i was in a big green van driving to debre brahan, a city about 2 and a half hours outside of addis. i was going to the kids care orphanage there to paint murals for two days. i was a little bit upset too... cause i wanted to stay in addis so i could spend time with the kids at the TH for my last week, as well as some of the other people here who i have grown to love. my boss, mulé, was with me.
i was half asleep, crying to carrie underwood's "just a dream" when the driver slammed into something and quickly slammed on his breaks, screeching to a halt. i was startled, then i heard someone screaming. i thought, oh no... i think we hit something. i have seen a lot of donkeys and cows and dogs hit on the side of the road since i've been here. but when i looked out the back i saw something that i never expected and hope never to see again.
a shoe.
then mulé said, "jesus christ...." and i realized, we didn't hit something. we hit someone.
they pulled the kid out from under the car and put him in one of the small motorcycle taxis called a bajaj. then they rushed him off to the hospital just down the road. i thought i was going to throw up.... i was shaking and crying so hard i could barely breathe, and i couldn't even get out of the van for like thirty minutes. i couldn't eat lunch, and i didn't stop crying for like 2 hours.
we went to the hospital to see the kid, he was only like six. he was so small. he was also alive.
thank jesus.... the van didn't hit him head on, it hit him on the corner where the light was. the light of the van was crushed, i saw it when i got out of the van.
when i saw him, he was wrapped in a blanket, surrounded by people. he was in his father's arms and his dad was crying. his head and lip were swollen and his foot was wrapped in a bandage. i dropped to my knees next to his dad and just took his little hand in mine and prayed for him.... just crying and crying. i stayed like that until he went in for his x-ray about two minutes later.
i was in a funk the whole taxi ride back to addis after that. met up with my best friend and cried some more. i talked it out, prayed it out, vented, walked numb through the rain... then finally was able to eat and drink. i started to smile again. i had a lot of people praying for the little one, and for me.
at around 9pm, the director of kids care came to find me. she told me that she found out that the kid is ok. he has no internal bleeding, he is conscious and doesn't look like there will be any brain damage. his spine is a bit off, and he is in a lot of pain. it will take some time to heal. but he is going to live, he's gonna be ok.
praise jesus... i let out a breath that i didn't realize i was holding when i found that out. i prayed with my dear dear mamacita about my own heart in experiencing this trauma... and found that i was able to sleep without thinking about his broken little body being pulled out from under the car. i was able to see jesus pulling him out instead, covering him with his healing hands. i read this morning in 1st corinthians that we have the mind of christ. i know that when i knelt in front of the little guy and his dad and just cried with him... that is what jesus would have done as well, and in a strange way, that has given me a peace that passes understanding about what happened yesterday.
i'm ok. the little one is ok. and god is still sovereign.
and that.... is a blessing.
continue to pray for the little one and his family please. they are not out of the woods yet.
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