on the road to salima
we were all very excited. we were headed to lake malawi for
a few days of rest before heading back to lilongwe. and even though i had been
in malawi for less than a week, my 10 days straight of traveling around eastern
europe combined with my 24 hour travel day from bucharest to lilongwe (via
london and addis abba), had sapped a lot of my energy. plus, i was told how
amazingly beautiful the lake is and that if i can swing it, i should definitely
check it out. so i was pumped. i couldn’t wait to take photos. in fact, i had
my camera sitting on my lap as we drove so i could take pictures along the way.
i had also grabbed my book i picked up during my layover in london. it’s called
long way down…it’s about two guys that
travel through africa on their motorcycles. i’ve been wanting to read it for
over a year so i was stoked to find it at the airport. dan, my logistics pal,
started reading my copy…so we took turns on our way to the lake…
everyone hopped in the mini bus (similar to a vw van…minus
the seatbelts). there were eight of us, plus the driver and his buddy. i said a
prayer for all of us before heading out and then we were on our way. we picked
up a few more passengers and stopped at a roadside stand selling instruments
and head dresses. my teammate caleb bought a djembe. so now we were off again,
and this time with the occasional beat of the drum whenever caleb got the urge.
i could see a smile on the face of our driver, felix, everytime he layed down a
beat. (i think malawians enjoy it when westerners make music. lets face
it…without africa there would be no elvis, moby, dr dre, or ray lamontagne.) we
were stopped at a police checkpoint and after about twenty minutes (and our
driver slipping them some cash), they let us through. a part of me wish they
hadn’t, because i wasn’t ready for what was about to happen.
the seatbelts). there were eight of us, plus the driver and his buddy. i said a
prayer for all of us before heading out and then we were on our way. we picked
up a few more passengers and stopped at a roadside stand selling instruments
and head dresses. my teammate caleb bought a djembe. so now we were off again,
and this time with the occasional beat of the drum whenever caleb got the urge.
i could see a smile on the face of our driver, felix, everytime he layed down a
beat. (i think malawians enjoy it when westerners make music. lets face
it…without africa there would be no elvis, moby, dr dre, or ray lamontagne.) we
were stopped at a police checkpoint and after about twenty minutes (and our
driver slipping them some cash), they let us through. a part of me wish they
hadn’t, because i wasn’t ready for what was about to happen.
i was sitting in the front middle seat with the driver to my
right and daniel on my left. my eyes were closed as i listened to my ipod. all
of a sudden i heard a loud thumping and rattling sound and the van began to
shake. i thought an axle had broke, turns out that the right rear tire blew. we
were going about 110km per hour (approx 70mph). i could see the panic on the
face of our driver, felix. he clinched super tight to the steering wheel and we
started veering right, so he turned left and then we started swerving and the
van made a sharp left turn…and i knew….i knew we were going to roll. everything
got silent and procedural for me.
very calmly i told myself, “juliette, you’re going to roll. tuck your
head between your knees. cover your head. Lord, please protect me.�
right and daniel on my left. my eyes were closed as i listened to my ipod. all
of a sudden i heard a loud thumping and rattling sound and the van began to
shake. i thought an axle had broke, turns out that the right rear tire blew. we
were going about 110km per hour (approx 70mph). i could see the panic on the
face of our driver, felix. he clinched super tight to the steering wheel and we
started veering right, so he turned left and then we started swerving and the
van made a sharp left turn…and i knew….i knew we were going to roll. everything
got silent and procedural for me.
