We were just wrapping up from an amazing food outreach in the south lake area of Turkana. We had an amazing time sharing about the deep unique love God has for us and the relationship we can have with the creator. It was a really tough outreach and we really felt the enemy was raging against us as we were pressing forwards, advancing the Kingdom of God. We had technical problem after technical problem. Peter even had to jump in his plane at one point and to get some parts for the truck so we could continue. The team was really in a battle and had all the cuts and bruises to show for it.
(a short clip from our food outreach)
As we packed up to head home there was a huge sense of relief, this had really been a tough outreach and we were finally heading home. The truck packed up and set of by 6am and I was following about an hour or so behind. You see on our outreaches we always try to travel in teams together incase one of us was to run into trouble, like a break down, or more recently a large street fight, where we had to defend our vehicles from being stolen!!! Well today we needed each other for something else, today was different....
About an hour into my drive I got a phone call from the truck, they seemed panicked and in real trouble - “Josh how far away are you? Come Quickly, I think he’s dead and I don’t know what to do.”
I dropped a gear and went as fast as the car would let me, there was a dip in the road for a river crossing and I hit it at full speed, there was a brief moment of still as all 4 wheels on my car left the ground and I flew silently through the air, before, boom, I hit the ground, the wheels squealed as a raced up to the truck.
As I jumped out, it was just as I had feared. There was a young boy that couldn’t be older the 14, lying on the ground covered in blood. In fact there was blood everywhere, and a bicycle lane mangled underneath the truck.
the mangled bicycle - can you spot can you spot it...
I took charge and picked up the boy with one of the guys, we threw stuff out the back of my car onto the road to make space and put him in with as much care as we could in the boot.
We raced off to find the nearest medical centre. I slid to a stop as we pulled up to the clinic and I jumped out to get help. There was none, the Dr was out of town. We went to the next and the same again. I was able to talk a guy on a motor bike to show us the way to the nearest hospital. Over and over I was praying out loud “Oh Lord may this boy not be dead.” As I took him out the car, I could see a pool of blood in the car. “Oh Lord we really need a miracle.”
There was nothing more I could do, I left my contact details and offered to settle the bill, “call me when you have news“ I said, as I sped out the door.
I raced back to the area of the crash to help the team deal with the police investigation that was about to take place. This was going to be a really tough situation and we all so desperately needed wisdom from the Lord on how to handle it. We also needed a real miracle for the boy would pull through. As I drove I called the team to together to pray, I reached out to friends and family to pray.
If there was any path though this mess, prayer was defiantly the route we had to take.
After spending 2 days with our team at the police station, we got some good news. The boy seemed to be ok, the x-ray had cleared him of all breaks, and a CT scan cleared him of any underlying trauma or damage, despite all the blood lost it seemed like he was going to be alright. We were able to find his family out in the middle of nowhere and talk with them to let them know what had happened and take them to the hospital. We were cleared of any wrongdoing and had made amends with the family, including purchasing a new bicycle.
After some pleading and negotiating with the police they also released us from their custody.
You see this was no ordinarily accident, there is an enemy that prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour and destroy. There is a war that is going on and we are in a battle, the great battle fighting for the freedom of eternity. Everything is at stake and prayer is a powerful weapon, that should not be left to rust. There is no doubt in my mind that that boy should have been killed instantly. If that were the case we would be facing a very different situation with the police, our organisation, all the vehicles and I hate to think what else. But God is on our side fighting for us, might to save, heal and deliver us from the foluers snare. All I can say is God was able to save us from a situation that seemed to have no escape.
The boy today is at school and doing well and though this situation is in the hands of a great local pastor, who is keeping us updated. Praise be to God.