sorry this blog is out of order, seeing as I have still not even written about where I am this month, but it is more important…
yesterday we met Jean Claude. he is an 18 year old who was in a vehicle accident about a month ago here in Cape Town.
today marks 2 months since our car accident in Malawi.
how are these two related you ask?? Well, our day started off normal. we went to MES to minister for the morning and then we headed to Powerhouse church to sit in on a class they had there. We spoke mostly about the race and how God was moving in all our lives. After the class was over, a man came up to us and asked if we didn’t mind going to the hospital down the road to pray for a young man. We weren’t told any information other then he had been in a car accident recently. The man had heard our testimony about the accident, and how Tommy had miraculously walked the day after; so he thought we could be an encouragement. We said “sure of course,” and left having no idea what we were about to experience.
We drove over to the hospital, and walked into a shared room. We entered to the view of Jean Claude, and it felt like a ton of bricks hit me. I saw a guy my age, lying helpless, skinny, and with a mask on his face helping him breathe. I saw a young man who by the looks of it was not very coherent, and had obviously suffered brain damage. I saw a guy who looked desperate to understand what was going on, who I could tell wanted to speak but couldn’t, who wanted to touch but couldn’t. I saw pictures his family had placed up on the wall adjacent from him- pictures of what he used to look like just a month ago. pictures of someone who had a normal life, just like me. A guy who’s life had been changed drastically in a matter of minutes. Next to the pictures I saw instructions from the nurses on how and when to move him from his front to his back because he is immobile. I saw a child of God, precious and helpless. My heart cried out for him.
Our whole team felt it, the atmosphere instantly changed. It felt as if all my joy was sucked right out of me. We immediately started to pray. I have never felt so much compassion for a stranger before. There in that hospital bed was someone who could just have easily been Tommy or Daniel or Melissa or Natalie or Juliette or Caleb or Kimberly or even myself just two months ago from our accident. I began to ask God “why?? Why is it this young man is lying here and not me? Why did you heal Tommy and not this boy?? why God, why????”
Tommy explained to Jean Claude why we were there and what had happened to us recently as well. I don’t know how much Jean Claude understood of what we said and prayed, but I know God used our story today. He used it not only for Jean Claude, but to remind us as well how precious our lives are. He reminded me just how powerful and mighty He is. We also got to pray over the nurses who have been taking care of him. We all left the hospital in tears, and pretty shook up. No one said a word, and we all wanted to do more. We all wanted to trade places with him, we all were so confused.
I am reading The Shack right now and when I got home I read this part:
God is explaining the “why” to Mack (the main character) about the murder of his little girl and Mack says to God: “I don’t even understand what you just told me.” and God says back: “I know. I didn’t tell you (or show you in our case today) so that you would understand right now. I told you for later.“
I don’t have an answer for why God chooses who and what happens in our lives. All I know though is to keep my faith and pray. It is crazy the people God places in your path. I believe Jean Claude was placed in our path as a reality check to remind us to be thankful that we are alive. I believe he was placed in our path to share his story with you guys so we can lift him up in major prayer, so that a miracle can take place. Join us in praying for him please. He needs a miracle, and I have no doubt one can happen. God showed us a miracle when He saved our lives and Jean Claude is no different than any of us.
(below is a video Daniel made based on our accident. I was going to post this before we met Jean Claude today. it is pretty tough to watch (nanny and mom, I don’t recommend you watching it), but I wanted to share our testimony so God’s glory can continue to be seen- viewer discretion is advised)