very calmly i told myself, “juliette, you’re going to roll. tuck your
head between your knees. cover your head. Lord, please protect me.�
i knew there was a really good chance that i could die. lets
face it…no seatbelt, front middle seat, going 70mph. i also know i serve a
mighty God who goes before me in all things. i felt the first hit…then all i
remember is knowing i’m rolling around but feeling like i was in a protective
bubble. i don’t know how to describe it, but i felt a covering around me. we
finally came to a stop and i opened my eyes. all i could see was the sky. my
first thought… “we landed right side up. thank you God. oh my gosh, thank you!�
the first of many ways God’s providence prevailed. i heard dan say “we got to
get out of here, we got to get out.� i found myself with my feet on the
dashboard and the rest of my body crammed down between the seat and floor. i saw
that the windshield was completely gone and i tried to climb out that way. but
i was so disoriented that i couldn’t connect my thoughts to my actions. then
dan opened the side door and i was able to slowly crawl out.
face it…no seatbelt, front middle seat, going 70mph. i also know i serve a
mighty God who goes before me in all things. i felt the first hit…then all i
remember is knowing i’m rolling around but feeling like i was in a protective
bubble. i don’t know how to describe it, but i felt a covering around me. we
finally came to a stop and i opened my eyes. all i could see was the sky. my
first thought… “we landed right side up. thank you God. oh my gosh, thank you!�
the first of many ways God’s providence prevailed. i heard dan say “we got to
get out of here, we got to get out.� i found myself with my feet on the
dashboard and the rest of my body crammed down between the seat and floor. i saw
that the windshield was completely gone and i tried to climb out that way. but
i was so disoriented that i couldn’t connect my thoughts to my actions. then
dan opened the side door and i was able to slowly crawl out.
by the time i got out, there were at least 50 malawians
standing around and staring and yelling and talking and some trying to help. it
was chaos. my first thought was, “is everyone okay? do i see everyone?� i
looked in the van and kimberly was crawling on the seat towards the side
passenger window that had been knocked out. she was crying and i grabbed her
and pulled her out of the window saying, “it’s okay sweetie. you’re okay.� i
had seen out of the corner of my eye that caleb was already on the phone with
someone (good job man), woody was out and walking and so was melissa and
natalie (praise God). all of this happening within seconds. then i heard tommy.
he was moaning loudly over and over. i looked around and all of a sudden i saw
his legs sticking out from under the van.
standing around and staring and yelling and talking and some trying to help. it
was chaos. my first thought was, “is everyone okay? do i see everyone?� i
looked in the van and kimberly was crawling on the seat towards the side
passenger window that had been knocked out. she was crying and i grabbed her
and pulled her out of the window saying, “it’s okay sweetie. you’re okay.� i
had seen out of the corner of my eye that caleb was already on the phone with
someone (good job man), woody was out and walking and so was melissa and
natalie (praise God). all of this happening within seconds. then i heard tommy.
he was moaning loudly over and over. i looked around and all of a sudden i saw
his legs sticking out from under the van.
i rushed over while one of the other passengers was trying
to climb out of the window…his head gushing blood…and down the back of my
pants. i felt bad for not helping him, but i had to get to tommy and i knew
there were people around to grab the man. i immediately saw that tommy was
pinned. i started screaming, “TOMMY! WE HAVE TO GET TOMMY! HELP ME GET TOMMY!�
dan, caleb and i lifted the van and melissa pulled him out swiftly by his pant
legs (way to go woman). i immediately saw the puncture wound bleeding from his
lower left side. natalie was there and applied pressure and i immediately layed
hands on my brother’s forehead and screamed my prayers to Jesus. i could hear
tommy mumbling, “yes God. yes God.� in agreement.
to climb out of the window…his head gushing blood…and down the back of my
pants. i felt bad for not helping him, but i had to get to tommy and i knew
there were people around to grab the man. i immediately saw that tommy was
pinned. i started screaming, “TOMMY! WE HAVE TO GET TOMMY! HELP ME GET TOMMY!�
dan, caleb and i lifted the van and melissa pulled him out swiftly by his pant
legs (way to go woman). i immediately saw the puncture wound bleeding from his
lower left side. natalie was there and applied pressure and i immediately layed
hands on my brother’s forehead and screamed my prayers to Jesus. i could hear
tommy mumbling, “yes God. yes God.� in agreement.
