I don’t remember the first time that I realized that my dad was a hero.
His involvement with the rescue squad and EMS started a while ago and he has worked himself up to be one of the coolest dudes on the job. He is basically a celebrity in my town (dad, if you’re reading this, don’t let this go to your head 😉
But truly, we cannot go to any restaurant or store without seeing at least half a dozen people that want to have a conversation with him. Sometimes mom and I build extra time into our schedule if we are taking dad with us because we count on the fact that someone will recognize him.
But looking back, I can’t remember how many times I saw my dad drop everything he was doing, put his boots on, grab his radio and climb into his old truck to go on a call. And with the increasing number of certifications and specialties he has gained through the years, the more his aid is needed when crisis strikes.
He has seen more than I want to know on the job and more than I could imagine. And He meets people in some of their biggest needs and on most of their worst days.
When my parents came to Romania a couple months ago, they brought along with them some letters from people who I love back home. One of those letters was from my dad’s co-worker. She told me how proud my dad was of me and of the things I had the chance to do this year. But the letter was actually primarily about my dad. As I read this letter, I remembered yet again just how awesome my dad is.
“Your dad has done some pretty amazing work at EMS this year. I wouldn’t think that he would brag about it much but he has really made a positive impact in a lot of people’s lives. He helped an alcoholic get to rehab and that man is on day 130 of sobriety… There are countless others that he has helped that the impact may never be seen by anyone but the Lord.“
But one of the most recent stories that I heard about him was during the last hurricane that came through North Carolina.
The call came in: a car was swept into a raging river and a lady was inside.
Technically, this accident wasn’t even in our county, but the roads were so bad that rescuers in the neighboring county couldn’t get to her.
My dad was the first and the only one on scene when he strapped his gear on, tied himself off and went in after her. She had climbed out of her car and was hanging onto a tree branch. With two firefighters on scene, he pulled the lady up on to the riverbank as rescue arrived.
Now, I know there are countless others who risk their lives just like this (and it takes a special kind of person) but in my opinion none compare to my dad. The thing about my dad is that he never searches for recognition even though he deserves so much. He stays humble and works hard and, in the process, saves lives. That’s part of the reason why I share this story with you today. My dad has showed me so much of who Jesus is by willing to run into situations that most are trying to run out of and living a life that doesn’t beg for glory or recognition.
It was already hard to see my dad go on risky calls while at home but being away has added another element to it. It has forced me have a deeper trust that my Father in heaven is going to take care of my family on earth.
It must have been his willingness to drop everything, to forget the pre-made plan, or just his eagerness to serve that inspired me to help a boy in Malealea Village, our home for the month.
On day two of ministry here, we came across a grandmother and a grandson as we were evangelizing in a nearby village. As some of my team washed her dishes, and some fetched water, Cassie, Erin and I spoke with the grandmother and her grandson.
As we were talking to them, we noticed that there was something wrong with the little boy’s foot. Upon further inspection, we found that this boy’s foot had a 2-3 inch gash in it and honestly probably could have used stiches. It was also covered in straw, dirt and debri from walking around on it. He had reached the point where he couldn’t really walk on it anymore.
We found out that he had stepped on a piece of glass when he was running around outside.
My first thought was “what in the world are we going to do?”
The Spirit inside of me whispered, “Shelby… you can do something about this.”
And then I remembered that last year I took a wilderness and remote first aid class to be prepared for situations just like this.
So, I took a breath, swallowed the brief wave of nausea that came from seeing this cut, and I asked our translator if we could come back to their house after lunch to work on his foot. The grandmother was ecstatic at the offer.
That afternoon, we trekked back up the mountain to the village where they lived.
I gave the kid a sucker knowing that it wouldn’t feel good when I pulled all the stuff out of his gash. Cassie distracted him with her camera as I worked on his foot. He is most definitely the toughest kid that I know. He didn’t even blink as I pulled piece after piece out of his foot.
After I bandaged up his foot, the grandmother was nearly in tears.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do. There was no way that I could get him to the clinic. It is too far away. Thank you thank you thank you. If I had gold or silver I would give it to you.”
Cassie and I quickly fell in love with this lady and her grandson.
We visited them every day for the next week to check on his foot, change the bandage and talk to them.
The last time we went, we were met with smiles as big as the sun. Cassie pulled out her camera and asked if we could take pictures with them. The grandmother excitedly jumped up and said, “Let me go put my church clothes on!”
As I changed the bandage on his foot again, the grandmother changed clothes and came back grinning ear to ear.
We took pictures and as we were departing, we prayed for the grandmother and her grandson one more time. After we prayed, I looked at the grandmother and said “I believe God is going to heal his foot.” And She smiled and said, “God has already healed his foot. He sent you.”
I kind of just stood there speechless.
What I haven’t mentioned is that the day before, I was reading a book that offered a similar challenge to my faith. What if instead of saying or praying, “God can heal” or “God will heal”, we said “God already has healed”? Isn’t that a picture of true mustard seed, childlike faith? Believing so much that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He’ll do that we only think of it in a sense that He already has done it. That despite our human perception, our flawed earthly vision, that just maybe He has already brought healing. This is much easier said than done, I know.
Maybe our situation or our circumstance doesn’t look good. Maybe it doesn’t look promising, but if we look in the eyes of the Promise Keeper, we can stand in true faith believing that even when it doesn’t look good, He is still good. And even when we can’t see the healing, we know that He is still the Healer.
This is only a glimpse of the faith I found when visiting this boy and his grandmother. And the only reason that I had that experience with this family is because I had a chance to follow in my dad’s footsteps.
In my next blog, I will share more about this dynamic duo that we met that day. You will definitely want to hear about the work that the Lord is doing on this mountainside.
Until next time,
Shelby
P.s. The day after we met this boy and his grandmother, another kid showed up to our base with a gash in his foot. It looks like this is the month of brushing up on my wilderness and remote first aid. Here are some bonus pictures from that day.
