"God, I need a crane.....really!"

God was busy changing history in Barrio Ingles. Never before had there been an evangelical church in this rough neighborhood where the saying goes, “Enter if you want to--leave if you can.” In other words, many people had entered this bar and brothel-infested section of town, only to be shot, stabbed, mugged or drugged.

But now, our church-planting team had entered, and we were there to stay. People were being saved. Yes—life-changing, genuine transformation through Christ.

The new church building was going up, and Pastor Omar Moya was preaching words of life to the searching people. But we had a problem. The trusses for the roof of the new church were welded steel. They were heavy, and they were big. We had no way to erect them.

“God, we need a crane!”

Back in 1989, tropical storm Roxy had swept through La Ceiba, Honduras. A cargo ship, the “Boston” had been docked just a few blocks away from the new church, which also sat on the beach.

During the storm, the waves rammed the Boston against the wooden dock again and again until it smashed completely through, leaving the big boat drifting. Raging surf then pushed the ship up on the beach just a few feet from the church. And there it sat in its sandy grave.

It was an ugly, rusting hulk of a thing that just sat there, oxidizing in the salt spray. It was just a big hunk of junk—scrap metal! And nobody could move it.

Wait---what’s that sound? That rumbling growl. It’s a big diesel engine. But where is it? Oh—it’s coming toward the beach!

It was the crane! And that crane had finally come to dismantle and haul away the rusty remains of Boston. Panel by panel, the torches cut away sections of the hull. But they were just getting started.

Going down to talk to the operator, my fellow missionary, Larry Burke, proposed that the crane operator allow us to hire him and his machine to lift the heavy trusses into place. And that’s what happened. In half a day the job was done. No problem.

But…..just a couple of days later that crane disappeared. Yep! All work on salvaging Boston came to an abrupt halt. The crane left. Just plain gone. Nothing. Nada. And it never came back.

Where did that big crane that had shown up “out of the blue” go? And why? Had God really SENT that crane to help us?

You will never be able to convice this boy otherwise. Cause I saw it happen.

And the church? Today it still radiates the love of Jesus to that barrio—the first church to ever “survive” in Barrio Ingles.

And Boston? Well, she still sits there, rusting on the beach just a few feet away from the church.
Oh yeah, “Thanks for sending us that crane, Lord. And now I need a …….”