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They had been so intent on what they were
doing that they hadn't noticed the paramedics coming down the mountain
side. They also hadn't noticed their own injuries. As soon as
the emergency workers had Doll on a stretcher and up the mountain side to the ambulance,
they helped the boys back up to the road and in a matter of minutes all
the children and Harvey were in the hospital to get checked out.
Several of them had to stay in the hospital overnight and a few had to
stay several days but before long everyone was home and doing well, except
for Doll. She was hurt more than the rest and would spend
several months in the hospital.
She had severe burns on her legs and some broken bones, but the real problem was one of her lungs had
been punctured. It seems a piece of metal had pierced her lung and
it took months of recovery time. While she was in the hospital,
Harvey went to see her every chance he got. And several of the
children that had been on the bus that day. She was so grateful for
their forgiveness. She had plenty of time to remember those years
when she was a little girl, crying and begging her mom and dad to let her
get on that old church bus with her "Aunt Callie." She
remembered those prayers and how she had loved Jesus so much. She
knew He had spared her life for a reason and she was ready now to go to
her mom and dad and just tell them she was going to start going to church
and she would tell them if it hadn't been for Jesus, she would be dead and
they would do well to go with her and give their hearts to Jesus too.
She was doing pretty much what she wanted to
do anyway so if she wanted to go to church instead of running around with
boys, then she would just do it.
The big surprise came the day she was ready
to be released from the hospital. Harvey had told her he'd come for
her and take her home. She was all dressed and ready to go.
She went over to the window and looked out and there coming across the
parking lot was not Harvey but her mom and dad. Her mom looked
pretty all dressed with her hair combed and walking straight and
tall. She thought, what a nice looking couple they make. Such
a pity they lost all those years because of the drinking and not raising
their children right. But right then and there she forgave them and
asked God to save them. She wanted to go to church as a family and
she was determined to pray as long as it took to make that happen.
In a few minutes they were walking through
the door and she was in their arms, it felt a little strange because she
didn't remember ever being hugged by her parents, but it felt good.
She vowed right then that she'd never drink again or run around with a
wild crowd. Her mom
promised her that she'd get help for her addiction of alcohol and her dad
told her he would stand up and be a man and make sure she had a good home
and two parents that would love her and take care of her. As she
left the hospital that day with her mom and dad, she thought, All
the pain and all these months of recovery was worth it to have my mom and
dad love me and promise to be real parents to me.
Mom was calling us in to dinner. The table was set with Turkey and
all the trimmings. Including pumpkin pies and a big chocolate cake.
After dinner we decided we'd go to the Christmas Eve service together and we'd go
on the church bus just for old time sake.
It was a newer bus since the old one had
been totaled in the accident, but still we could hear that familiar old
sound of the bus rattling down the road, the look on Harvey's face was
something like I'd never seen, his eyes just lit up when he saw us all
waiting in a line like we used to, but this time there was our whole
family, and Doll and her mom and dad. Once again the old church bus
was bustin' at the seams with people that loved the Lord and loved singing
His praises. Some of the little kids began to sing and every one
joined in, Silent nigh, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright.
There was pure happiness and joy on that old bus that night. Harvey
was about ready to retire and said this would be his last year for driving
the bus. How happy he was that God had answered those prayers of so
many years that Mr. and Mrs. Brown would let Little Doll go to church with
us. Not only had He answered that prayer but had gone above and
beyond all we could ever of expected. The Brown family were going to
church now as a family and Mrs. Brown was attending AA and doing well.
The whole community supported her and gave her encouragement. Once
we got to know her, we realized she was really a nice lady, but had just
been a lady with an addiction.
When the pastor started his sermon, we all
were just in awe of the subject. The very first thing he said was,
"And a little child shall lead them." He talked about the
Christ child but then he begin to talk about the children of the church
and how Harvey's bus ministry had brought so many children into the church
and how so many of them had led their parents to the Lord by being so
faithful to coming to church on that old church bus. I'm sure we
were all thinking of the child, Little Doll, who went through so much
before she was able to lead her own parents to the Lord. This was
the best Christmas ever. Little Doll was no longer "little"
but she was still a doll to me. She no longer needed an "Aunt
Callie," she now had a Mom and a Dad to take care of her and
teach her and make sure she was in church every Sunday, along with them.
In my heart, I will always be Aunt Callie
and she will always be Little Doll. She gave to me a new meaning to
that phrase in the Bible, "And A Little Child Shall Lead Them."
The End.
Written and copyrighted by: Carrie Kinyon
Nov, 2008
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