What a mighty God we serve!

Well, I finally have a good long story to put on my website! God works in ways we would never expect. We had a group arrive on Thursday. Friday we went to Savanne Plat where we had a great time singing, working, fellowshipping, eating and so forth. It was kind of strange that while we were eating some beans and rice with them I was talking bad about their hospital and how I did not ever wanted to go there for myself. (Well, I’ve learned my lesson about that. No more talking bad about those things.) We all finished eating a loaded into the truck to drive home, like we had done a many times before. Sam was up front with the 2 ladies from the group. In the back was the 4 guys, 3 translators and Joslin. The inside was full so I climbed on top with a Haitian lady friend and 2 Haitian men I didn’t know.

The truck was climbing up a pretty steep little hill when the truck died. It had happened before and I didn’t think much of until we hit the embankment after rolling down a little ways. Then we just tipped over. We weren’t going that fast and I was pretty surprised about it. The 4 of us on top looked okay so I was just worried about everyone inside. I immediately got up to start checking everyone. But as soon as I took a step I knew something was wrong. My left knee was throbbing sharp pains after that bit of pressure. Everyone started climbing out of the various doors and windows and to God’s grace no one seemed badly injured! I was just sitting where I landed but the Haitians can’t stand us sitting in the sun so they carried me over to lay down under a tree. They even brought me a sheet to lie on. For a few minutes I almost passed out and got really nauseas. But that passed, thankfully. I laid and watched while the guys, Haitian and American, got ropes and started to roll the truck over and try to get it going again. They were successful in rolling it over but never could get it started again. All during this time a Haitian lady that was on top with me was holding the sheet up or standing beside me to block the sun that was coming through the leaves. They are so thoughtful. Then, because we had radioed Delores, our guard showed up with a bag of ice and medical supplies! He had rode his bike the 3 miles to come.

Our friend Ronny, a big guy from English class, showed up with his motorcycle and they asked him to take me to the hospital but we decided just to come to the house and let Delores check me. It would have been a LONG ride to the hospital with me leg dangling off. I couldn’t straighten it or bend it much. So I made it here and waited propped up on the bed with more ice and pain medicine while we waited for news on everyone else. Ronnie made it back with 1 more and then a jeep showed up with everyone else. Joslin had left right after the wreck and made it all the way to Hinche, 10 miles, to find a friend of ours with a truck. Everyone was a little banged up and we each had different stories but for the most part we were grateful we had come out okay. I think everyone took a good dose of pain medicine though!

Since Friday it is amazing all the ways we have seen God working in our wreck! Saturday morning started with 14 of our folks from Savanne Plat arriving to come and pray for me and the rest of the group and to sing for us. It was pretty awesome. They walked for 3.5 miles to come and see us. It was a blessing to everyone. (Since then I can not count the number and people and groups that have came and sang and prayed over me! I have been busy entertaining guests all day! Everyone I know and some I don’t have come to visit.) Then another friend from Hinche came to the house to take me to get my knee x-rayed. Delores came with me. Sam wanted to get a new battery in town because after the wreck our battery wasn’t working. So the 3 of us had to leave our 6 guests in the hands of our translators. But it turned out wonderful. A group of 3 went and did a small “backyard Bible club” in Savanne Plat and 2 went to do our English class in Thomonde. Some stayed here and did Bible stories with kids who came over to play in our yard, did some small medical things and made lunch and so forth. Everyone was so excited to tell that night what they had done that day. We had all had good days but didn’t know what was going on with everyone else.

My time at the hospital was pretty interesting for those who have never been in a 3rd world country. They don’t have but one doctor on the weekends and no X-rays or anything like that. But they saw us just as soon as we walked in the door. They called the X-ray tech at his house and our friend who was driving waited for him to get home from the market then someone took him to this guy’s house and they picked him up. He took my x-rays. (Like always he laid them out in the sun to dry.) But our doctor, who was a very young girl, wouldn’t really say much. She said she preferred the special orthopedic doctor check them. They called him but he said that they were out of plaster for casts so he wouldn’t come in. We would have to come back on Monday. She did agree with Delores though that my knee capped looked a little low but hopefully we will know more Monday.

While we were waiting for the X-rays I told Sam and Delores that they should go talk with Panama, our burned victim. Well, to make a long story short, HE PRAYED TO ACCEPT THE LORD. Amen! He had said he was going to wait until he was out of the hospital and would go to church and do it. When Delores told him that he could do it right then and there he agreed and prayed right then. Of course, I was so happy when they got back and told me. After my X-ray I had to go and see him for myself. He has a long way to go and has lost weight but he was doing well and was in pretty good spirits. I encouraged him and took some pictures. I told him I needed them to send back to all the people that I knew where praying for him at home! They are on someone else’s camera though so it may be a while before I got them up but I know everyone will want to see him.

All this time we had been asking for crutches but the girl doctor said that they didn’t have any at the hospital and everyone agreed I would probably have to go to Port, a rough 6 hour drive, remember, to buy them. Plus, we still don’t have a working vehicle. We had been there 4 hours and were pretty much ready to go when Doctor Alexis showed up. I had been hoping all along he would. He was the nice doctor that got the IV started on little Eddy when my friend, Kathy and I took him to the hospital. (He also happens to be young and single;)) He was determined to help me find some crutches. Our friend then took the doctor and I on a little scavenger hunt and we found some brand new crutches! I was sooo happy. If you don’t know me to well- I like to help people but don’t like making people do things for me so being somewhat mobile is a blessing. It is funny, they are for people 5’10” to 6’6”. I am almost 5’10” but few other people in Haiti are so some other organization just loaned me these crutches.

On the way to the hospital I realized that I had taken quite a bit of money out of my backpack, along with my passport, and put it in the glove box of the jeep when we had gotten out to work and hadn’t gotten it out! Two of the windows on the jeep were busted and anyone could have gotten in. So we prayed about it and when Sam went to work on the truck again it was all safe and sound. Apparently, and older gentlemen had seen some kids playing in the truck and he spent the whole night sleeping inside guarding it for us! I don’t even know who this man is. God was so good!

That was just my story for the day. Everyone else had stories that were pretty amazing too. Sam witnessed to a Muslim UN worker from Senegal while we were at the hospital who agreed that he would read a French NT if we would bring it to him!

At devotions that night Delores read an email she had gotten from a missionary friend. Delores’s birthday had been Wednesday, the day before, and at a WMU group this friend was speaking. They were praying over the missionary birthdays. Delores’s friend told the congregation that the leading cause of death on the missionary field was auto accidents. She told them about the rough roads that her friend, Delores York who was on the birthday calendar, traveled in her work. She said that was one way to pray specifically for missionaries. The leader called 4 women to the front to pray especially for the Yorks and those working with them that they would grant them safe travel as they worked. This was ONE DAY before the accident!!! Delores’s missionary friend heard about the wreck just knew that was an act of God, that they had been led on that day to pray especially for us and in that particular way. She knew our wreck wasn’t as bad as it could have been. If that doesn’t give you goose bumps I don’t know will!

So it has been a pretty crazy last couple of days but we are so in awe of our God and His mighty hand that He has over our life. Please continue to lift up this group, their work and their aches and pains! And continue to pray for healing for my knee that it won’t put me “out of commission” for long! I will keep you updated!