Kevin is continuing to get better by the hour. The doctor said we may get to go home on Monday - that is Kevin's plan for sure. Although he has already worked out the transportation issues to get back to Jackson within days - to visit his friends in the hospital. He got into regular clothes last night for the first time and walked unassisted to dinner. It was a wonderful sight.
After talking to several of the firefighters that were on the scene, I needed to go back to the "pile" to just stand and thank God for the rescue. The Captian told me that just as they were close to rescuing Kevin that another storm was on the way. Several minutes before, he had reached down and touched Kevin hand reaching out of the hole he was in (read the story about Kevin waiving his hand in the link below to the Commercial Appeal).
He said the dispatcher said they had 10 minutes before another "red cell" would hit. He knew it was going to take at leaset another 30 more minutes to get Kevin out and perhaps hours for the others. The firefighter said he looked down into the hole at Kevin and the other three still trapped and he said to himself, "I am not leaving. When I leave here, he is coming with me.....they are coming with me. ALL of us are coming out of this together" He then turned to the other people on the pile and told them about the danger and that they should all seek cover. Not one person left the pile that night. Firefighters, students, faculty, medical workers, doctors, medics - NOT ONE.
To all of you on the pile - Thank you for saving his life.... thank you for putting your life in danger to bring Kevin and the other six out. We love you.
It has been amazing the number of workers that have come to hug Kevin and talk about the rescue. It is a time of reflection and redemption for all of the work that they did.
Julie Dockery, Dr. Dockery's daughter-in-law (the President of the University) escourted me to the scene yesterday. We stood in silence and thanked God for his mercy. I touched the rocks and concrete and debris and tried to imagine what it must have been like..... I thought about the fact that not one boy has a head injury and that they all had little pockets for their heads and could communicate with each other. I thought about the fact that they had two to three tons of stuff on them but that everyone had been taken out alive and that they all are due to recover. I thought about Kevin's remark to CBS (which they edited out). "If you ever wonder where God is - I can tell you... He was 25 feet deep, under three tons of stuff - right there next to me...."
On this Sunday morning, we are thanking God for his love and mercies.
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1 comment:
Kevin,
My daughter is a freshman survivor at Union. I want to assure you that you are being lifted up hourly to the Lord. I also want you to know that you have Missionary families all over the world praying for you. We are missionaries her in Colombia South America, and many of our friends are joining us in prayer for you! God is hearing many many prayers in Spanish in favor of you right now ( and also in swahili, and thai and portuguese.. I'm sure we could go on and on). I was listing some of the stuff we will have to replace for mikaela in the Union Planner I was given as mom. I noticed that the verse listed for the week of the tornado was Romans 8:18, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ! Take heart, You have suffered much, but God is true to his word and he will bring his glory into your life in a manner that even out does that of a #four tornado!
We love you in the Lord,
Debra Owens-Hughes
Missionary to Colombia
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