YWAM staffer Kris Richards felt like a real
missionary on the Big Island last week. Within the Micronesian community,
she has attended funerals and baby first-birthdays, Christmas banquets and
Gospel Day celebrations. Now she was the main transport to the ER.
Last Thursday Kris showed up with Brazilian buddy Andreia Deca to pick up
kids from a local housing project in a Salvation Army van. She was
surprised that no kids were able to join them that day, and drove back to
Salvation Army puzzled.
(Andreia plays with some boys in the housing project)
When they pulled up, Joshua Bouley, husband of
the youth pastor Tersey Matto Bouley, ran out of the building looking
concerned. “My wife just called. She’s at Kahalu’u [a different housing
project] and is feeling ill. There’s no van here. Can you drive me
to her?” Realizing the gravity of this situation--Tersy has a hole in her heart--Kris quickly complied.
(Tersy reffing a game for the kids at Salvation Army.)
En route, Joshua spoke to his wife on the phone,
who was having problems breathing and was quite weak. Kris and Andreia
prayed for Tersy on speaker phone. When they were ten minutes out in the heavy
traffic, Tersy announced, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.”
Frantically, Kris and Joshua called 911, but the nearest ambulance was
much further away. Kris realized she’d have to be the transportation. As
she pulled into her stomping grounds of Kahalu’u Housing (where she has tutored
and mentored children and adults), dozens of children, parents, and
grandparents stood out on their front lawns, concerned looks on their faces.
Kris signaled to Marmaline, a teen mom and long-time friend. “Pray!” she
mouthed, holding her hands up in a praying sign. Marmaline nodded.
Grandmothers called to their children to get out of the way as Kris
quickly drove to the end of the lot.
(Marmaline and her son and friends)
The door to the Salvation Army bus was open, the
large vehicle still in the middle of the parking lot. Tersy was half
sitting, half lying inside. Teenager Mo'o Keju was trying to keep scared children back. She held Tersy’s newborn baby while Joshua scooped his
wife up in his arms and placed her into the newly arrived van. Andreia
jumped out to calm and entertain the 30 or so children.
Kris maneuvered the van past the families and up
to Keahou Urgent Care, where a doctor came running out. Checking
her blood pressure and oxygen levels, he said she was OK, but beyond their help
as Tersy’s heart was under enormous pressure. She’d have to get to the
Kona Hospital in Captain Cook—about twenty miles away.
Since the ambulance was still far away, Kris and
Joshua strapped Tersy and her infant in and sped away towards the
hospital. As Tersy struggled to breathe, Kris prayed aloud, willing the
van to get there faster. At one point, Tersy called for her husband, who
climbed out of the front seat and cradled his wife in his arms while Kris
navigated her way through the rush hour traffic.
A half hour later, they arrived at the Kona
Hospital, where a triage nurse bumped Tersy to the front and checked her vitals. Kris tried to hide her surprise as one of the digital numbers
approached 200.
Entering the parking lot, Kris was relieved to
see Chemeni Matto, Tersy’s brother and a good friend. He introduced Kris
to their mother, a Chuukese grandma visiting from Oahu. She was happy to
be there to assist her daughter and the baby. After taking a few kids
home, Kris pulled into Salvation Army well after dark. “You were our
angel today,” said Lt. Richard Wang. He hugged Kris and prayed over her.
They both thanked God for God’s speed and protection that day.
