Some Woes

I woke up Sunday morning and headed straight for the shower to get ready for the day. It was Easter Sunday and my host family was planning to have the whole family over for a big dinner. Just as I was soaping up I heard loud crying coming from downstairs and people asking about someone who had died. I quickly finished up my shower and cursed as I realized that I had forgotten my towel. I dried off as much as I could and headed for my room to change. When I finally came out and asked what was up I found out that my host sister's boyfriend had been in a terrible accident and was believed to be dead. She was in fits of tears… understandably.

I had no idea what to do or what was appropriate so I kind of paced around trying to feel out the situation. I finally asked my host mom if there was anything I could do, but there really wasn't anything. My host dad and brother drove to the accident scene as soon as they heard about it. They wanted to confirm for themselves whether he had actually died. There were three vehicles involved: two cars and a motorcycle. The car that caused the accident was trying to pass someone on the road in a bad spot and my host sister's boyfriend and the motorcycle had nowhere to go. Four people were killed: two on the motorcycle and two in the car behind it. They were all friends on the way into town. The man who caused the accident had only minor injuries and from what I hear this is not the first fatal accident that he has caused.

I sat with my host mom and sister for the whole course of the morning as people called and visited to offer more information and/or condolences. The Easter dinner was cancelled but was prepared for the family and visitors anyway. My host aunt helped cook. My host cousins comforted my host sister. And I sat very quietly, trying to be as comforting as possible without intruding on the sensitive moment. More people showed up throughout the evening to be with the family.

My host sister's boyfriend was a very friendly guy who has spent a good amount of time at our house. He was always smiling and joking around. He was a people person who liked to have fun, so his absence will affect a lot of people. I kind of feel the loss as well, although I can't say it compares to what the family is going through. My host sister had been dating him for 5 years or so. His mom and dad have both been living in the States. His mom was just days away from visiting him to bring him the papers he needed to get a green card. He was due to go to Barbados next week to finish up the process.

Please be in prayer for everyone affected by this event. This is going to be a long and hard grieving process for many people.