Good News for the countryside: When the unexpected happens!

​Most farmers are well aware of the dangers which can be encountered on farms, and the stirring of slurry tanks is usually the first thing we think about when the words ‘dangers’ and ‘hazards’ are mentioned. However, the list of dangers is long and varied and the following are only a few of them: electrocution, abandoned wells, water tanks, manure lagoons, poorly maintained buildings, handling of livestock – and holes.

During harvest time many are especially aware of God’s goodness to us, however, farmers are also mindful of the dangers of operating machinery. Recently, I encountered an unexpected hazard. I had travelled to Lisbon with our daughter, Grace, and we decided to spend a few days close to a beach in the town of Caparica. I enjoy swimming in the sea and was looking forward to a dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

When we arrived, it was high tide and there were only a few yards of sand visible… time to get in! The water was up to my knees when I felt my left leg going down into a massive hole, which had probably been dug by children when the tide was further out.

With my foot stuck, a massive wave hit me. This turned the hole into what felt like a spinner, sucking my foot further down. Very quickly I realised my leg was broken and this was followed by a rapid ambulance journey to hospital. Five days later I was flown home where I was operated on by skilled orthopaedic surgeons in Craigavon Area Hospital. I will be forever grateful for our NHS.

It had never occurred to me that holes in the sand were even a hazard, and I am definitely looking at the world around me in a whole new light. This experience has made me more aware of the danger that holes pose, not only on beaches, but also on farms and the importance of repairing them in as quickly as possible.

Throughout this ordeal, I was very aware of God’s presence, and I had the joy of knowing that many Christian friends within my own church, and beyond, were praying for me. Even though there were times when I was in extreme pain, and frustrated that I had not been flown home earlier, friends’ texts and messages of hope reassured me that I was, and am, never alone.

The Bible reminds us in Proverbs 18:24 that, “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” and even in the darkest of times God is there with us. The Bible does not shirk the reality of life – we will all encounter hard times as foretold in John 16:33, ‘“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”’

The trials and hardships you face will likely be many and varied, but take comfort in the message that God is always with you. The Christian faith is a relationship with God that we can enjoy now through faith in his Son, Jesus. Not only is God living in us, he can use difficult times to develop our character and our reliance on Him.

​

Charlotte Stevenson farms with her husband, Jim and son, James, near Kilkeel in County Down. She is a member of Mourne Presbyterian. Having worked at the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s Assembly Buildings in Belfast for a number of years until December 2017.

If you would like to talk to someone about any of the issues raised in this article, please email Rev Kenny Hanna, PCI’s Rural Chaplain at [email protected] or call him on 07938 488 372.