From our friend Benjamin Hegeman: A glimpse of life on the mission field -- a call to pray / for justice.
In April of this year, two of our new Bible school students, Jonathan and Daniel, took a motorcycle and drove off of our bush campus to Guéré, a small town across from our evangelical hospital. They were going south and the town was only 3 km. away. As they exited, they saw an approaching southbound bus but they had plenty of time to cross over and go on to the shoulder.
For reasons we’ll never know, (though likely travelling too fast to handle the curve) the bus then struck the motorcycle from behind and then rolled into the ditch. Daniel was so badly wounded that they thought he was dead. Jonathan escaped with minor injuries. No one in the bus was hurt but Daniel was rushed to the hospital.
For reasons we’ll never know, (though likely travelling too fast to handle the curve) the bus then struck the motorcycle from behind and then rolled into the ditch. Daniel was so badly wounded that they thought he was dead. Jonathan escaped with minor injuries. No one in the bus was hurt but Daniel was rushed to the hospital.
One mission colleague, who happened to be at the Bible School at the time, heard the news and in particular that Daniel was presumed near death. When his pregnant wife, Dorcas heard it she screamed so loudly that it was heard over the entire campus. Daniel and Dorcas are the parents of two small children.
Then the police came. The guilty bus driver lamely gave the school $85 pocket money and said the insurance would pay the rest. He was not even charged for reckless driving. The morale sank very low at the school as everyone prayed.
Daniel’s worst crisis was his right leg. Three of the four doctors decided to amputate the leg but a fourth had compassion on him and said he would make an attempt to save it.
The insurance company will not process a claim because the police will not file the report (somehow always too busy), without which the insurance does not have to pay, neither for the medical bills nor for the totalled motorcycle. Daniel’s local church ended up having to foot the medical bill for him. Here is where we need your prayers. Evil in high places is at work; the police are not filing his report and Daniel must wait until end August to see if the medical brace is working. Fatalism is setting in and so is my anger at the alleged ‘justice’ system here. To hire a lawyer will cost the school a fortune. Pray for righteous indignation and advocacy wisdom.
Daniel’s worst crisis was his right leg. Three of the four doctors decided to amputate the leg but a fourth had compassion on him and said he would make an attempt to save it.
The insurance company will not process a claim because the police will not file the report (somehow always too busy), without which the insurance does not have to pay, neither for the medical bills nor for the totalled motorcycle. Daniel’s local church ended up having to foot the medical bill for him. Here is where we need your prayers. Evil in high places is at work; the police are not filing his report and Daniel must wait until end August to see if the medical brace is working. Fatalism is setting in and so is my anger at the alleged ‘justice’ system here. To hire a lawyer will cost the school a fortune. Pray for righteous indignation and advocacy wisdom.
Remember Rachel? Last November, she too was crushed under a motorcycle. Her face has largely healed (with a noticeable scar) but not her jaw. Again, we are doing what we can to have Mercy Ships accept her candidacy since they are coming into port late August. We met with the Mercy Ships’ advance team leader and she said Rachel’s candidacy was pending the ship’s arrival.
Daniel also needs further medical treatment but Mercy Ships does not handle any bone issues for those over 16 years of age. Please pray for compassion and justice to come –to one victim at a time.
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