . .
Lt. Key was found 8 days later on May 9th, the day before Mother's Day. His body was found not too far from where he originally jumped in.
The search continued for Spc. Collington, as hope began to wane and despair began to escalate.
On Monday, May 11th, Scott said that during their morning briefing, there was a sense of urgency because it had now been 200 hours since Spc. Collington fell into the sea. Conditions were perfect for finding her that day: the sea was calm, the weather was great, and everyone would be able to actively do their jobs without interference. One of the Generals told the group that they needed to do everything in their power to find her and to treat the search as if she was THEIR daughter. The Chaplain spoke about how the Savior left the 99 to go in search of the one, which brought a powerful spirit into the room. Scott was wiping tears away, along with some of the others. The power of Heaven was almost palpable in their briefing room.
Inspired and motivated, everyone worked so hard for the entire day, but she was not found.
They knew that the weather would not be as favorable the following day, and that proved to be true. The wind was blowing pretty hard, making the sea choppy, wild, and very dangerous. Some of the assets weren't able to do their jobs because it was not safe to do so. One of the smaller boats out on the water was overturned by the rough waves, causing another rescue to be performed. Eventually, the capsized boat also blew back into shore and was recovered.
Late in the day, when most of the hope was gone, that's when the miracle took place.
The tide was at its lowest by now, and suddenly someone spotted her. Her body had somehow washed up into one of the caves that was close to the area where she originally fell in. Those caves had been thoroughly searched multiple times already, but nevertheless, there she was . . .
Scott messaged me soon after with just two recognizable words: "Got her".
As I burst into tears and began pouring out my heart to God in gratitude, he sent me another message soon after: "I will let you know how God did it".
Essentially, he and everyone else had to come to the realization that:
~ Even though Monday was a perfect recipe for success, that's not always when God performs His miracles.
~ Tuesday was ripe for disappointment, and yet that's when God showed forth His power.
~ They all put in 100% effort and did their very best on Monday, and that's something they could be proud of, even though it didn't end with the results they wanted. There was not one tiny thing more they could have done better or differently. They gave it their all.
~ When they put in their best efforts and didn't ever give up, that's all that God wanted from them. They didn't need to feel like they had somehow failed.
~ God was with them all along. He let them know this especially during the meeting on Monday morning, when His holy presence was almost palpable.
~ When all the efforts had been exhausted and there was nothing more the teams could do, THAT'S when God stepped in. There was no mistaking Who caused her body to be found in the way that it was found. And they all knew it.
I had done my best to give Scott a pep talk on the phone Monday night, when he was so disappointed that they didn't find her that day. I told him that Heavenly Father isn't always going to perform His miracles when the skies are sunny and the weather is perfect and all the circumstances are favorable and pointing toward success. Although He certainly can, and He does - when He feels it is best to do so. More often, however, He will show His magnificent power and loving kindness when things could not be any worse. There may not be any discernable solutions from our limited human perspective in those moments, but God's love becomes very apparent when His undeniable miracle takes place in our behalf. The miracle becomes even more incredible BECAUSE there were no other options available!
As Scott lamented that Monday evening that the next day's weather was going to be horrible, I responded with, "Then that's the kind of day when God can perform His best miracles!"
And He did.
Working with the Moroccans was such a heartwarming experience according to Scott. He said that not only were they super capable, skilled, and professional, but they were so friendly and kind during all of the search efforts. The Moroccans are the oldest continuous ally with the United States, and this was no exception.
A couple of the Moroccan pilots (and some of the Moroccan military officers) sent messages in their group chat before everyone packed up to leave. Some of the comments were simply:
~ "Before leaving, just wanted to express my condolences. It was great to work with all of you guys."
~ "It was an honor and a privilege to work alongside all of you."
I am still genuinely sad that two people lost their lives unnecessarily. When I read about how thoughtful, loving, and encouraging Specialist Collington was as a person, and how extremely and profoundly she will be missed, my heart just breaks.
And Lt. Key . . . wow. To lose your life because you were trying to save someone else's is one of the greatest and most heroic things you can do. Still, what a tragedy. However, I'm sure they both hugged for a long time in heaven . . .
I have now received all of the items I ordered from Etsy in regards to the movie, "Project Hail Mary". If you want a movie full of hope and humanity, then this is your movie to watch. I promise.
One of the things I ordered was this hat that says, "Amaze, Amaze, Amaze". (sorry the photo is backwards, ha ha)
After coming home from my recent wellness retreat in Slovenia, we ordered me a vibration plate. Scott enjoys it, too, especially when his body is sore from running. He said it jiggles some of the tension out and he feels better and less tight afterwards. We love it so much that we ordered one for our daughter Amber's birthday, and also one for our neighbor Kim's birthday at the end of April. They love it, too!
My little garden has produced a total of 4 strawberries so far . . .
Scott hauled all of my heavy planter boxes downstairs from the balcony before he went to Morocco, and then set up a watering system so they didn't die while we were both gone for a time. He lined them all up so nicely at the edge of the lawn and out of the way of Bruno's lawnmower.
