An Unexpected Outcome

Today is the day that we had to go to the police station to determine fault for the accident I was recently involved in.  Even though I knew I wasn't at fault, it would be a lie to say that I wasn't scared and physically feeling ill about what could happen.  My hope, and what I thought would be the best scenario, would be for the young man and his mom not to come and everything just be dismissed.  But there they were, waiting for our turn.  They were sitting next to a large board that had pictures of traffic accidents where people had died.  There were dead bodies with blood all over the pavement.  It was a small stuffy area and I thought I might pass out. 

What happened next is something that noone but God could have devised and put together.  We introduced ourselves to them and I noticed that the mother gave me a concerned look.  A conversation started (in French so I couldn't understand it) between Betty, Adama and the mom.  As it turns out Adama had worked with the woman's sister for a long time.  The mom was a Christian and came to know Jesus through Pastor Tomas at the Central Church where I attend with the Arnolds.  As they continued to talk they found out that they had more and more acquaintances.  The young man had his toe wrapped, and cuts on two fingers and his arm but was doing well.  That they would be so kind and compassionate was totally unexpected.

We were then called into a room to go over the accident.  Rumor had it that if you were white, you would be found at fault regardless of the circumstances and I could hardly breathe knowing what probably was ahead.  A very impressive young police officer drew the scene of the accident on a chalkboard from pictures they had taken.  For almost an hour he then talked to the young man about the foolishness of what he had done.  He did not do it in a demeaning way, but rather with facts and concern for his future safety.  He asked how old the young man was and he said "20".  The police officer said "Congratulations" and let him know that he wouldn't make it to 21 if he kept driving the way he was.  By looking at the chalkboard, there could be absolutely no doubt about how the accident happened.  Although I was relieved that proof showed he was clearly at fault, I kept waiting for another shoe to drop.  There was no other shoe, just a lesson for the young man to learn that fortunately hadn't killed him.  We were then told that we had a chance to work it out among ourselves first, and if a resolution couldnt be found then the police would make it.  We decided not to ask for them the replace the window - they would take care of their damages and we would take care of ours.  Everyone in the room was amazed that we didn't demand payment and as John said, it was a great testimony.

Who could've written such a script?  None of us, that's for sure. It was truly amazing to watch unfold.