It was three o’clock in the morning, and I had been dozing fitfully after surgery a few hours before. It was supposed to be a quiet night of rest and healing, but that was not to be. The shattering of glass, sudden blaring of a car alarm, and running footsteps changed everything completely. Just a few feet away from my hospital window, a man had thrown a “Molotov cocktail” through the back window of a car. The glare of orange flames lit up my darkened room as I watched the man flee into the darkness.
By the time the firemen arrived, the car was fully enveloped in flames, and the entire area was illuminated by the inferno. The night duty nurses rushed me out of my room for fear of the gas tank exploding and blowing through my window. Just as we left my room, the loud “whoomp” of the igniting gas tank could be heard and felt. Unlike Hollywood depictions, it was not a devastating explosion but simply a huge column of flame that rose over two stories into the frigid night air.
We can never know what a day will bring forth, but then we don’t have to! We know the One who holds the future in His hands, and we can trust Him no matter what He allows into our lives. I am truly thankful for the Lord’s protection and for the privilege to labor here on your behalf.
Mark Hale, Lithuania