Still walking

This morning, I decided to walk to church.  Mind you, it was only a block away, so it wasn't much of a walk.  I walked around in church for a bit,  then I saw her.  Laboriously, each step was a struggle.   By her face, she looked to be in her mid forties, but then guessing someones age isn't exactly my speciality.  She had a very pretty face, her make up done nicely, and she was very attractive.   I slowed my walking pace to match hers.  "So, were you in an accident recently?", I enquired.  "Thirty years ago, I was in a car accident".  Thirty years!  She was still using a walker, her leg in a cast.  Or was it a leg brace, maybe it was an artificial leg.  Thirty years!  My mind went back to thirty four years ago....

It had been a great couple of weeks in the Minneapolis area.  Now on my return trip to Edmonton, I had convinced my friend Gloria to accompany me. The second morning of our trip, I was tired.  It was an enjoyable, but long evening around the campfire with friends from CLBI days (the Bible School we had all attended).  Lets face it, I was a night hawk, but often paid the price the next morning.  I had driven a few hours, but the fatigue was wearing on me.  "Gloria, would you mind driving for awhile?" I suggested.  Gloria agreed, although she hadn't  driven my Honda Civic yet, furthermore it was a standard.  We traded places, and both buckled up.

After a few moments, I glanced into the back of my car, which was almost loaded to the roof.  You see, the past few months I had been on one of my adventures....in Manitoba.  Most recently, I was working in two restaurants, cooking and waitressing.  This was my 'in-between' time, the time between working those crazy hours....sometimes around the clock, and returning to Alberta, the province where I was born and raised.  That short time in Manitoba I had moved four times, and did twice that many jobs.  I looked back again, "Yes, I think I'll try it".  I unbuckled myself to turn around and get it.  The accordion had seen many African adventures.  Katherine, a retired missionary now in her eighties, had lugged it around, singing the good old hymns and accompanied herself with this small accordion.  She wanted me to have it!  I was overwhelmed at this thought.  You see, I had applied to go to Kenya as a parish worker with World Mission Prayer League, but it was a long shot at best. I needed more training. For some reason unknown to me, Katherine knew I needed it.  But why? 

"Gloria, I'm going to try out this accordion. Let's sing, okay?"  I chose one of the chords, to see if I could get the hang of this.  It seemed easy, so we started....."Unto Thee O Lord, do I lift up my voice," then Gloria sang the echo.  We continued on, "Oh my God, I trust in Thee...BANG!!!  "What was that!!!  I grabbed for the steering wheel, as the car swerved.  The wheel ripped out of my hand, as I could see Gloria wide eyed and bewildered.  " I don't believe this is happening" flashed through my mind, as  the car swerved first right, sharply left, right again, another time, and this time straight towards the ditch, at a 90 degree angle to the road.  The next realisation was hitting the ground, HARD!  Immediately, His still small voice came, " Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, I am your God.  I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."  I knew it was the Lord!  I jumped to my feet, and ran to my crumpled car.  "O God, please let Gloria be alive!" my heart cried!

  There she was, feeling her lap, mumbling, searching.  Shattered glass filled the car, and was strewn across her lap. She couldn't find her contacts. The Spirit brought more words of encouragement. "Gloria, God works all things together for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  We just need to praise Him."  We lifted our voices to Him in praise and thanksgiving.  Suddenly, we became aware of people around us.  They had seen me fly through the air, the accordion still attached.  "We expected to find dead bodies here,  your car rolled 3 1/2 times", someone volunteered.  Without skipping a beat, I said, "Well if we had died, we would be in a better place right now.  Shucks!", I joked.   A lady looked at me in astonishment.  I don't know if she realised I meant we just about made it to heaven, and it was a bit disappointing we weren't there at the moment!  Another piped up, "It's really sad about your wrecked car", to which I countered, "It's just a thing, the Lord must know I don't need it anymore".  Others were looking through some of the wreckage; the doily I had been beading, my guitar (which didn't have a scratch).  Strangely, even the accordion had just a chip off one of the keys, and still played fine, even though it had broken my windshield, flew through the air at 100 km/hr and hit the ground with me attached.  I have thought so many times of how that praying missionary had likely asked God to use this instrument for His glory.  Little did she know, it would be a human shield, almost certainly the thing that saved my life and kept me from a severe head injury.

People fussed over us, made us lie down and we were covered by one of the blankets from my car.  Several minutes went by of conversation.  It was the most natural thing to talk about the Lord, and how He was caring for us, how I probably didn't need a car when I moved to Edmonton.  A 'hippie' sauntered into the ditch.  "Hey, do you want a smoke?" he offered one of his cigarettes.  I smiled at him, and said "Thanks, I'd probably be sick if I had a cigarette", then he held out a joint!  I knew he was trying his best to be helpful, so I remarked, "God is helping me, thanks, I don't need any drugs".  The conversation continued, and then the man spoke up again.  "So is this your car?" to which I agreed.  I offered more information, "Gloria, who is from the States was driving my car".  "Ohhh", he replied knowingly, "You'd better say you were driving, otherwise you might not get any money from your insurance".  Others around him looked like they agreed.  He suggested that everyone there tell the police that I was the driver.  "But that's not true!"  I stated emphatically!  "And God's not going to honour us if we are lying, so even if I get nothing for my car, I'm not going to lie!  He was rather taken aback, but kept quiet. 

The sound of sirens notified us that the police and ambulance were almost there.  We were loaded on stretchers, (even though I tried to tell them I could walk) and slid into the ambulance.  The drive to Portage la Prairie seemed to go quickly, and I gathered we must have been closer to that town than to Winnipeg.  On the way, an ambulance attendant asked us some questions about our faith.  Many of the things that were said I don't recall, but I just remember we had a conversation about God.  Arriving at the hospital, I was transferred to a bed to be x-rayed.  Amazing as it seems, I only had a sprained ankle.  Gloria had whip lash in her neck.  I was admitted into hospital, as they likely didn't know what to do with us, until we contacted relatives.  The only problem was, my relatives were in Alberta, Gloria's were in the USA.  So there I lay, and there she sat in a chair, wondering what next?