61 year old Silvia and her husband Rogelio were traveling to their home country of Mexico to visit family in November. It was during this time that the vehicle they were traveling in was struck by a semi tractor trailer.
This forced the vehicle they were traveling in to rollover 5 times, leaving Silvia with multiple fractures.
She was initially taken to a hospital in Mexico and treated. Her family wanted her back in the United States and they were able to secure a bed for her in Laredo where she has been since the end of December.
2 of their 5 children have gone down to Texas to begin the process of getting her brought back to Indiana where they have raised all of their children.
The weather is warm this morning at 73 degrees already and it is only 8:00 AM. I can feel the intermittent drizzle of the warm rain falling on me at times more of a mist, as we walk between the plane and the ambulance. As I glance up a nice mixture of palm trees catch my eye and quickly remind me that we are definitely in the south.
Laredo, Texas is literally on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. Down there most everyone is bilingual. Our ambulance crew although born and raised in Laredo are no different. This will come in quite helpful since neither Silvia or her husband speak much English.
Once at Silvia’s bedside Rogelio is very helpful in getting her ready for their flight. He gently places the air boots on both of her feet. Silvia chooses to endure the pain as opposed to taking medication for it. She is a strong woman. The staff here have taken great care of this couple. Our ambulance crew do a very thorough job of translating for us during our ride to the airport. We asked them to explain the procedures necessary on board the plane like the headsets. They also helped to answer Silvia and Rogelio’s questions too.
This was a huge blessing. I sent a message to their son Rob to let him know we would be boarding the plane soon. Mike had already provided him with instructions on how to flight follow us. Prior to boarding Nellie, Hal prayed for this family. Once we were in the air Rogelio fell fast asleep. I am sure he needed the rest.
Silvia also slept, never once complaining of any pain. We had already planned to refuel in Indy before leaving Laredo. Our flight although overcast a big part of the way, was very smooth. God had blessed us with a tailwind, allowing us to bypass our refuel and fly directly into Fort Wayne. This was wonderful news.
As soon as we landed I sent another message to their son that we had arrived. Surprisingly the weather in Fort Wayne was not much different than that in Laredo. It was only 20 degrees colder, an unusual 53 degrees in mid-January with the same fog and drizzle as if it had followed us from Texas.
We loaded Silvia and Rogelio into the ambulance and made our way to the hospital. The staff there was great, welcoming and very helpful. We gently placed Silvia into the bed and prayed once again for her healing and the staff that would now care and love on her and her family.
PSALM 133:1
HOW GOOD AND PLEASANT IT IS WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE
LIVE TOGETHER IN UNITY.
Thank you to Hal and Jason for sharing this mission with me. Thank you to all who continually support Grace on Wings.
Many blessings
Shelli Engle RN
Plane Fun Fact:
Laredo, Texas is located of the border of the U.S. and Mexico and is home to the largest annual Washington’s Birthday Celebration. The celebration lasts an entire month and includes parades, a carnival, air show, fireworks, live concerts and a city wide prom in which many of Laredo’s elite dress in very formal attire. It also includes “Jamboozie” which is a colorful event, similar to Mardi Gras. You can also attend the “Jalapeno” festival here in Laredo, one of the top 10 eating festivals in the United States.
