Time for a Reality Check

Once in a while we're given a massive reality check on life and we realise just how vulnerable we are and what it means to be in a fallen world where there is crying, mourning and pain. Unfortunately that day came yesterday for my sister and I. Yesterday we were in an accident with a motorbike. My sister was driving my car at the time and just plainly did not see an approaching motorbike and unfortunately we weren't able to stop in time before we hit it. For me, it was pretty scary seeing it unfold as I had seen the bike and had yelled out that it was there, but it was all too late. It's pretty scary seeing a person literally fly off a bike and hit the road. Thankfully we weren't going fast at all and the lady was wearing a decent helmet, but the first thought that went through our heads was whether or not she had died. Although moans of pain are never a nice sound, it was such a relief to know she hadn't died and was conscious to be able to answer questions about where it hurt, where she lived, what her name was etc. To cut a really long story short, she ended up in hospital with a broken arm, a broken rib and broken shoulder blade.

It's been a pretty long, traumatic past couple days for me and especially for my sister as she gets over the shock and the guilt of causing such pain to this lady and just the thought that she could have killed someone. We'd really appreciate your prayers for a speedy recovery for this lady and for comfort for my sis as she still comes to terms with what's happened and tries to deal with the emotions of it all. Please also pray for all the logistics in looking after this lady, dealing with insurance, police etc. It's a new experience for us over here and we have no idea how things are done and we're on a steep learning curve right now. Thankfully we have some close thai friends who have been awesome through it all and been with us right through it all helping at every step. Pray that things will get sorted out smoothly and don't get messy.

Despite the circumstances, we've been amazed at the opportunities that this incident has provided to share the gospel and our faith with a policeman and the family of the lady we hit so far. I think they're all amazed at the fact that my sister would claim responsibility and be willing to look after all expenses (well it's my insurance is covering that), as that very rarely happens here. It's also been a real blessing that the police officer looking after the case has been REALLY helpful (our thai friends are shocked as to how helpful he has been) and he was really interested in what church we went to, what we believe etc. The family of the lady have also been really nice and supportive of my sister trying to tell her not to worry and that it was just an accident and they know she didn't mean it and not to feel bad. I guess it's just a nice surprise not to have people be angry at you for your negligence, or asking for bribes etc. so they're a few praise points. If you can keep praying for opportunities to just be a good witness in a bad situation.

So, while my new car is not looking so new now....


i am just so thankful that things weren't any worse than they are. It's also been a really good time to put into practice some of the challenges we were given in a sermon at church on Sunday about the rich fool (luke 12:13-21). Our life is not about the abundance of our possessions, or how nice our car is etc, it's about how rich we are towards God. Who knows when God will demand our life from us. Now is a real opportunity to be rich towards others with what we have.