Session 1: God Leads
Core Passage: Numbers 9:15-23
News Story Summary
Authorities in Sardinia, an island off the Southern coast of Italy, recently gave visitors a stern warning: don’t rely on Google maps. Tourists have been following their phone’s directions down roads unsuitable for cars. In the past two years, emergency services have responded to nearly 150 calls to rescue stranded people who were on the hunt for the pristine and uncluttered beaches the island is known for.
The tipping point came when two tourists driving a Porsche got stuck at the top of a cliff several hundred feet above the shoreline they were trying to reach. The car couldn’t be turned around safely. Rescue crews hiked to the tourists where they physically lifted the car and pointed it back down the mountain.
Since the cost of the rescues falls to the towns where the rescue teams are located (and not the tourists), some government officials are trying to get Google Maps blocked on the island.