Trust in the

Care of God
Josiah Bomers

Introduction

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 There are always times throughout our lives that will stick with us forever. For some of

us, They are the good and happy memories of the time that you spent with your friends or your

family. For others it is the distressing and the sad memories of the loss of a loved one or of a

time that they came so close to death.

I spend a lot of time with my family, and to me, family means a lot. Every year my

family does something together whether it's a large trip, or a small get together. These memories

of these times spent together build a bond between each of us that is nearly impossible to break.

These memories of my life that are pictured within the next chapters are the moments that were

very distressing for my family. The memories of a once in a lifetime trip almost turning into a

nightmare, or an ordinary day after school turning into several sleepless nights. Days where tears

were rushing free and sleep was hard to find. However, even though these times we found the

strength to carry on through God and through friends and family. When we were struggling to

carry on, we turned to God in prayer and He gave us strength, and through His word we were

reminded that nothing happens outside of His control.

Philippians 4: 6,7- “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which

passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Psalm

103:13,14- “13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. 14 For

he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” God cared for me and my family

during our difficult times and even though we were emotionally weak, we found strength by

trusting in God.

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 Dream Vacation or Nightmare

The vacation that my family took out west was full of the most amazing National Parks such as

Yellowstone. This trip was the first one that came to my mind when I was considering some of my other

stories and fits in well with the theme of God's Providential care. The trip we took out west is one of my

fondest memories that could have turned into a nightmare, had not God cared for us and watched over us.

One characteristic of my family is our love to travel, my father especially. He has always wanted

to see as many national parks as he could, but every time we go on a vacation it has to be to a different

place. One year especially was exciting.

In February of 2016, my dad bought a motorhome for the first time, and with it he wanted to

travel out towards the west with most of my siblings. It took a little while to fix up, but we managed to

make it suitable enough to travel in. In June, we packed up all of our supplies and headed out west.

During this period of time, my brother Cody, who was about 22, was on crutches because he had a small

cut on his shin. This happened when his leg fell through a broken wooden step about two week prior to

this trip. He did go to the doctor to get it examined, but the doctor misdiagnosed the cut. Little did we

know the danger that this presented.

While out west, we did a lot of travelling around during the day and at night slept in some weird

places in the motorhome, such as the parking lot at a Walmart or along the side of a dirt road. One very

notable day was the Wednesday of our second week out there. That day we went to Mammoth Hot

Springs in Yellowstone, which was by far one of my favorite places that we visited. It took about 45

minutes to get there by a rental car, from where we were staying. In the Spring you could see a bunch of

hats and umbrellas because of the wind, but no one would get them because of the temperature of the

water, and because they didn't want to disturb the natural flora around the spring.

During our walk around Mammoth Hot Springs, Cody started to lag behind. As he was hopping

along on his crutches, he would wince every time he took a step. Halfway around the

spring, he stopped and sat down on a bench. I was counting all the hats in the spring when I saw

my mom hurrying back the way we came, and saw that Cody had stopped. I then followed my mom, and

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that's when I saw that Cody was crying, hard. My mom asked him what was wrong, but all Cody could

sob was, “my leg, my leg!” My mom then rolled up his swearpant’s leg, which was all he could get over

the leg, and saw that his leg was about three times bigger than it used to be and was oozing a little pus out

of the cut. My mother then told my dad and the rest of the family that Cody needed to go to the ER

immediately. As we hurried back to the car, my brothers, Jesse and Samuel, supported Cody on either

side so he didn't need to struggle to keep up. When we were all back at the car, we traveled the 45

minutes drive to the nearest medical center. This was the longest trip of my life; all of us were extremely

worried about Cody.

We arrived at around 6 PM, but the medical center had closed at 5 PM. As we were about to

leave, a medical assistant came out. My mom then ran out and pleaded with a doctor that was just about

to leave, to stay and help Cody. The medical assistant hesitated, then seeing the desperate state my mom

was in and the state in which Cody’s leg was in agreed, saying she had plans but would cancel her date

that night. This medical assistant had every right to leave us to go on her date, but we can thank God. The

medical assistant then called someone she works with over and together they took Cody inside to get a

closer look at his leg; it was not pretty. My mom said that his leg was all red and very swollen.

