Sunday, November twenty-first, two thousand and ten.
It started off like any other race day. The team had gotten up early to pack up before church service started in the church we had been staying at for the week, in the town of Ntcheu. We were running our first official service that morning in the village where we had been planting a church all week. After church service the plan was to meet up with Team Fearless at Lake Malawi for a couple of days to just hang out and relax after a very looong two weeks. It was pouring down rain, which normally doesn’t happen until the afternoon here and I remember thinking “Oh thats good though then the roads won’t be bad when we drive later today…”
so the morning went as planned. At first we got to the village and 9 o’clock rolled around and there is only a hand full of kids, but because of the rain we waited and waited… T.I.A. (this is Africa) Finally people began to show up and all was good. We sang and danced like no other and then did our preaching. After the service there was a baptism! It was sweet. we walked in a single line- tons of Africans and us white folks- down to the river to get our baptism on. the river by the way was pretty gross- stagnant and probably filled with diseases, but T.I.A. so Dan and Caleb were the braves ones to get into the water and got to baptize around 10 or so Africans. One little girl is really sick and she was able to be baptized- it was really neat to see her mother’s peaceful face when she got out of the water (pics to come later).
After our fun adventure that day we got into a mini bus (Africa’s main mode of transport) and headed off to Salima to the lake! we had hired a driver and had made a deal with him to only pick up two other passengers. In Africa- they try and cram as many people as they can into these vans, like we’re all sardines, and so you’re constantly stopping- but we needed to get to the lake by sunset in order to set up our tents. before leaving we prayed with our bus driver for the Lord’s protection and safety. Tommy and Melissa were sitting in the very back row, Natalie and two Malawians were in the next row up, and then another Malawian, Caleb, me in the 3rd row from the back- behind the driver was Kimberly and then in the front with our driver (Felix) was Dan and Juliette. why am I telling you this?
wellll so fast foreword about an hour and half into the drive, our driver had just tried to pick up a mom and her newborn baby, but we reminded him of the two passenger deal and so he drove on. Caleb had received a call from Josh our squad leader who was to be meeting us at the lake too. Caleb couldn’t hear so he shut the window next to Kimberly and I. No later than 10 minutes after Caleb had talked to Josh our van got a flat on the back right tire. in trying to correct for the bumpiness, the driver lost control of the van and we immediately turned 90 degrees and then we flipped 3 times into a ditch. Miraculously, we landed right side up. There are no seat belts or airbags well because T.I.A. and there is definitely no hospitals in the middle of the African bush.
but God was protecting us BIG time. before it all happened I was listening to Mitch Hedberg on my ipod. My team always jokes with me because I’m deaf so I listen to my music really loud. well apparently everyone heard the tire pop, but me. I just remember seeing us loose control and then skidding to the side. I didn’t have time to think to brace myself or grab my head or anything- I had no idea what was happening. I remember rolling and being tossed around and thinking we were done rolling when we were not, but I don’t remember seeing anything- I had blacked out. before my eyes opened once we had landed, my shoulder and elbow hurt so bad I thought something had landed on it or we were on our side. but then when I did finally come to it and realized we were upright I immediately got up. I remember Caleb yelling to get out of the van, but I don’t remember how I got out. I just know Kimberly’s seat was on top on my leg and I was no longer in my seat but on the floor in between it and the side of the van. I looked over too and saw one of the Malawians- his head was gushing blood and he looked dead. My next memory is being on the outside of the right side or the car (the driver’s side here in Africa) with my earphones hanging out of one of my ears still. I was in shock so I just threw them on the ground. I had no idea where my shoes were. it wreaked of gasoline and there was glass everywhere. and I had no idea where any of my teammates were or if they were okay or not.
Then my eyes began to see everything. before we could even get out of the van, there were already tons of Africans swarming us. As I walked around to the other side, where the door was, I hear Tommy screaming “help, help!” then I see my teammates trying to lift the back of the van. Tommy had been ejected from the side window and was pinned under the back bumper laying motionless. I didn’t know what to do. I saw Natalie and we just hugged and cried. Now looking back, if Caleb had not shut mine and Kimberly’s window we would of been severely injured or thrown out ourselves- it was the first thing to hit to road, but yet the only window to not be broken out of the van in the end. wow God.
I remember thinking OMG, theres no way there is a hospital nearby and there is no 911 like in America, what are we going to do?? Kimberly and I were just trying to get all the Africans to step back and give us space, but it’s not like 8 white people getting into an accident is a normal occurrence to them so they just wanted to help. it was very overwhelming and we needed space for Tommy. Our team worked great together, we all were doing something to help out. Thank the Lord, within 10 minutes, a military van was driving by and stopped to help. They had an ambulance, stretcher and everything. So they were able to take Tommy and Juliette (who had a very swollen arm) to the hospital. There actually happened to be a clinic within 15 minutes of where we were. Tommy was able to get an IV in him within 30 minutes. It was truly a miracle. Later that night we all were transferred to Lilongwe (the capital) where we were checked out and looked at.
Team Fearless happened to never leave for the lake before they got the call about the accident so they came to our rescue. They found beds for us to sleep in for the night, brought us food and were angels of the Lord for us. The clinic we got checked out at actually had stayed open for us. Juliette had found them earlier last month because a couple of us needed to go to a doctor upon arriving in Lilongwe for debrief. So God had already known to take care of us, if it wasn’t for us already needing a doctor we would of never known about this American clinic.
Now, four days later I look at my team and how we are all doing. Tommy is already out of the hospital and walking, no broken bones or internal bleeding in anyone, Juliette has a buckled arm, Dan a cut up hand and we’re all super super sore, covered in bruises from head to toe and have slight burns and cuts but that is it. It truly is a miracle. we shouldn’t be alive, we shouldn’t at all be walking. The four Malawians too walked away with only minor injuries. Tommy’s doctor said to him that night: “The Lord has protected you and your friends tonight. There is no way that all of you were so unharmed by such a serious accident.” God is good. The best part of the story though is the day after. Caleb receives this text below from Felix- the bus driver:
God’s glory has been seen. Felix’s faith is just springing up. We hope to get to talk with him again and use this story as a testimony of God’s never-ending provision and ability. He is our almighty provider and there is nothing He can’t do. I still can’t believe it really. I’m still processing it all, but I do know my team is blessed. we shouldn’t be here and we are. because God isn’t done using us for His glory. He loves us that much. Here in Malawi they say “God is good. all the time. all the time. God is good.” yes He is. amen. there is no other reason for us surviving. (while this is all happening I find out the day after the accident that Dan has been recovering from a very deadly strand of Malaria- I told him that God must be tired of saving our lives :] ha)
For now, my team and I are just resting this week. We have beds and showers for the first time since Moldova :] The hardest thing for me right now is not being able to see my family and Dan and friends after all this. I just want to hug you all and tell you all I love you. Also, I’m struggling with reading the Word. I want to just soak it up, but every time I pick up my Bible to read Satan throws the images of that day into my head and I can’t concentrate. but I’m so thankful. I’m thankful to be alive, I’m thankful for my team and squad mates and how we’ve all come together to serve one another as a family, I’m thankful that soreness is the only pain we’re all facing and I’m thankful that this day will touch so many lives. and bring others to Christ. God, You are our ultimate provider. You are our rock. I thank You and I love You Daddy. Besides being thankful I’m still in shock- I don’t feel very different spiritually in a sense, but I know He is using this for something. all for His glory.
