God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
On Friday before Donny left we went out to dinner and on the way home (actually turning onto the road leading to the village) we were hit by an 18-wheeler. The road that travels past our village is a highway that goes from Kampala to Kenya and is very dangerous because the trucks go very very fast on our stretch. Since moving here there have been three people killed at our intersection. Christian is always very careful when stopping to turn onto our road. If there is traffic behind us he will pull to the shoulder and wait for them to pass. This truck was way up the hill behind us but apparently was doing at least 80 MPH or over. He never hit the brakes and it took him a good bit before he got pulled over to the shoulder. He was so far we could barely make out his tail lights.
We were so stunned, didn’t know what had happened but Christian pulled onto our road and stopped. In a matter of seconds there were at least fifty people that came out of nowhere surrounding our car. In minutes the crowd had to be over one hundred. Ms Betty doesn’t live far from the road so she was there and determined to pull me out of the car! Christian says she was hyperventilating. I kept our doors locked while Chris and Donny were outside. None of us were hurt, pretty shook up. The truck driver sat on the side of the road for a good bit but we suspect someone told him he had hit mazungus so he ran.
When we got home I was trying to close the gates and people were flooding in. I have to say here, I think all the crowds affected me more than the accident at the time. I get anxiety when there are many people. I definitely have a problem with people touching me and everyone else was panicked and trying to grab me and hug me. Everyone but us was freaking out! So when all the people flooded in the gates I ran to hide! Christian saw all the people and found me to get me inside. He knows me and knew the crowd would freak me out. This is the way of the culture here in our village – everyone wanted to tell us sorry for what happened. (I’m sure some just wanted to know what was going on!) Later we were told that someone went to the center where at that time of night many people are eating, socializing and started telling people we were killed. So I assume that’s why there was so much panic. We were also told that when they see a car smashed like that most of the time someone is killed. I didn’t see the door until all the crowds had dispersed and I cried knowing how close we had come to one of us not making it out alive. If Christian had turned just a hair more he definitely wouldn’t have made it. We just got the car back from the police and seeing the damage in the daylight really brings it home how God had His hands on us.
It was an opportunity to tell of God’s protection, how He sheltered us from that truck. We are all healthy, the car not so much! But a car can be replaced. There have been people still coming to tell us sorry and to see for themselves we are alive.
We are alive, and very very thankful. Life can change in an instant so make the most of yours and know where you are going when you leave this life.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
His Grace For The Journey 