I asked my Bible Study friends a question generated from an Advent study we are doing: “What is the most dangerous or challenging situation you ever faced?” Several stories from their past reside in their memories, yet have impacted their life journeys in different ways.

I will recount some, not by order of importance, but simply in alphabetical order.

Barbara recounted her first trip to Mississippi to help with recovery after Hurricane Katrina. While she eventually made many trips, the first one changed her life. What she initially assumed would be a trip to hang sheetrock quickly became a sobering, heart-wrenching realization when the team encountered overwhelming destruction instead. The impact on Barbara and the team was so significant that they returned for 14 additional trips to repair the damage.

Carol experienced a car wreck a few years ago that left her hanging upside down in her overturned vehicle, waiting for emergency personnel to reach her. She felt the rush of disorientation and panic as gravity pulled everything down. She felt danger, but also knew she was alive, and that help was on the way.  The EMS pulled her out of the open windshield.

Dana ventured out on a midnight kayak cruise on the Holston River, guided by the luminous full moon. Unexpectedly, the current increased, sending Dana out of control as she did not have the strength to maneuver through it. She wound up hanging onto a tree for quite a while as the men in the group cut through the brush to rescue her.

Gail remembered a harrowing experience on a night flight bound for Knoxville. A mechanical issue in mid-air inadvertently caused the plane to drop about 1000 feet. The pilot announced a mechanical problem and that he was seeking a close landing field. They landed at the Charlottesville, VA airport, using instruments for guidance as everything was totally dark.

Happi was not so ‘happy’ on a recent cruise in the Mediterranean when she had a medical episode at a stop in Italy. Once taken off the ship for the medical facility, she described being all alone, with no phone, no passport, no understanding of Italian, and no companion daughter (they had not allowed the daughter to come with her). When the doctor wanted to run a slew of tests, Happi refused, assuring the doctor she would have them in the US. On the discharge papers, the doctor refused to allow Happi to reboard the cruise ship. So, the cruise ship sent the daughter and all their luggage off the boat, leaving the travelers with no way home. It took several days, but the two got back to the U.S. by way of train, bus, car, and plane.

Laura was a student at Florida State University when Ted Bundy murdered three students and brutally injured two others.  He eventually confessed to over 30 murders around the country. However, it wasn’t immediately clear he was responsible for the FSU attacks, and Laura said that while many students went home, she stayed. Students who remained had to walk in groups of at least three, and males slept in the lobby of the dormitories as a deterrent to a murderer. It turned out that Bundy had lived in an apartment behind the sorority houses.

Mary Beth recalls an unnerving two months spent caring for a favored cousin during the cousin’s last days. It turned out that the cousin had joined and continued to be involved in a cult under the auspices of Christianity. Mary Beth found herself running interference with the cult members who came by the home during this time.

Penny was a Kent State student during the protests that resulted in the Ohio National Guard firing 67 rounds into the crowd of students, killing four and wounding nine. Penny was not in the protest group, but the campus shut down, and everyone was sent home. With no car, Penny went home with a friend and was not able to contact her parents until the girls arrived at the friend’s home. Penny’s parents were unaware of the events until her mother was grocery shopping and the clerk asked if Penny was okay.

Sylvia recollects the process of international adoption, as she and her husband adopted two children internationally. One of the most significant challenges, she says, is not to misspeak during an interview because of unfamiliarity with culture, surroundings, or biases.

So, what is the most dangerous or challenging situation you have ever faced?

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