The medical doctor then took a knife and cut a circular incision about 1 inch in diameter and the

pus just started to pour out. The next hour was spent squeezing Cody’s leg, trying to work out all the pus,

and they managed to get about four cups of pus out of Cody’s leg. The medical doctors didn't know what

else to do, and didn’t know what was causing the infection so they told my mom that they had done all

that they could but Cody was going to need to go to a hospital; the problem was, the nearest one was

about a three hour drive, and it was up in Idaho. After thanking the doctors for staying and helping us

even though it meant giving up their plans for that evening, we headed back to our motorhome. The drive

back took about 30 minutes and my parents were talking back and forth about who should go with Cody

to the hospital. My mother wanted to be with Cody at the hospital, so my mom packed for the trip and set

off knowing that she would be battling against sleep the whole way.

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 After a 3 hour and 15 minute drive, at around 12 o’clock at midnight, my mom and Cody arrived

at the hospital. There, Cody was rushed to the ER, with my mother following, determined to stay with

him until morning. The surgeon that was treating Cody had actually dealt with a case like this not too

long ago, and instantly knew what was wrong. Cody had somehow gotten sepsis by cutting his leg on the

broken wooden step. This disease was well known to have a very high fatality rate because few know the

symptoms and by the time you start seeing symptoms from the infection, which takes about three weeks,

it would be too late. By the end of the three weeks the infection would have spread throughout the whole

body and there would be no way to treat it. We can thank God for his governing hand, because the

infection that was in the leg did not travel into his bloodstream, and from there to the rest of his body. The

infection somehow had been trapped, so it caused Cody's leg to swell to an extreme measure. Because the

surgeon had dealt with Sepsis before, he knew what to do and was able to extract more of the infection

from his leg that was in the pus to make sure it did not spread throughout Cody’s body.

I will always be thankful for what the medical doctors and surgeon did for my brother, but more

importantly I am thankful for God guiding my family to the medical center and the hospital, which

definitely saved his life. Cody did have to stay at the hospital for two additional days to ensure that the

infection was flushed from his body, but I am thankful that God cared for us and saved Cody’s life. It was

a difficult and distressing time, but we prayed constantly for my mother and Cody during their travel and

their stay at the hospital.

Sibling Scare

The days that stick with us the most are not always the happiest days of our lives. The days that

stick with us are the ones that make us ask, “Why is this happening to me, to us?” On these days we can

be so overcome with grief, guilt, or self pity, that we forget who is always in control. We forget who is

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providentially governing and guiding all things to the end that he has determined. At the most difficult

times in our lives, we must always turn to God. When we are weak, we must turn to God for strength, and

when we are filled with grief we must turn to God for comfort. February 16th 2020 was a time where my

family and many friends had to do just that - turn to God for strength and comfort for He is the one who is

in control.

For me, February 16th was just another school day that entailed a lot of homework. School had

ended two hours earlier, and I was working on some math for Algebra II. My mom was in the kitchen

preparing supper for my family when she received a call. She answered her phone and I looked up,

listening to the voice talking to my mom to see if I could recognize who it was. I didn’t recognize the tone

of the voice, but as I watched, I saw the color of my mom’s face slowly turn incredibly pale. She walked

across the kitchen to the family room and sat down, supper completely forgotten. She listened for a

couple more minutes to the person on the other end before the call ended. My mom sat for a little, tears

streaming down her face. Then she called me, Samuel, and Jonathan into the family room.

We all sat in silence for a while before my mom gathered the strength to say, “Your sister was

just in an accident on the highway just five minutes from home.”

We all held our breath as she continued, “Her car had slipped on some ice on the bridge going

from I-96 to I-196. The car had rolled down the hill across I-196, and she was thrown out of her car onto

the highway.” At this point we were at the point of crying. We all feared the worst as my mother forced

out the remaining words.

“When she was found, 911 was called and she was immediately rushed to the hospital in an

ambulance to get immediate attention for her injuries. I don’t know the extent of her injuries, all I know is

that she was found lying is a small puddle of blood.”

At this point my mom had completely broken down and was fearing the worst, while the rest of

us didn't know what to think or do. We just sat there in silence staring at the ground pleading silent

prayers that Roseanna was okay, until we heard a knock at the door. I got up and answered the door and

there was Curtis Dykstra, head down and eyes red from crying. He looked up at me and asked if we knew

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that Roseanna was just in an accident on her way home from work and was rushed to the ER. I nodded

saying we did, and thanked him for coming over to tell us. Later on, I found out that he was in the same

grade as Roseanna, and it was him who found her in the middle of the highway and called 911. I can’t

imagine what he went through after graduating and not seeing a classmate for a whole year, then finding

her lying unconscious in the middle of the road.

