One year ago today my life changed when the life of one of my dearest friends was drastically altered. Like the sisters we are we both went on AYC trips last summer, her to the Dominican Republic and me to Peru, however her trip ended a bit differently than mine.
Every AYC trip includes a bit of time for fun and for the DR trip that fun included go-cart racing. Wednesday afternoon, July 3, 2013 Milla got on a go-cart just like she had plenty of other times in her life. She fastened her seatbelt, checked that her hair was secure and then smiled for the camera.
And with that the race was on and Milla raced towards something she never imagined...
Somewhere on that course her carefully bound up hair, her beautiful, knee-length, thick, lustrous glory, came tumbling down and every Apostolic woman's worst nightmare occurred. That glorious hair got caught in the moving parts of the go cart and was ripped from her head taking the majority of her scalp with it.
I remember when I found out. I called our other "sisters" and we cried and cried and cried for Milla and for the loss of her beautiful hair. I'll be honest. I questioned how God could let that happen. Her beautiful hair! Her glory! Her scalp! How? Why? Oh how I questioned, but at the time I didn't know the whole story. All I could see was this:
And so I prayed, and I cried and I did what I could to help: meeting her at the airport, holding her hand and praying.
Only over time would I see the full picture. You see God allowed this to happen but He also had a plan for it. He knows the end from the beginning and had prepared her for that moment from her birth. Some of these preparations were minor in the scheme of life and others had seemed like problems up until this point while others were a result of a lifetime of labor by her, but all of these things worked together to keep her safe.
Something Milla had complained to me about over the years was her neck. It's thick and in her eyes not very graceful or feminine, but God made that neck with July 3rd, 2013 in mind. Her thick muscular neck may not have looked God to her over the years but as unspeakable force was applied to it and her scalp was ripped from her head that neck stood firm protecting her from a broken neck, paralysis or even death.
The preparations went deeper still though. God prepared her all the way to her blood. My sweet Milla's blood has too many platelets. Platelets are important but with too many you're faced with severe headaches if you become dehydrated and a you face a higher risk of blood clots as platelets are the part of the blood that helps it clot. Normally you don't want your blood to clot but if you've sustained a massive head trauma clotting is exactly what you want and exactly what normally doesn't happen. Head injuries bleed like no other but with Milla's excessive platelets the blood was able to clot and the bleeding was slowed enough that she didn't bleed to death on that race course.
Further preparing Milla for July 3rd, 2013 was her many years of Bible quizzing. As she struggled to stay conscious en route to the hospital it was the years of quizzing that kept her going as she quoted verses and sang to keep herself alert and conscious. God prepared her in many ways for that day and her years of living for Him prepared her as well. He provided her with peace in the midst of everything as well, allowing her to rest in the knowledge that He was not punishing her and it was not her fault but simply some piece of a bigger picture. Milla easily could have died that day in the Dominican but she didn't because God had a plan. No matter how horrible the storm you're facing is always know that He is in control and He has prepared you for the storm and will see you through.
Milla's hair hasn't grown back yet, in case you're wondering but I know God has a reason. So for now she's wearing adorable pig tails from the part that didn't get pulled out and trusting God and sharing His great protection everywhere she goes.
I don't know how the story's going to end for Milla but I'm so glad that God had planned all along for July 3rd, 2013. Happy Anniversary of living and thriving Milla. I hope you make it back to the DR some day!!
