On June 4th, 2004, my life was changed forever. I was only 9 years old, and this is my story….
It was about 10:30 PM on a Friday night when we got the call. I was in my sleeping bag lying next to my parents bed when the phone rang and my mom got up to answer it. I remember hearing her call out to my dad, saying that the President of Crown College wanted to speak with him. I realized that was the college where my brother had just graduated from the month before, and he and his wife were leading a traveling singing group for Crown College that summer. The men sang, my sister-in-law played piano, and my brother preached. When I walked out into the hallway, I found my mom sitting against the wall on the floor with her face in her hands. Why was she crying? As soon as my dad got off the phone, people were knocking on our back door. I was so confused and scared. I followed my dad to the bedroom, and I could tell that he was crying. “Dad, what’s wrong?” He managed to say the words, “Aaron was in a car accident.” Scared by his answer, I asked, “Is he okay?” All my dad could say before he shut his bathroom door was, “No.” I ran out to the living room to find my Pastor and his wife, along with my youth pastor and his wife in our living room hugging my mom. My pastor’s wife whispered to my her, “It’s ok, He took Darci too.” At this point I still had no idea what was going on. Panicking, I ran to each person in the room and asked what was going on. Everybody looked scared to tell me anything, and nobody said a word. Finally, my dad came out and put his arms around me. He pulled me closer and whispered, “Autumn, Aaron’s dead.” I hugged my dad tight and stared into our dark kitchen. I knew this had to be just a dream, so I rolled my eyes and played along for the next hour. But as people started knocking on our door and coming into our home with tears in their eyes, I started to wonder if this was all real. I can remember seeing how heartbroken my grandparents were and feeling the painful reality. I fell asleep that night in the living room in my sleeping bag lying next to my mom. I woke up the next morning, and realized it hadn’t been a dream. As people were still coming into my home, I remembered the dream that I did have that night. It was of my sister-in-law, Darci. I could see her clear as day in my dream, and she was shining and surrounded by clouds. She said to me in the sweetest voice, “It’s going to be ok.” It was so real, and her smile was so peaceful. That’s when I knew it had really happened, but it would be okay.
Through the night and the next day, we began to find out the details. My brother, Aaron, sister-in-law, Darci, and three other young men, Brad, David, and Jonathan, were traveling in Florida on their way to a church to sing and preach. While they were all up towards the front of the van practicing their songs, a tractor trailer went left of center and struck them head on, killing all five young people instantly. The truck engine flew into the van, causing an explosion. Everything was burned and very little remained of the van. But one thing did remain unharmed and untouched by the flames, and was found lying on the side of the road near the accident. It was a CD wrapped in plastic, but it hadn’t been burned. The name of that CD was “God Makes No Mistakes.”
Years later, as I write my story, the pain is still as real as it was years ago. I can still remember the last time I saw Aaron, hugged Aaron, and talked to him on the phone. But God’s grace still remains. “God Makes No Mistakes” has been my life motto, and I know that Aaron’s accident was not a mistake. Those five young people lived for the Lord, and died for Lord. So many lives have been impacted by my brother and sister-in-law’s story, and lives are still being touched. I would not change a thing if I had the chance to, because it was not a mistake. I miss them every day, and long to have my big brother by my side. I am now almost as old as he was when he went Home to Glory, and I can only hope that in all the years God grants me here on earth, I can live up to my brother’s reputation that he left behind in his short twenty-one years here on earth.
Please know that whatever life brings your way, it wasn’t a mistake. God has a reason for everything. Let Him use you to impact others.
And if you don't know for sure where you will spend Eternity, please reach out to me.
To God be the glory…
In memory of Aaron, Darci, Brad, David, and Jonathan.
I love you Aaron!!