After a day of Roseanna being in the ER, and not knowing what state she was in, my parents were

finally allowed to see her. From what they told me, she was unrecognizable. She had a concussion from

slamming her head into the pavement on the highway, and had to have a patch of hair on the back of her

head shaved off so the doctors could patch the gash up. She had blood in her hair, a broken jaw and wrist,

and multiple cuts and scratches all over her body from being flung out of the rear window of her Infiniti

QX4. Her face was also puffy from the painkillers and other medication she was given. The doctors told

my parents when they arrived that Roseanna was stable and in no immediate danger.

However, the doctors also told my parents that her survival from the accident was a miracle. The

chances of a person surviving after getting flung from a car when not wearing a seatbelt were 1 in a

million. And it was just as surprising that she was flung through the rear window of her car instead of

maybe the driver or passenger window.

Also, the fact that she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt probably saved her life because after her car

rolled over the highway and a guardrail, it fell around 15 to 20 feet onto the driver side of the car. After

hearing the doctors’ account from my parents when they came home, I could only thank God for His care

of my sister.

Her recovery period spanned several months and during those months, the doctors were

impressed by her rapid recovery. I am thankful that there are no long lasting effects from her accident and

I can only praise God for His grace and love in caring for my sister. This accident was a grievous trial for

me, my siblings, and my parents; but with the aid of friends and family, we were able to recover knowing

that God never has something happen outside of His eternal plan. We can take comfort from that fact that

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He was with us and watched over us through this trying time and He cared for my sister throughout her

recovery as well.

The Best Car Ever Built

The best make and model of all cars known, in my opinion, is the Volvo XC 70. This car is

known for its resilience, reliability, and sometimes, speed. I, for one, can prove this. Many do not think

that this is all that important, but in this story, it saved my brother’s and my own life.

For my first car, I got a 2003 Volvo XC 70. There could have never been a better first car for a

new driver. The car itself is not much to look at with its brown color and its squat and square body style

with a hatchback door on the rear of the car. At first glance it looks like a brown rectangular box on

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wheels, but there is one notable difference from other cars that you can’t see just by looking at it, the car

itself was a tank. An ugly tank, with a turbo, but a tank nonetheless.

I was proud of my car as most people are with their first car, but my appreciation for the

durability of the car didn't come about until I got in my first crash. It had been raining before I got out of

my high school, but I didn't think much about it. I pulled out of my high school’s parking lot, hammered

on the gas and got up to speed as usual. However, at the top of a hill where the road goes over and meets

a cross road, the traffic light was red. There was a backup of traffic at the light, and when I saw the brake

lights from the cars ahead of me, I applied my brakes until I came to a stop. The next moment my whole

car jumps forward from an impact, and all I hear is the crunching of plastic, and the impact of metal on

metal as a car slams into me from behind, and pushes me into another car. I scream in frustration thinking

that my car was totalled from the impact. I didn't know what to do until the car ahead of me pulled into a

side street right next to us, so I followed, as did the car behind me, and a fourth car that must have hit the

car behind me.

Once all of the cars had pulled off the road and onto the side street, I got out of my car. The first

thing that I saw was the car behind me, which really shocked me. The whole front of the car, which was a

Honda Civic, was smashed in and crumpled like a popcan. I walked to the back of my car and what I saw

surprised me even more. The back of my car was completely fine, no dents or scratches, just a crack in

the side of my bumper.

A couple of months later, near the end of February, I got into another crash that really scared me

back into reality. Both crashes were not my fault just at the wrong place at the wrong time, all though this

one is related to my carelessness and impatience. I was in a hurry to get to school because I had slept in a

little bit too long and I was waiting at the light to go off from 8th Avenue, heading north, onto Interstate

191, heading west. In the morning you have little chance of turning left from 8th Avenue onto I-191

because of the heavy flow of traffic. What happened next all happened within 10 seconds. Finally there

was an opening and the three cars ahead of me all managed to turn left, so I followed thinking it was safe.

When the first car turned the light was yellow, and when the car in front of me went the light was red. I

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was already in motion and if I had stopped for the red light, I would have been blocking the cars that were

turning left to get off of I-191 onto 8th Avenue, so I turned.

