Now for the highlight of the week: I GOT HIT BY A CAR! My entire mission I’ve wondered what to do if i was hit by a car and it finally happened. We were cruising down a hill known by the elders as Superman Hill, because it’s the biggest hill in the mission. I was definately going about 30 miles an hour because I was going with the flow of traffic.
The light at the bottom of the hill was green so I just went through at the bottom of the hill. But then a car approaching from the opposite direction turned left in front of me and didn’t see me speeding down the hill.
My brakes are terrible on my bike. It’s hard to stop even when I’m not going fast. So there was no way for me to stop or avoid the collision. I saw it coming though, so I instinctively stood up on my pedals and I jumped up and over the car just before my the car slammed into my bike (this is intense right?).
I heard the car hit the bike underneath me, WHACK! I cleared the car’s hood because I jumped high and I landed on the other side of the car. All that happened to me was when I landed I couldn’t get my footing because of my speed so I had to tuck and roll and I banged me elbow and hip a little bit. There were people all around freaking out! Especially the guy who hit me. I felt bad for him and his wife. I’m pretty sure he thought he’d killed me.
His wife was crying thinking that they had killed me. I was fine though. I jumped up and walked over to tell the folks to calm them down and assure them that I was alright. I then checked out my bike. Surprisingly it was still operable. I got on and we were on our way to our next appointment.
I’m so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who hears our prayers and is willing to bless us. I knew my track and field training in high school and college would come in handy someday, but didn’t realize it may have helped to save my life and the angels who watch over us to guide and protect us.
Love,
Elder John Michael Keeffer
Earl BrunnerNovember 4, 2015
I was riding my bike on my mission in England when a small delivery van made a left turn (cars drive on the left there) in front of me. I was riding along beside traffic next to the curb. As I hit my brakes, I also hit a patch of ice and went down. Part of my bike and my bode below the waist was completely under the van. I could clearly see the rear wheels immediately to my right as I was laying there on the ground. The next thing I knew, I was standing, right next to the van, holding my bike as the rear of the van went past. I firmly believe that Divine intervention took place and I was some how moved out of the way. There wasn't any way I could have moved myself out from under that van in time. One instant I was under the van the next I wasn't. The van drove on, unaware that I had been under it. Our Heavenly Father watches over his missionaries.
DennisOctober 26, 2015
I was 10 feet behind my companion on a rain slick cobblestone street in the middle of Kiel, Northern Germany when a lady spun out, picked him up on the front of her Mercedes and slammed him into a cement pillar. He wasn't so lucky, knocked unconscious, a broken jaw, broken leg and a destroyed bike. I ended up in a triple in Hamburg while he spent 2 weeks in the hospital. He had a really great recovery though!