"Jesus saved us all!"

This past Wednesday, the United Mission Hospital in Tansen made the news across the country. 

Below is a photo of a jeep laden with passengers (up to a dozen inside, and another 10 or so on the roof) that provides the usual means of public transportation in and around Tansen. This is the typical load that can be seen several times a day around Tansen.

On Wednesday, this is what happened to one of those jeeps.

This sign is located at the front entrance of the hospital to greet every patient and visitor who enters the hospital each day. It serves as a reminder to the community that in this hospital, the physicians and staff will provide loving service and care, but we leave the healing to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Now before you get too worried about the outcome of this story with such dramatic photos, let us simply say that, from our perspective, God's sovereign hand of protection was clearly evident and tangible on this day. In Nepal, we have witnessed and heard many stories of God's amazing works in peoples' lives from miraculous healing to the most unlikely of folks coming to faith through tremendous hardship. To us, this particular day was just a confirmation that God's presence in this place is very real, and people are taking notice.

As you look at the next few photos, keep in mind these facts and how they all worked together in such a providential way.
- On Wednesdays, all of the outpatient clinics run at the hospital are closed. So the number of patients and visitors to the hospital is greatly reduced compared to any other day of the week. The accident occurred on a Wednesday.
- The accident occurred literally at the front gate of the hospital where all the visitors and families of the sick patients in the hospital wait for the gates to open at 10am (under the sign that reads "We Serve, Jesus Heals"). On an average day, there are usually several dozen people waiting in this small area.
- The accident occurred at 10:07am. Every last visitor waiting in that area had entered the hospital and no one was there when the jeep came through the wall.
- The driver of the jeep knew something wasn't quite right with the vehicle. So before reaching the part of the road that becomes the steep decline to the busy hotel and shop intersection, he had all the passengers who were sitting on the roof either find a seat inside the vehicle or get off and walk. No one was sitting on the roof of the jeep when it crashed through the wall and tipped over (remember the photo of the typical number of people who ride on the roofs of jeeps around here).
- When the brakes of the jeep failed as it came down the steep hill, the driver used the exterior wall of the hospital to try and slow it down (thus the end result). Had he not done so, the jeep would have run through a very busy intersection and most likely injured many people in the hotels and shops at the base of the hill. As a result of the driver's decision, no bystanders or witnesses outside the vehicle itself were injured.

As physicians and staff rushed out to take care of the passengers in the jeep, murmurs of amazement swept through the growing crowd. There were 10 people total inside the jeep. All but 2 of them walked away from the accident. The two who were injured were taken to the Emergency Department right away, and one was released after just a few hours. Please pray for the man who did suffer a fractured pelvis and internal injuries in this accident. He remains in the hospital at this time.

As the crowd came to look at the accident and wonder how so few people were injured, one of the nurses overheard some bystanders talking. One man exclaimed, "Jesus saved us all!" The man standing next to him said, "which Jesus are you talking about?" And the first man simply replied, "the Jesus that is written on their sign." 

We pray for healing of the man who remains in the hospital with injuries sustained in this accident. We praise God that He spared so many more lives that day. And we pray that God may use this circumstance to open the eyes of this community to see that He is in fact real and He is full of grace and mercy. We pray these things in the name of Jesus, Amen.

P.S. A few months ago, someone had written in Nepali "bideshis go home" (translated: foreigners go home) on the exact bit of hospital wall that the jeep crashed through. This particular sentiment is now buried in the rubble.