He bought a couple of drip systems with a programmable timer to keep everything hydrated in our absence. And he scrounged up an old recycle bin from the garage to fill up with water for my little garden. After testing it out, we then asked Bruno if he could just top off the blue bucket every 4 days while I was gone to West Virginia.
After I got home from my trip, I hauled everything back upstairs and out onto the balcony again. It looked way too bare without the flowers, so I decided it was worth the effort, especially since we didn't know how long Scott would be delayed down in Morocco.
The plants all survived, but a few of them had been chomped up a bit by whatever insects found the leaves super tasty . . . They seem safe and more protected up on the balcony, so that's great.
More wisteria . . .
Rewinding a bit further to mid-April, Scott and I saw so many beautiful blooms everywhere on our daily walks, including this wisteria just a few paces south of our house . . .
Bright yellow canola just around the corner from the wisteria . . .
I put in a little bit of effort to organize our laundry room a bit one day. The clutter used to be a lot more out of control, but now it's nicely situated in baskets with the use of a new storage rack over the washer. Again, we have no dryer, unless you count the SUN, ha ha.
Sister Vitale (from Naples), Sister Tenney, and Sister Perry - who I drove to the train station on the day of her transfer to the Milan area . . .
And she's so precise, too! I couldn't believe it. She had a popsicle shape perfectly cut out in about 90 seconds . . .
We continue to have the most incredible sunsets every single night. It blows my mind how epic they are. ALL THE TIME. They never get tiresome, though. They're just awesome.
I tried a new recipe while Scott was still down in Morocco. It was from an Instagram reel made by a young guy who is a chef. He likes to try out recipes that have gone viral on social media and then let everyone know if was Gas or Trash (amazing or terrible). This one looked so good - and low carb - so I had to try it, too.
It's essentially some ground turkey that you flatten out somewhat thinly into the shape of a tortilla . . .
Spread on a thin layer of cream cheese onto half of the turkey meat . . .
Add on some baby spinach and sliced tomatoes, with some of your favorite seasonings . . .
Sprinkle with mozzarella . . .
Fold over (yeah, right, lol) and sprinkle a little bit of Italian breadcrumbs on top before baking.
They turned out alright . . . It's hard to articulate what it needed exactly, though. It had all the right things going for it, but maybe it was just an overall texture thing that I didn't like. The meat was just "okay", too. Maybe if it was lean ground beef it could have been better??? I don't know. I'll need to think about how to improve it and then give it another go. I wasn't super fond of the breadcrumbs on top either.
On Mother's Day our Bishop purchased a wide variety of chocolate bars for all the ladies, along with several inspirational quotes that we could choose from and take one home. I snatched up the one from Princess Diana . . .
When our dear friends, John and Addie Mae Pyne, learned that Scott wasn't home yet and that I would be spending Mother's Day alone, John said, "Nope. Not on my watch!" And so I ended up at their house for dinner later that evening. The raspberry cream cheese cake was the star of the show, something that Addie Mae had made the day before. It was so naughty, but oh so divine at the same time . . . XO
I chatted with Jack about how his cousin Azure found a caterpillar and made a little habitat for it. He had lots of questions about the caterpillar and Azure's experience, while I had lots of questions about what kinds of bugs and stuff that he's been finding in his own backyard in Minneapolis.
Then it was time to wrestle with his sister, ha ha . . . He's so cute about saying things to her like, "Aw Maisie, ya pinned me again!"
Hilarious meme photo of Maisie and Jack, either before or after church . . . LOL
Here's a cute video of Maisie trotting all over the hillside: (41 seconds)
And a video of Jack holding a fistful of squirmy wormies: (30 seconds)
Next up was a phone call with Amber and her girls . . . Everyone is doing great up in the Pacific Northwest. They are enjoying each day with their new puppy named Griffin. A puppy is a lot of work, but Amber has put in a ton of research as the primary caregiver, since the girls are gone to school all day and West is at work. Griff has added a positive energy to their family and he is so well-loved.
Here's a funny video of Griff sliding down the foam block that they use as a ladder for him to get up onto their lap while sitting on the couch: (22 seconds)
We had a humdinger of a storm last week while Scott was still down in Morocco. It took place in many stages, with dark ominous clouds, followed by lightning and thunder, and then torrential rain and even some hail. At the end, we got a spectacular DOUBLE RAINBOW!!
Video of some of the strongest moments of the wind a-blowing: (33 seconds)
For reference, Vicenza is usually very calm with no breeze, or a very light breeze, or no wind at all. I felt bad for anyone who was out on their bicycle during that storm . . . yikes.
We had a great opportunity pop up where Rachel McGovern could take the framed gift in her suitcase from Vicenza, and then haul it directly up to Germany in person to then hand off to Sherry this week. Rachel's son is competing in the Track Euros up there, sort of like a National competition for all the military high school students. The alternative would have been to ship it and hope that it would make it in time before June 1st.
The weather has been so mild and enjoyable, which meant that I've been getting outside for a nice long walk on most days.
I've been looking forward to every evening to see what the sunset will look like that night. This one was an exceptional capture . . . it makes me want to cry it's so beautiful. It reminds me of how God's love and His light can penetrate through anything. You just need to pay attention and you'll see Him in your life.
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