Rescue

Our Pastor preached on "Rescue" today.  He remembered the Phrase "May Day" because it was the first day of May.  "MayDay" repeated 3 times is a request for "Rescue".  Airplanes, ships at sea, ........say "MayDay, MayDay, MayDay and then tell who they are, what their situation is, and where they are.   When you hear "May day repeated 3 times on a short wave radio, it' serions.

Our Pastor continued to tell some dramatic rescues that God had performed for himself, and members of his faimly over the years.
This got me thinking and I have one of those May Day moments also.

     Some years ago I drove a garbage truck.   On one of those days, my "helper" Kevin and I were finished for the day.,  it was a Friday and we were in a hurry to get home.   The "Dump"  sorry the Landfill, don't want to be non politically correct here.   Our Trash truck was full of garbage, but as I said it was Friday and we didn't want to go dump it, we wanted to go home.   We past up the dump and went down the long hill toward our yard, to fuel up and head home for a nice 3 day weekend.  At the bottom of this long hill was a light, and the road that lead toward a lake, and Rodeo Grounds.     I let the truck coast, so that if the Green light changed before we got there it would be easier to stop.   As we coasted, the full heavy truck gained speed and I applied the breaks.  Sure enough the light change to yellow and then red,  I calmly applied pressure on the breaks, but the truck was still moving too fast.  I looked ahead of me, 3 cars had come to a stop at the red light, I was moving way to fast to stop,  I put both feet on the brake pedal and still wasen't stopping fast enough,   I remember yelling "Kevin, hold on" as I steered toward the shoulder on the right and hoped we could just cruise up the hill leading to the lake, and avoid those cars.
  The heavy filled garbage truck headed into the curve and up the hill, "Were going to make it" I yelled, and looking over Kevin was wide eyed and hanging on with all his might.   Then the truck's right tires came off the ground, and we started to tilt to  the drivers, side,    At this point, I remember, saying: "Jesus, Lord help us".  From that moment, everything went into slow motion,. The truck tilted ever so slowly to my side, I saw my lunch box flying through the air,  I remember thinking;  "Why didn't we put our seat belts on?"  One of the bad habits as trash men, is that you get in and out so much on your route, that we would not put on the seat belts, this is a habit I broke that day.
The truck hit the ground hard, on the left side, the windows broke, still in slow motion,  and that is the last thing I remember for several seconds, everything went quiet and when the sounds started again I was lying on my  back on top of Kevin who was screaming like I never heard anyone scream before.   We had flipped 3/4  the way over.   Hit the left side, then the top then came to rest on the right side.
One of our mechanics was on his way back to our yard, when he saw us,  He stopped his truck and ran over to see if we were OK.   Kevin was screaming hurt obvisiously pretty seriously.
The ambulances arrived, the cops arrived the fire trucks arrived, and Kevin and I were rushed to the hospital
I was checked out, and given a drug test, part of the process anytime there is a wreck in a commerical vehicle.   All the time hearing Kevin screaming from down the hall.
My wife came, my Mom and Dad came, I basically was fine.  I had a small cut in my left eye brow, which took a couple of stitches.  I had a bruise on my chin, left side also in the shape of a hand, obviously my hand had been caught there? 
Nothing more wrong, no broken bones, no bad cuts, no bad bruises, nothing.  My friend and coworker, didn't get it so easy, he broke a vertebra   and henceforth never walked again.
I KNOW an angel came and padded me as the truck rolled, I know he kept me from getting seriously hurt.  I know that just a sure as I am writing this experience down.  I just wished I had prayed for the safety of Kevin also.  He had just come to church with me a few Sundays before that, and was asking questions.  I never say or talked to him again.  I felt guility that he had been hurt so badly, and I had nothing wrong with me.  My company insisted I take a week off from work.  They paid me for that week, I know they were worried about a lawsuit.  I don't think there was anything wrong with the truck, I think we just should have gone to the dump, I mean we passed right by it, but we wanted to start enjoying our weekend and thought we would go Tuesday morning.  I am sure the truck was overloaded, happened all the time, we could stuff those trucks with so much garbage,  you  would be surprised.  We had a competition at the yard to see who could stuff the most garbage on which truck.  Your "Dump Receipt"  would have the total weight and load weight printed on them.  It was a pride thing if you could stuff more trash on a particular truck then anyone else.
I took off two weeks, which my employer paid for, I was really shaken  up, I think more for Kevin then for myself. 
God answered my prayers, even if they were pretty short, He "Rescued" me.  I went back to work 2 weeks later and had a hard time driving a trash truck again.  Especially  "that" intersection. 
I've looked back at that incident many times over the last few years, and asked myself, God, anyone who knows the story, why?  Why did God save me from certain pain, or worse?  What did He have in store for me?  God has told me many times, that He did it because I called out to Him.  My Mom prayed everyday for my safety while I drove those trucks.  God honored our prayers.  He loves me, and you and will do "Whatever we ask or think"  I still think that bruise in the shape of a hand was the mark of a Angel's hand.
     I think our " Seniors"Pastor, Vic Schober for his message this morning, because it made me once again go over the events of that day, and remember how much God loves me, that He answered "Because I called"  He "Rescued " me and He will do the same for you.  
Ask God to help you, anytime you  feel you need help.  It doesn't matter if it is just "JESUS" in the moment,  He WILL be there.