Monday, May 2, 2016

Week 55 Motorcycle Miracles!


Fish I ate this week! Haha! So good!


Bananas from the Philippines :)


Awesome car!!!

This is an excerpt from Janae's companion about the past two days...first bit by a dog and then hit by a motorcycle...miracle she is alive and well :)

It all started on Friday. Those rough things that every missionary experiences at some point or another, that begs the question: "why me? Why now? GRRRRR!!" Although that last bit isn't a question....it's in there. We were going to a lunch appointment we had with this less active sister in the ward (she's a little old Columbian lady who married a Japanese man, and she speaks a unique mixture of Spanish, English, and Japanese in order to communicate with us missionaries, and just about everyone. She is HILARIOUS! And adorable, but she has the WORST yappy little dogs), but apparently she had forgotten about the appointment, because she wasn't home. We knocked on the door, and as usual, we could hear the dogs inside viciously straining at the door to try and rip us to shreds. The man who takes care of her dogs opened the door just long enough to yell that she wasn't home, and slam the door. But it was long enough. One of the dogs came dashing out, took a flying leap, and bit poor Sister Hubbard on the thigh! She instinctively kicked, and since she is a very skilled soccer player (she's going to go pro, and will be playing in college until then), that kick sent the dog very effectively back through the door before he slammed it. And it was that fast! She was bleeding, and we could count all the tooth marks, and the whole area around the bite was all bruised. We were both really frustrated, to say the least. It was painful, and troublesome, and downright dangerous! Luckily the dogs are vaccinated, and we were able to clean it very well at our apartment, but it was wasted time, and oh so agitating! Little did we know that the Lord was out to teach us something.
Then Sunday came along. Everything was peachy, Sister Hubbard was healing nicely, the mission president's wife and the bishop were in the process of discussing the incident with the dog owner, and everything was pretty much back to normal for us. We were biking to church down our little street, Sister Hubbard in front, me in back, when we started through an intersection, where we obviously had right-of-way. But from the right came a speeding motorcyclist, who showed not the slightest regard for stop signs, and blazed right on through, right into Sister Hubbard! I saw the whole thing. It will stick with me forever. Everything slowed down to me. She got t-boned, her bike was torn out from under her, and she went flying up in the air, doing flips and somersaults over the biker's head, before landing in a heap several feet away. I jumped off my bike and ran over, adrenaline pumping so hard, I was shaking. But miracle of miracles, she was alive! And not only alive, but OK! I couldn't believe it! I was checking for blood, and gore, but all there was was some bad road rash on her left arm, and some ugly bruises. She stood up, perfectly calm, and proceeded to calm me and the motorcyclist down! As is custom here in Japan when any traffic accident occurs, the police and the ambulance came, and whisked us (if you can call a slow crawl whisking) off to the hospital where they insisted on giving her x-rays. But everything was perfectly sound! We were so blessed! 
As I sat in the waiting room, going over in my mind that image of her flying through the air, I realized again and again just how amazing it was that she hadn't broken her neck, or hit her head, and died! Or at least broken a few bones! I was so grateful. The Lord truly looks out for His missionaries! And everyone for that matter! Now, the take-away: who cares about a little dog bite? Who cares about any of those little frustrations? The Lord is in charge, and has a special blend of miracles, wonders, and trials in store for each of us before He whisks us right off of this rock back to Him. And it could happen any time! But not until He is ready. Not us, Him. So why worry about those tiny little frustrations, or even big frustrations, when there is so much good to be seen and done? When there are so many small and simple miracles every single day! And the more we look for them, the bigger they will become in our lives, until they completely outweigh the bad. And once that happens, we will be able to recognize the Lord's hand, and accept His timing in all things. 


Janae in emergency after being hit by a motorcycle which ran a red light...She was T-boned while riding her bike...

Inside the ambulance :) haha.




Photos after the accident and getting home from the hospital. I'm doing great! :)


Janae's scrunchy face :)

Dear Mom and Dad: (Excerpt from letter)
As far as the accident with the motorcycle is concerned, I really am
okay. It was a pretty crazy experience! It happened so fast. I woke up
this morning pretty sore and am all bandaged up on one side of my
body, but I have no head injuries and managed to get away with just
some massive bruises and scrapes. God really did protect me. The
ex-rays at the hospital showed no signs of broken bones, so that's
awesome too!
I remember Dad telling us about that time he rolled that vehicle and
how he knew right then and there that he was meant to be alive longer
because if not, he is sure he would have died. I think this was one of
those experiences for me. Scary, yet I was able to maintain complete
peace of mind and as you can tell from the pictures, i was actually
laughing in the ambulance. My companion was pretty worried and was
shaking with shock and a little bit teary eyed, but she is okay too!
:) God is protecting us and will continue to protect us. I am in His
care.

