A Tree Has Fallen!
Published Thu, May 18, 2023
Written by Jonathan Bollback
The weather had been unpredictable. Winter is usually calm, cool, and dry but an unprecedented cyclone from southern India had made its way to the Mission. High winds were blowing twigs and greenery over the Mukti campus. Heavy rainfall came and went throughout the day.
During lunch one of the resident girls burst in, shouting “Hurry! A tree has fallen on my sister!”
The stricken look on her face told everyone this was serious. Everyone jumped up and rushed from the dining hall.
Earlier, the torrential rain had slacked off temporarily. One of the Mukti staff, Kadia,* was on her way to the English Medium School, where she assisted with elementary classes. She stopped momentarily to talk to some residents. Without warning a tall tree toppled over, tearing roots from the ground and crashing down on Kadia, burying her in leaves and limbs!
As the concerned staff from the dining room hurried to the scene, they could hear Kadia crying out in pain, but she was no longer under the tree. She had been extricated by staff and residents who lifted the many branches and pulled her out. Kadia had cuts on her face, and her left side was injured.
“Can we move her?” many voices asked.
Someone brought a wheelchair and the Mission Doctor arrived. After a preliminary examination, the Doctor gave a nod of approval. Kadia could be moved to the hospital. Lifting her into the wheelchair, they were off! A light rain began to fall.
Would she be okay? Or had she suffered some broken bones? The X-ray technician was called in and everyone waited anxiously. Praise the Lord! X-rays revealed no fractures – Kadia had escaped with only minor facial lacerations and bruises on her right arm and leg.
Kadia knows that her lack of serious injury was a miracle. “The tree fell on me, but I didn’t die. The Lord protected me.” She said that in her situation, many people would have died, but that “there is nothing impossible for God.”
Praise the Lord for Kadia and this vivid example of His protection of His beloved children.
*Names changed for privacy and security. Images representative.
