Close Encounter

Not two hours into our landing in West End from the airport to the hotel to out for a bite to eat, one of the male youth team members fainted and passed out from dehydration while entering the water. He was immediatlely pulled from the water by the chaperone leaders who were watching over the swimmers and we thank God he was still breathing though very shallow. By the time he reached the shores, the local dive center across the street had reached him with an oxygen tank. We know the Lord was watching over us all as staff members were within close proximity and reached the scene quickly to give the appropriate help. He was loaded onto a missionary friend's truck and escorted to the closest local resort clinic for help. The boy remained a private clinic as he recovered over the weekend and was flown home by a staff nurse the following Monday. However, x-rays showed major sea water in his lungs from the brief time he had been face down and has been in strict care and on anitbiotics at home to avoid infection or other side effects. Bless the Lord that He put our staff in the right places at the right times to respond and direct the emergency. Had they waited for the local ambulance or had he been taken to the public hospital or had to have waited longer on the hot beach, his conditions could have worsened much faster and severe brain damage from lack of oxygen could have occurred. Although, the initial event shocked the youth group, they have grown closer together because of it and have been a blessing this past week on the island.