once i knew natalie and melissa were with tommy, i started to
assess the scene as a whole. dan was trying to find his glasses (he’s pretty
much blind without them), kimberly was trying to keep people back and was
really shaken up, woody and caleb started gathering our gear. i couldn’t
believe it when i saw my camera and book laying on the ground…perfectly fine.
apparently my pack had flown out onto the road and other than smelling like
gasoline, it has no damage from the wreck.
assess the scene as a whole. dan was trying to find his glasses (he’s pretty
much blind without them), kimberly was trying to keep people back and was
really shaken up, woody and caleb started gathering our gear. i couldn’t
believe it when i saw my camera and book laying on the ground…perfectly fine.
apparently my pack had flown out onto the road and other than smelling like
gasoline, it has no damage from the wreck.
i kept my eyes on tommy, praying for him, wanting
discernment to know what to do next. but God already had a plan. you see, there
were a few military guys heading to the lake as well and they stopped to see
what had happened. they were able to transport me (i had something wrong with
my left arm), tommy and natalie (who acted as his neck brace), and some of our
gear to lifeline health clinic about 10 minutes away. within 30 minutes of the accident tommy had an iv in him and
soon after a few stitches in his side. he could move all his fingers and toes
and was pretty coherent. definitely disoriented…but talking nonetheless.
discernment to know what to do next. but God already had a plan. you see, there
were a few military guys heading to the lake as well and they stopped to see
what had happened. they were able to transport me (i had something wrong with
my left arm), tommy and natalie (who acted as his neck brace), and some of our
gear to lifeline health clinic about 10 minutes away. within 30 minutes of the accident tommy had an iv in him and
soon after a few stitches in his side. he could move all his fingers and toes
and was pretty coherent. definitely disoriented…but talking nonetheless.
the rest of the team arrived and then the phone calls
started. teammates were calling home on their personal phones and letting the
rest of us borrow theirs. i started fielding calls with josh, my squad leader,
and caroline, our stateside field support (aka amazing, intelligent and calm
woman of God). it was a pretty busy but not chaotic time. eventually we decided
to transport tommy to salima district hospital. so natalie (aka neckbrace), and
i (aka gimpy arm) rode with him. i received a call from his mother and he was
able to speak to her as we drove along. within 10 minutes of arriving at the
hospital, josh (aka sight for sore eyes) arrived with a fellow squadmate, sami
(aka angel with a servant’s heart). eventually my team and dan arrived.
started. teammates were calling home on their personal phones and letting the
rest of us borrow theirs. i started fielding calls with josh, my squad leader,
and caroline, our stateside field support (aka amazing, intelligent and calm
woman of God). it was a pretty busy but not chaotic time. eventually we decided
to transport tommy to salima district hospital. so natalie (aka neckbrace), and
i (aka gimpy arm) rode with him. i received a call from his mother and he was
able to speak to her as we drove along. within 10 minutes of arriving at the
hospital, josh (aka sight for sore eyes) arrived with a fellow squadmate, sami
(aka angel with a servant’s heart). eventually my team and dan arrived.
we knew we needed to get tommy back to lilongwe and i was a
little anxious to get my arm looked at. but where do we go? this is where God
showed up BIG time. here is how it went down…
little anxious to get my arm looked at. but where do we go? this is where God
showed up BIG time. here is how it went down…
about a month prior i started doing some research on local
doctors in lilongwe. a teammate was needing to see a physician and was
preferring western care if possible. so i contacted one of the most connected
people i know, john gash. he is an american with a malawi based ministry called
Y-Malawi (www.faithquestmissions.org…check them out, they are doing awesome
stuff for God’s kingdom). i received a name of a clinic and personal contact
info for a doctor. so one
squadmate was able to get in touch with the clinic (ABC clinic) and the two
american nurses working there agreed to wait until our arrival. i phoned the
doctor, dr ter haar, who was able to get in touch with the only internal
surgeon in lilongwe, dr lungu. through that correspondence we agreed to send
tommy to dae yang luke hospital where dr lungu would be waiting for him and the
rest of us would go to the abc clinic where the american nurses, carson and
becky, would be waiting for us.
