Sunday, April 11, 2010

Car Accident Update from Ben Jore

Ben & Adella

I received a phone call from Jesse today informing me of his involvement in a car accident. He was traveling with another missionary, the dean of Waama (Pastor Dallei), and two other teachers from Waama - returning from an East African Lutheran Bible School conference in Kenya. I was not with him at the time as my fiancee Adela and I were visiting my brother in Uganda. Jesse told me that he was driving the Land Cruiser and was attempting to pass a tractor. When they had almost passed, the tractor suddenly swerved and crashed into the vehicle. This threw the vehicle out of control, causing it to roll 3 times. Everybody was cut from the flying glass. Jesse sustained some relatively minor cuts and appears to have sprained his shoulder. The two teachers were banged up and bleeding, but seemed to be ok. The other missionary needed 12 stitches for a head-gash but otherwise seems fine. The only major concern at this time is for Pastor Dallei. It appears he did not have a seatbelt on and was tossed around a lot. His collarbone was broken and he was still bleeding some out of his ears and mouth several hours after the crash. He was in a semi-coherent state. We hope and pray that there is no long-term damage. The crash was nearby a relatively large city (Kisii, Kenya) and all 5 were able to receive limited medical attention there. Because of Pastor Dallei's condition, they are hoping to charter a plane and fly him to Nairobi, Kenya first thing tomorrow. The other 4 will travel there as well and will be examined as a precautionary measure.

Please praise God with us that the injuries sustained were minor considering the severity of the crash. I talked to Jesse a few times since the accident and he seems shaken up but otherwise well.

Please pray for Pastor Dallei. His condition is definitely the most concerning. Pray for wisdom for everyone involved. Thankfully some fellow missionaries from Kenya were able to get to the scene of the accident a few hours ago and assist. This is a huge help and morale boost.

Thanks for upholding us in your prayers, Ben