Love Never Fails...

What began as a fine cool morning would quickly turn to one of the most horrifying days of my life.

How quickly a moment can turn into despair...
How fast life can spin out of control, catching you unaware.
What happened on Sunday I could never again bear.
Life is so fragile, so please please take care...


Sunday - 19 February 2006 - 6:15am
Woke up with a stuffed nose. Had left the window open. Found myself tightly wrapped in my blanket like a tortilla. My left nostril conveniently sticking out of the cosy protection of my down feather quilt. Left it to face the harsh cruel world of the freezing morning air by itself. Thought twice about going to work.

6:40am
Cursed the guy who invented the snooze button. Had to leave in 20 minutes. Those close to me would know that I take much longer than that to get ready. Marry me and you'll find out why ^_^

7:10am
Kissed the guy in the mirror goodbye. Did a quick calculation in my head. Work was 30kms away. Car goes at 100km/h. Will take 18 mins to get there. 2 mins to get up the lift with time to spare to adjust my hair. Man, even that rhymes... ^_^

7:15am
Everything's on schedule. Traffic's quite light. Anyone driving at this time either works in a lab at Joondalup or seriously needs a life ^_^

7:18am
Why is everyone slowing down? If you're going to drive on the first lane at less than 100km/h at the freeway... You really need a... *what on earth?* 0_0

7:18am + 1s
Saw a car swerve widely onto the dirt towards the median rails. What happened in the next 3 secs will change that driver's life, and mine forever...

7:18am +2s
Driver overcorrected and the car swerved back onto the road at a right angle. The car has now lost traction and is sliding across the 3 lanes. (2 seconds...)

7:18am +3s
Now the car is sliding uncontrollably towards a concrete support pillar of a flyover bridge. Stop the car... stop it now!!! My heart yells. (1 second...)

7:18am +4s
Car impacts the concrete wall with so much energy that it continues flying down the road 4-5m, only to ram straight onto a streetlight, completely severing it from its base. Try hitting the steel frame of a streetlight when you walk pass one, and imagine how much force it would take to break it in two.

Car finally rolls to a stop... 0 seconds.

7:18am +5s...
All the cars around me immediately pulled up by the side of the road. We must have stared at the crash for like another 3 seconds, trying to comprehend what just happened.

Did a car just skid off the road? Will the driver just walk out and sweep the dirt of his jacket? It was only until we saw the sight of a man running straight towards an overturned car that woke us up from our period of denial.

Ever noticed in the movies that time always seems to slow down during a dramatic event? (all thanks to the director's wilful editing) It happens in real life too. Everything went silent as well. It's like the mind shuts off the other senses when it tries to make out an image of a crushed up car with a person in it.

As I approached the car, I could see a bloodied arm from the driver's side window. I've always wanted to see the bottom of a car, but not like this. My initial concern was whether the car was gona blow up. That subsided when a man who seemed to know what he was doing checked to see if the car engine was still running.

The man who first ran towards the car was now halfway in it. Could see that he was trying his best to keep her conscious. Yes, we now all found out that the driver is a girl. There wasn't any space for another to help. The car was so crushed on the driver's side that I couldn't even imagine how anyone could survive.

One of the guys now went to direct traffic around the car, while some of the others and I went to clear as much debris from the road as we could. The last thing we wanted was glass being sprayed all over us by a passing car.

Prayed in the Spirit the whole while. I knew I wasn't trained in first aid and there was nothing I could do but pray. Thank God for the gift of tongues because I couldn't imagine myself praying properly in English after seeing a car which now resembled a crushed aluminium can.

7:21am
Nurses arrived. Was amazed how fast they responded especially on a Sunday morning. Could have been off-duty nurses. Nevertheless, praise the Lord for placing them there at the right place and the right time.

7:24am
To what seemed like forever, the police, ambulance and fire brigade arrives. Our part was done and it was time to let the professionals do their job.

One of the officers approached me to take my statement down. It was this moment when I started to recall that fateful 3 seconds, that my heart grieved silently under that detached facade. Prayed for a couple more moments before committing her to the Lord and driving off to work.

I wondered if there was anything else I could have done? Let's just say for the rest of the drive to work, I was bombarded by the evil one with thoughts of not doing enough or not responding fast enough. My heart was burdened with guilt and confusion. I wondered why I had to be there at that place at that time. I wondered if I left my house earlier, I might have been driving next to her, or might have not seen it at all. But why then and there?

It was at that time that the Lord told me that I was there for a reason. So were the others. Everyone knew they had a part to play. From the brave soul who went straight into the car without checking if the car was on fire, to the rest of us who were picking up debris, and to that one man who walked 20 metres down the road to direct traffic by himself. As for myself, I just prayed.

Our wise Lord then answered my question with a question. "What if the reason I had you there at that time and at that place because I knew you would pray for her?" My heart filled with joy and peace again. The Lord had anointed each and one of us to perform a special role.

Some of us would like to think that praying at that moment would be considered a passive act and something one would do as a last resort, but the Lord explained to me that a prayer was equally as effective, if not more effective, in helping that driver than what the others did. Without prayers, the girl's life was in the hands of mortal men and man-made equipment. But with the Lord's help, He can guide the firemen to break open the wreckage easily and bring her out safely without causing further damage to her body... He can protect her in ways we'll never know. Hey, He can even raise the dead! ^_^


Life can be so unpredictable,
You never know what turn it'll take...
All of the things that happen to us,
Caused by the very decisions we make...

If you do not yet know our God, our Father,
All alone in this world you'll be...
Come under His wings of protection,
His love so great you shall see...

He is our Saviour, our Shepherd.
Let Him embrace you now, for your sake...
Our lives are too short, too precious,
To leave to this world to break...

Let the Holy Spirit fill you now,
With love, peace and joy...
Let the finished work of Jesus Christ,
Reveal to you a life to enjoy...

To all the men and women that day who so bravely risked their lives, to uphold another who was in greater need. The Lord bless you and keep you in love, joy and peace forever. ^_^