28/05/2011

 

May 28th, 2011 is my 2nd Birthday when God smiled down on me and hushed certain death away! It was on this day in history, a decade ago on May 27th 2011 when I survived a near death accident. It was a Saturday at night, I can recall so vividly as I was driving on one of the major highways in Johannesburg, M2 East, Durban. I was on my way home and cruising at 120km/h in the fast lane when suddenly, I had a check in my heart to reduce speed and rollback to the middle lane. I immediately obeyed without wasting a second and pulled onto the 2nd fastest lane and, before I could take another breath and contemplate this sudden move from very calm to red alert....Lo and behold.

I heard a disturbing and violent sounds coming off my passenger wheel <<glug glug glug>> .and without a warning: my left front wheel came off flying at 100km/h speed and raced passed me! Immediately, there was a giant flame of sparks coming from the metals grinding against the tar. I had already hit my hazard lights to warn all the motorists around as I cautiously hit the breaks trying to bring this runaway car to a stop. It was like doing a dangerous movie stunt except for the fact that in my case: all the actions and the actor was actually happening in real life seconds.

As the wheel came off and seeing it in horror, speeding towards the other cars in front of me: I said a quick prayer for God to divert it away from crashing and causing multiple accidents when it lands on top of some people's cars. In a flash, I watched God answering my prayer in real time as my wheel veered off into the dark over the left side cliff and disappeared. Without panicking I brought my car to manageable speed and pulled out to the left and parked the over the yellow line. I'm forever grateful to all those motorists who witnessed the danger I was in and miraculously slowed down in all three lanes allowing for my safe exit from an otherwise very dangerous situation which could have had serious consequences of ending in multiple car accidents.

It was around 9:15pm when this all happened and, if you're a driver, you'll know that at this time on a Saturday night: its every driver to himself as the fast and furious hit the accelerator trying to get home ahead of everybody else on the road. Oh yea, do not mistaken me for an angel because I am a very fast driver myself and really enjoy the speed adrenalin. I was given the guard of honour by fellow motorists and enable to pull out to the safe zone. I'm eternal grateful for this act of random kindness and reminded me, South Africa is the best country to live in. 

Well, after safely bringing my car to a stop, I helplessly leaned over my steering wheel as I tried to calculate my next move in this impossible challenge to recover my missing wheel. I had marked the spot where I saw my wheel went flying into darkness, must have been 50m or so from my stationary wounded car. I was facing the greatest dilemma in my life at night and was more stressed since I was due to fly down to Cape Town on Sunday morning for business which always lasted for five days. What about the damage suffered on my passenger wheel axle and how am I going to fix it if the whole thing is no longer reusable? Where will I get the money this time of the month, three days after payday?

I slowly dragged myself out of my car like a wounded tiger as I contemplate just how long it'd take me to recover my missing wheel from the thick darkness above the freeway? Even though I had marked the spot where it disappeared I still had no idea which angle it turned from the cliff and over to the ravine down below. What about my trip tomorrow since my customer was expecting me to pitch onsite and discuss service related issues on the account my company had with them? I have never missed my monthly appointments with all my customers: it was my job and my life depended on it.

After inspecting the damage for a minute, I set out to search for my runaway wheel. And still walking down the road with head bowed like a defeated boxer living the ring: suddenly, a small red car was reversing towards me with hazard lights flashing. I couldn't believe my eyes since I didn't see any car seconds earlier when I looked yonder and targeted the spot where my wheel had disappeared. You'd better believe me, I hadn't even walked 10m when this car just appeared like a shooting star right in front of my eyes. No motorist pulled over to help me from the passing cars some five minutes ago.

When I reached this car, the driver lowered his window and said: hi buddy, we have your wheel here with us! I quacked as my mind raced to find the logic of how this was possible since it's been only five minutes after all the drama of surviving this near death accident. Inside the car, there was a young white couple and they gave me the most soothing smiles as I stood there with my wide eyes of unbelief. They had to insist after detecting I didn't believe them. "Take a look, your wheel is right here on the backseat. We saw you when you had accident and got your wheel back for you!" And of course, there it was, just as I knew it. It was my wheel after all. I smiled with a great sense of unbelievable relief and said, Thank you: while I battled to make sense of all this situation.

How on earth was this possible for this couple to be able to retrieve  my runaway wheel which disappeared into the dark at 100km/h; and bring it to me in five minutes? Humanly impossible.

Well, the young driver helped me like he was helping a lady. He wouldn't even let me do the heavy job. He removed three wheel nuts from the other wheels, jacked the car and fitted my now found wheel. And within 15 minutes, I was ready to drive off. I gave him my business card and promised to call him back after he'd sent me his contact numbers. The sweet guy took my card, told me his name was Ryan and smiled at me. We shook hands and I saluted his lady friend goodbye and they pulled away. Now for the miracle. Their red car was just about 3m from mine as I turned to go back.

I looked at the red car and saw it disappeared into thin air right before my eyes. Hello, these were no mortals but angels who were sent by God to rescue me out of a concrete situation. I sat inside my car after realizing my angelic visitation, raised my hands in adulation and praise to God for saving my life and sending His agents to pull me out of the impossible situation. I was all alone and the night was getting quieter and older every minute. But my God....

 

Ryan, my angel didn't call me back as he jokingly promised to. After his car disappeared into thin air, I knew Ryan would never be able to call me, not even if he wanted to since they don't use phones in Heaven. Ryan's mission was finished that night. I thank God for sending me His angels and above all, for extending my lifespan with 10 more years today in history. 

28/05/2011 is my 2nd and last Birthday here down below. After surviving this accident and witnessing first hand the whole miracle unfolding in real time, second by second: I got inclined to change my 18 September birthday to 28 May. I stopped recognizing September as my birthday and swooped it with the real life changing one for May.

Dear God High Above. 

If I never live to see angels again in my life on earth, I have seen them one rough and tumble evening, when you protected me and the other motorists and saved my life from certain death. Not only did you save and extended my life here on earth: You released your angels and commanded them to look after me in the most incredible way and way beyond my human contemplation. I don't know how you did it Lord but, I guess that's not important to know since your ways and thoughts are much higher than ours.

If I died on the night of 28/05/2011. I couldn't have lived long enough to welcome the birth of my first grandchild born in 2018. I'd have missed the opportunity to see my Daughter and Nephew graduate from Wits University. If I died in 2011 Lord, I'd have missed the baptism of surviving penniless for the last 9 years without a job. I'm forever grateful for standing on my bedside Jesus, when I was under attack for more than a year, my body aching with pain all over till one morning after prayer: I heard the Spirit whisper to me, "Today, you've been healed from all the pain you been struggling with so far."

If I died on the night of 28/05/2011, I wouldn't know how to live through a pandemic and learned to trust You Lord for every step of the way, and every time I hit the dangerous Covid infected streets. If I died that night I wouldn't be here today and lived long enough to sing your praises to the world.

 I'm forever thankful.

AMEN.

Copyright © Sydney Pikelela Gutyungwa, 2021