doctors in lilongwe. a teammate was needing to see a physician and was
preferring western care if possible. so i contacted one of the most connected
people i know, john gash. he is an american with a malawi based ministry called
Y-Malawi (www.faithquestmissions.org…check them out, they are doing awesome
stuff for God’s kingdom). i received a name of a clinic and personal contact
info for a doctor. so one
squadmate was able to get in touch with the clinic (ABC clinic) and the two
american nurses working there agreed to wait until our arrival. i phoned the
doctor, dr ter haar, who was able to get in touch with the only internal
surgeon in lilongwe, dr lungu. through that correspondence we agreed to send
tommy to dae yang luke hospital where dr lungu would be waiting for him and the
rest of us would go to the abc clinic where the american nurses, carson and
becky, would be waiting for us.
so we started out on our approx 2 hour trek back to
lilongwe. tommy, josh and natalie went in an ambulance to the hospital and the
rest of us went in a van to the abc clinic. tommy was placed in a private room
in a brand new wing of the hospital. he received excellent care. it was
determined that he has no internal bleeding or broken bones. just another testimony
of God’s mighty hand. we arrived at the clinic around 10:30pm with the two
nurses waiting to greet us as we walked through the doors. just the sight of
them brought me so much comfort and relief. they treated us the best they could that night and told us
to come back in the morning. so we did.
lilongwe. tommy, josh and natalie went in an ambulance to the hospital and the
rest of us went in a van to the abc clinic. tommy was placed in a private room
in a brand new wing of the hospital. he received excellent care. it was
determined that he has no internal bleeding or broken bones. just another testimony
of God’s mighty hand. we arrived at the clinic around 10:30pm with the two
nurses waiting to greet us as we walked through the doors. just the sight of
them brought me so much comfort and relief. they treated us the best they could that night and told us
to come back in the morning. so we did.
some of us were x-rayed. i have a buckling of the third
metacarpal. the bummer is that it’s my left arm…the one i use. oh well…it
forces me to slow down and ask for help. tommy was discharged from the hospital.
he wears a neck brace for now and is uber sore. but his spirits are high. the
rest of the team is nursing cuts, bumps, bruises and sore muscles.
metacarpal. the bummer is that it’s my left arm…the one i use. oh well…it
forces me to slow down and ask for help. tommy was discharged from the hospital.
he wears a neck brace for now and is uber sore. but his spirits are high. the
rest of the team is nursing cuts, bumps, bruises and sore muscles.
dan had been reading the book before the crash and the
following day he showed me the last part he read. here is what it said,
following day he showed me the last part he read. here is what it said,
“whatever happens there’ll be a story there, ewan.�
‘yeah, yeah. i know.�
“adventure whatever happens- that’s the spirit of the
thing, isn’t it?�
thing, isn’t it?�
the word “adventure�
is sitting with me. afterall, i’m partnering with an organization called adventures
in missions. here’s a definition of the
word:
is sitting with me. afterall, i’m partnering with an organization called adventures
in missions. here’s a definition of the
word:
engage in hazardous and
exciting activity; the exploration of unknown territory
exciting activity; the exploration of unknown territory
my God is an adventurous God. He knows the hazards, so, He
never, ever leaves His children unprotected. i’ve been asked if i want to go
home because of the accident. no way. i’m not doing this for the experience.
i’m doing it because it’s a lifestyle. to God be the glory.
never, ever leaves His children unprotected. i’ve been asked if i want to go
home because of the accident. no way. i’m not doing this for the experience.
i’m doing it because it’s a lifestyle. to God be the glory.
