carmelawilliams76@gmail.comThursday night, we decided to take a trip to Savannah to spend the night and day with family. Things were great and we stayed up extremely late getting caught up on the family & ministry events that we had missed. We took almost all of the children. There was Troy, Me, 4 of our daughters and 1 son.
We got up bright & early on Good Friday, April 10, to prepare for a planned day of fun on Riverstreet and at the mall. As we were getting dressed, our youngest daughter began to call for Troy. When he went in the living room, he found our 3 year old nephew with a gun. Our 10 year old daughter took the gun and gave it to Troy. The 3 year old began to demand his “toy” back. Troy was inspecting the little gun (25 daringer?) not realizing that the kids had already cocked it. As he inspected this gun with no safety gaurd, it went off and shot him through his left hand.
Meanwhile I was in the shower. I heard this loud noise and froze in place. I was waiting to see if it was a balloon of if someone had broken something (I had never heard a gun go off in the house before). Instead I heard screaming and an army of footsteps running. It sounded like chaos. I stuck my head out to see what was going on and that is when I realized that my husband had been shot. There was a trail of blood on the floor and everyone was screaming and crying. For some reason, I didn’t panick. I got Troy dressed, gave a couple of assignments and headed to the hospital.
It didn’t immediately set in that my husband had been shot and that it might affect his work or that he might have to have surgery or that it could cause permanent damage. ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS PRAY. I audibly prayed all the way to the hospital. All I could think of was the word of God and how God had promised us some things that have not been fulfilled. All I could think about was, “God give us the peace that surpasses all understanding”, “we shall live and not die to declare the works of the Lord”. All I could think about was “God, I thank you that no child was injured”. All I could think about was, “Lord, please don’t let the children be traumatized.”
We finally made it to the hospital after what seemed like an eternity. Then they separated my husband and I. I was confused at first as to why they wouldn’t let me go to the back. I tried to stay calm and continue to pray, but I began to get anxious. Then suddenly it hit me, they didn’t let me go to the back because they needed to make sure that I didn’t shoot him. They needed to get the story first. So I jumped up and ran to the counter and began to tell the lady that I didn’t shoot my husband that it was an accident. That we were on vacation at someone else’s house. She kept telling me to stay calm and sit down and that they will come and get me shortly. I promise “shortly” seemed like forever.
After a little while, I was allowed to go to the back and just like on the tv shows, Troy was sitting on a gurny in the hallway. By the way, they completely treated him on that gurny in the hall. He was in good spirits. He was laughing and joking like usual with no pain meds. Doctors and nurses that passed by and saw all that blood on the towel would ask him what happened and he would show them the wound in “the palm of his hand’ and tell them the story. Then he would begin to say how God gets the glory because no child got hurt. Sitting in the hospital encouraging everyone that would listen. The police were called and had to do an investigation. What I found interesting is that each officer and a couple of the doctors asked him, “What type of work do you do?”. It was at that moment that I realized that he may lose some function in his hand, but I kept praying and Troy kept encouraging.
Now somewhere in all of this, I called our pastor and my prayer partner so I knew prayer was going up to the Father.
After his x-rays the doctor came and said, “My friend you are very lucky.” Troy immediately spoke up and said, “Doc, can I say BLESSED. I am very blessed”. After these two sentences came the results. The bullet went into your hand and traveled to your wrist and came out without hitting any bones or major nerves or arteries. PRAISE GOD! Troy is able to move all of his fingers. He is able to move his wrist. On a scale of 1 to 10, his pain never got over a 5.
After we left the hospital, he only took tylenol so that he could make it to our “Blood Covenant” service on Good Friday night. He stood before our congregation and shared with them the events of the day. He encouraged the people not to let anything stop them from praising God; not even a bullet wound! He magnified God like I have never seen before.
I had been strong all day, but it was during the song, “Thank You Lord” that I was able to release all of my emotions that had built up all day long. I have so much to thank God for. It wasn’t until that moment that a flood of emotions came out of me when I replayed the day in my mind: the 3 year old found granddaddy’s gun and was playing with it. My 10 year old daughter took it from him and called daddy to come and get the gun. My husband went and got the gun and ended up shot in the hand. The injury did not cause any major damage and all they did at the hospital was clean it with peroxide, put neosporin on it, bandage it up and send us home! THANK YOU LORD! THANK YOU LORD! So many things could have been different and could have been deadly, but Thank you Lord that you saw fit to intervene.
By the way, they do not close up bullet wounds (who knew?) so Troy has a hole in the palm of his hand on Good Friday.