Don't worry about anything! Sister Nagano has been calling me everyday
to make sure I am okay and I have good conversations with the Mission
Doctor every once in awhile, haha.
I don't want you to worry! Everything's good. God will continue to
watch over and protect me. My work is not yet finished here.



Dear Family,

Thanks for your letters this past week! It sounds like everyone is
doing super well. :)

I've had a very interesting week! In fact, I'm not sure if I have
experienced anything like this my whole mission up until this point.
This last week has been a learning and growing experience as well as a
huge blessing. I am left thinking and feeling that the Lord really is
close by and that He is in charge of all things. I know God protects
His missionaries no matter where they are. He is never far away, and
He is very aware of our individual circumstances and thoughts.

Yesterday, as sister Simpson and I were riding our bikes to church, a
motorcycle came out of nowhere and hit me off of my bicycle. We had
the right of way and so we were traveling super fast and not worrying
about any other traffic. The man on the motorcycle had ran a red light
which resulted in our huge crash. He hit the side of my bicycle in a
T-bone, flinging me up into the air and overtop on his motorcycle.
Sister Simpson said I did a flip in the air and that it looked like I
was going to land on my head, but I landed close to 4-5 feet away from
my bike on my side. When I landed, I surprisingly felt an enormous
sense of peace. I felt no pain. Somehow I knew that everything was in
God's control and that everything was okay. Sister Simpson came
running over to me, shaking, crying, and asking me if I was okay. My
first thought was that I was perfectly fine, but then I realized that
I didn't have any pain. I thought maybe I had been paralyzed because I
didn't feel anything, but I proceeded to get up on my hands and knees
and then stand up on my feet. I was perfectly fine. I still wondered,
amazed, if everything really was okay. I checked myself once more and
sure enough, I had come out of this accident with only a few scrapes
and bruises. The man on the motorcycle also proceeded to come and make
sure I was okay. He was very apologetic and I could see in his eyes
that he was really worried about me. Sister Simpson turned to me and
said, "I thought you were dead." She got mad at me for chuckling at
her comment because I really felt fine! I was filled with so much
peace. She told me to sit down and wait for the ambulance. I sat down.
It brought tears to my eyes to think about what had just happened to
me. I had an impression come to me. I know it was directly from the
Spirit. The words in doctrine and covenants section 84:88 came to my
mind.

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before
your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my
Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to
bear you up."

The ambulance ended up coming, and I was able to go to the hospital
and make sure everything was okay. Sure enough, it was! I was
protected by God and by His angels.
At the hospital, I wondered the whole time why we were there. I shared
the gospel with everyone I came in contact with, thinking it may be
someone inside the hospital or something. I still have no idea, but I
feel at peace with everything that happened. I'm a little bit sore
today, but everything is great. :)

The morning of the accident we actually had two investigators promise
that they would come to church. We weren't able to greet them there,
but we later found out that they had joined in a special prayer with
the ward during the fast and testimony meeting at church that day.
Someone had told a member of the stake presidency that I had gone to
the hospital and the ward decided that they would pray for me. After
being at the hospital for a couple hours, I was finally released. We
walked into the church building, hoping to catch the last 20 minutes
of the third hour. As I walked into the relief society, my emotions
overcame me. I was greeted by the ward members who proceeded to make
sure I was okay. Everyone was so concerned and although I was
perfectly fine the whole time, I was so touched by their love and
concern for me. It is something I will never forget. Our two
investigators ended up having an amazing spiritual experience at
church that day, and whether that is the reason I was hit by a
motorcycle or not, I guess it doesn't really matter, but I'm grateful
for the Lord's tender mercies and for His all knowing wisdom and
knowledge. Everything happens for a reason. These people have done so
much for me. I love them so much. They have changed my heart and
helped me see the kind of person I want to become. I am so grateful to
be with them here in Japan.

I know God lives. I know He protects His missionaries. Everything
happens for a reason and there are no mistakes in God's eternal plan
of happiness. Every moment is a treasure. I'm grateful for the
opportunity I have to be a missionary, and to be able to have Christ's
name on my lips everyday. I know He knows each one of you and that He
loves you. He will continue to provide for and bless us as we put our
trust in Him.
I hope you all have a good week!
Love always,

Sister Hubbard xoxo


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