Inspire, Spring 2011

my cedarv i l le What Happened Next On June 21, we drove to the woodlands to begin our adventure safari. I was thankful for a change of pace and a chance to see the terrain, but I was especially excited to get up close and interact with the animals. Once there, we paid a visit to the crocodiles and then bought some ice cream cones — or so I am told. I can’t remember. We waded through the tall grasses to watch the gazelles and zebras wander, and then we stopped to admire two giraffes. I was stunned by their size. The tallest land mammals in existence, male giraffes often grow to 19 feet tall. Their hooves are the size of large dinner plates. Our guide, Chris, grabbed a lettuce leaf and lifted his hand to coax one of the giraffes closer. The male giraffe named “Jerry” approached quickly. Sensing something was wrong with Jerry’s behavior, Chris warned, “Get out of the way!” I obeyed and moved away, but I was too slow. The giraffe lifted its front leg, swung, and struck me in the back of the head. As I slammed face-first to the ground, he lunged his other hoof forward and kicked me in the back of the leg. I landed in a fetal position, just inches from the violent animal. Chris immediately tried to distract the giraffe so he would move away, and Nathan rushed to stabilize my neck and examine my spine. I suffered eight hours of amnesia that day, so I don’t remember anything that happened. But I know that God was carefully controlling every detail, because there is no good reason that I survived. I learned later that a giraffe defends itself against its only predator, the lion, by using its back hooves to crush the lion’s skull. And yet I lay on the ground breathing. But Wait, There’s More Safari drivers at Mukuvisi Woodlands usually head back to headquarters after dropping off visitors deep in the preserve, but our driver had stayed with our group and was able to rush me back to a hospital. Once there, the doctors gave me a CT scan to see the damage in my brain. Since electricity in Zimbabwe is very sparse, often turning on and off with no notice, patients aren’t guaranteed prompt scans. Fortunately, I received immediate attention. Perhaps most amazing of all, Zimbabwe’s only neurosurgeon was working in my hospital on the day of the accident. He later told me that there are only two or three centimeters in a human brain that can bleed without causing major, irreversible damage. I bled there. The peace of God sustained me that day. Jamie and Erin said I was incredibly calm throughout the ordeal. I told them I was not afraid to die because I was going to heaven. I know that the “peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Phil. 4:7) was guarding my heart and mind that day. Moral of the Story I woke up from my amnesiac state around 8 p.m. Visiting hours had ended, but as I rested in my hospital room alone, a profound truth surfaced in my mind: God exists, and He is always with me. Of course I had known this for many years, but at that moment I felt closer to Him than ever before. My survival story is not an incredible coincidence. Instead, it is a story about how God works. I am alive and well because of Jesus. I hope my story helps others see that God is alive and very present today. I have only Him to thank for my every breath. Amy Conner ’11 is a nursing major from Alum Creek, West Virginia. You may contact her at aconner@cedarville.edu . Top: Amy used her nursing training and gained valuable experience in a Zimbabwe hospital. Bottom: Amy posed with Janet, a little girl she met in Zimbabwe. “God was carefully controlling every detail, because there is no good reason that I survived.” “I hope my story helps others see that God is alive and very present today.” Cedarville University 17