Accomplishments and A Freak Accident

I never thought that I would experience one of the most exciting and terrifying moments in Timmy’s life all in one day. Two weeks ago, we spent four days attending his first ever Vacation Bible School. This summer activity is for kids ages 3 to 8 years old (i.e. Nursery to Grade 2). Basically, what they do is learn about God and the Bible in a fun and interactive way.

Instilling faith in today’s generation can be quite a challenge with so many distractions that can easily sway their views about life. At first my husband and I were hesitant to enroll him because that would mean having to wake up early for four consecutive days. In the end, we’ve decided that the exposure he will get from this event will help him both spiritually and socially. 🙂

It was a joy to see Timmy overcome his shyness and participate in class. He loves to read because words excite him. So when it was time to memorize their daily verses, Timmy was fully engaged. He memorized each verse and would review them at home. 🙂 Up to now, he still remembers his four verses!

Timmy also enjoyed crafts time. He likes to put glue (and I mean lots of them) and stick all sorts of stuff in his work. 🙂 He’s not that patient with coloring and I noticed that with all the boys in his class. The girls were more into it and they would really pick and choose nice colors. Meanwhile, the boys would color in haste just to get the work done. Haha! He had one classmate, though, who was really good and he’s a boy. So I guess it really varies from one kid to another. 🙂 The fact that he was committed enough to finish his work was a big thing because I knew he was trying his best to obey me. 🙂

When it came to games, my little trooper outran everyone! He just wouldn’t stop running! Good thing that the games for his age were all relay-type and it involves a whole lot of running. 🙂 Timmy didn’t even bother to listen to the instructions. When he saw the open space, he saw something he could conquer and so his Forrest Gump stretch happened every single day. 🙂 Their team didn’t win in any game mainly because in the 3-year-old age group he’s the only who was sprinting while the rest of his teammates were running at a normal toddler speed. Haha! For Timmy, it didn’t matter if they win or lose. As long as he was able to run and expend all his energy that was a feat for him. 🙂

Singing and dancing was something that Timmy enjoyed at home. 🙂 Meaning he would just stare and listen during class while everybody was belting out and showing some moves. He was memorizing the lines and the steps and would later on show it to us when we got home. 🙂 He’s very selective when performing. He wants an audience he’s comfortable with. I guess it comes with him being shy. 🙂

Graduation came and we were so surprised that Timmy received three awards! He got Best in Memory Verse, Best in Crafts, and Highest VBS Points in Nursery! Praise God! 🙂 Timmy had no idea what those certificates meant but he enjoyed holding them and pretending to read its contents. 🙂 If the recognitions were any indication that he enjoyed his time in VBS then I could really say that he had a blast. 🙂 With the day going by so well, what could possibly go wrong?

The stage was almost cleared, all the props were nearly packed up, and we were having our final photo op at the beautiful backdrop that the Children’s Ministry Team had designed. Timmy and his friend Kael were on the stage and we were about to take a picture when Timmy took a step back and fell off the stage. When I tried to grab him, he was gone already. I was late by a millisecond. He fell into a more than 5-feet deep structure beneath the stage. No one knew that there was a gap between the stage and the wall. Hearing Timmy wail constantly crushed every nerve in my body. I rushed down to the right side of the stage to see if there was an opening but all I saw a thick concrete.

Meanwhile, Omar inserted half of his body in the gap and tried to get Timmy. He was still crying non-stop and it was driving me insane. Finally, I saw Omar lifting up Timmy with those little arms extended up high. A surge of relief washed over me seeing that my son was now safe in his daddy’s arms. When I looked at him and wiped his flowing tears I saw his mouth and teeth bleeding. He had a nasty gash on his chin and a wound on his nose. He had huge bump on his forehead so we needed to put ice on that and stop the bleeding in his mouth.

 It felt like an out of body experience for me. All I was thinking of was administering the first aid, comfort my baby, and distract him from the pain he was feeling. I talked to him the whole time, while giving him ice cream for his bleeding teeth and lips. Omar was carrying him to hold him still while I dabbed Betadine on his wounds and placed cold compress on his mouth. A million things could’ve gone wrong with that fall. He could have hit the back of his head and be unconscious. Instead, he rolled over despite falling backwards.

We knew that God was there the whole time protecting our son. We were so blessed to have a doctor and a dentist in the scene who observed Timmy and looked at his wounds. Another friend lent us extra shirt for Omar and shorts for Timmy. The structure was damp so when Timmy got out of it he was all wet. We only had an extra shirt for him and good thing we were able to borrow shorts from our friend’s son. After changing Timmy’s clothes, I carried him and prayed for him. We praised and thank God for protecting our son and sparing him from the worst case scenario.

 I was trying to hold back the tears the whole time. I knew that my child needed me to be strong, to have that calm, reliable voice that assures him that things are fine, and to be whole because he was feeling broken at that particular moment. My heart was just overflowing with thanksgiving and praise to our God for sparing Timmy from further harm. Sure he was hurt but not hurt to the point of hopelessness.  I prayed for his healing, with my voice shaking, asking the Lord to remove all the pain he was feeling. I felt his breathing calm down and body relax as we prayed. I knew that God was also working in him and comforting him at that moment.

Later on, Omar told me that when he saw Timmy lying face down he asked him to stand up so he could pull him out of there. My heart broke into a million pieces thinking how hard it must be for our little one to stand up in the dark after being hurt from the fall. With his sight blurry from tears, he held on to his daddy’s promise, “Daddy will get you, Timmy.” He trusted that his daddy will come through for him even if he’s hurting and he could barely see anything. I’m in tears writing this because this is exactly how God rescues us in the midst of our darkest circumstances.

He extends His hands to us, telling us to trust in Him that He will bail us out despite the seemingly hopeless situation we’re in. If Timmy didn’t obey his dad and simply continued lying down there, it would take longer for us to move the heavy stage before we could get to him. Instead, Timmy stood up despite all his fears knowing that when he extends his little arms, his loving dad will grab him and rescue him out of that darkness. I am amazed and extremely thankful for the courage God had given Timmy to tune out all the pain and focus on his daddy’s voice.

 That accident was a vivid illustration of how God promises to deliver us in times of trouble. He is our lifeboat, the rope we can hold on to, and the only way out when everything seems to be a dead end.

Our little boy recovered pretty fast and he was back to his old self by the time we got home that night. Now he’s all well except for the wound on his chin that’s still healing. Otherwise, our active trooper is back to his normal self. 🙂

I’d like to thank everyone who prayed for Timmy and those who were there to help us in every way they could that afternoon. The Church immediately took action and had the gap covered. The whole building was also inspected by an engineer to check for accident-prone areas. We are so grateful for all the love and support we received from our family and friends. God’s promises became more real than it could ever be in that situation.

Psalm 107:6

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

2 Samuel 22:2

He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer…”

For all the joys we had and the tears we shed that time, we praise You, Lord. 🙂 Thank You for being our fortress and our deliverer. This experience will not stop Timmy from being part of next year’s VBS. We know how much he enjoyed it to the point that up to now he still thinks we’ll go back and attend his classes! 🙂

Everything’s back to normal but this experience will always be a part of me as a mom. I will constantly remember God’s mercy and deliverance. I will keep in mind that it pays to obey the Lord even in the most difficult time because He will always come through for us. His hand will hold us steady and His love will forever keep us secure. 🙂