When the car in front of me turned, it blocked my view of incoming traffic. I reasoned that the

light had been yellow for 4 seconds and now was red so I thought I didn't need to worry about oncoming

traffic. Halfway through my turn I see a pickup truck barreling down towards the passenger side of my

car, and I slammed on the gas hoping I would make it. I didn’t. However within not even a half a second,

I managed to gain enough ground so the truck didn't hit the front passenger door. The truck, which was

going around 80 miles per hour on a 55 mph road hoping to make the light, instead, slammed into the rear

of my car by the rear tire, making my car spin around twice until I was facing the direction I was hoping

to go. My whole body hurt from the impact, but my first thought was my brother. He was sitting in the

front passenger seat when the truck hit us. He was okay thankfully, but also had glass all over him that

came down from the sunroof and the passenger side windows.

When the realization of what happened and what had almost happened, had I not accelerated, was

too much for me to bear; I cried. Too much had happened within the span of 10 seconds, and because of

my carelessness and impatience to make the light I had not only totaled my car, but had almost killed my

younger brother. However, I stopped when I noticed my car was going haywire. Every light on my dash

was flashing and the engine was making a weird noise. I quickly turned off the car because I was certain

it was going to explode. After a minute, I carefully got out of my car because of the glass that was

everywhere and the aching of my body. I looked around at the plastic parts scattered across the road until

my eyes landed on the pickup truck. The whole front of the truck was crunched in. I then glanced at the

rear side of my car. It was smashed in where the rear tire was on the passenger side, and all the windows

on one side were blown in, but it had held up better than the truck. One final time my car held up against

the impact, and saved my brother's life by also being able to quickly accelerate.

The police officer showed up after a witness had called 911. The witness had told the officer that

I had turned left on a red light because it was busy and the truck hit me going well over 55. The cop then

went to the driver of the pickup and questioned him, then came to me and asked me what happened. After

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telling him the story as best I could, even though it was hard to describe what exactly happened within

those 10 seconds, the cop believed me , saying it fit with the witness's story. Thankfully, the officer knew

what it was like by the light to turn onto I-191, and he didn't give me a ticket, although he did tell me one

thing. He told me that he had been to crashes such as this one where the car that was turning was

demolished. He was surprised by how much my car held up. He also told me that if I had not accelerated,

the speed at which the pickup driver was going would have been fatal, possible to both me and my

brother.

I was proud of my Volvo, and that pride almost got my brother killed. This accident humbled me,

it taught me patience. It also taught me to not take driving so carelessly, to always be aware of what

others are doing. If anything else would have happened I would have never been able to forgive myself,

but I know that it would have been worse had not God been watching, caring, and guiding us every

second of that accident. He knew that the Volvo was the best car for me at that time, even though I didn’t

appreciate the car at first. That accident taught me many things, but it mainly taught me to always trust in

God and he will care for you.

I Am From Poem

I am from Legos
From Millville cereal and Kirkland Milk
I am from the old brick house (old fashion trucks, campers, and too many half finished
projects in our barns)
I am from leaves, that paint the field each year
I’m from Langerak Camping and pranksters
From Uncle Jer and Uncle Nate
I’m from the campfires and scary stories
From “don’t even think about it” and “don't play with fire”

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I'm from the Protestant Reformed Churches; light that is spread throughout this
darkening world of evil
I’m from Zeeland and the Netherlands
Homemade baked goods that were gone the second they were made,
Roast beef that you could smell for hours before it was done
From the heart wrenching weeks that followed my sister accident where she lost control
on a slippery exit onto a highway, and was flung from her car onto the highway as the
car rolled down a steep hill
The mournful tears shed from my mother’s eyes when we were finally able to visit my
sister in the hospital
All these stories forever captured in a picture; stored in the old wooden cabinet in the
living room-
Kept safe for the next generation to envision the stories behind each picture.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my family for making me who I am today by their love and

appreciation for me. Each and every one of you helped me through life by your advice to me, and

by never letting me forget my mistakes. I would also like to thank my friends for them always

being there for me and being able to make me laugh and smile. Finally, I would like to thank my

mom and dad who especially guided me through life and raised me to be who I am today. I also

thank them for instructing me on the word of God and raising me within the Protestant Reformed

Churches.

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