Trial and Triumph

Last week was a very trying and emotionally draining week for the DA family. Many of you received an e-mail from me early last week asking for prayer for one of the DA Dorm Dads.

Last Saturday night the dorm dad and his wife were out for a date night when they were involved in an accident. A man on a motor bike had been hit by a driver who fled the scene. When John and Jenny passed they ran over the man who was laying in the road. They turned back to help, but the man died. John was taken to the police station for questioning and the situation was further investigated. Technically John could not be responsible because the man had already been struck, and there were witnesses who confirm that another driver had hit and run, but the Senegalese system does not work this way. He remained in police custody (though not in jail) until Tuesday. It was a long wait as Sunday is a non-working day and Monday was a public holiday here. He was able to have friends stay with him throughout the nights, and he was told they simply needed a judge to sign for his release. However, on Tuesday rather than a judge signing off, they were told they must meet with the prosecutor which was a long process and ended with John being taken to prison awaiting trial Thursday. After two and a half days of much prayer and assurances that he was simply waiting to have his release signed, this came as a shock to his wife, his dorm kids, and the staff. Through it all John later wrote, "The many police officers (including the chief) at the station who, despite changing shifts every day, were always courteous, encouraging, and professional. God opened the eyes of the Police Chief and the investigator to see the accident for what it really was and, I believe, caused him to write the report almost exactly how it happened –had they felt I was at fault,the report would have reflected so and the tribunal may have gone very differently."

As you can imagine the prison conditions in an African country can be dangerous and unsanitary and we could only imagine the worst. It was only the next day, after a long and restless night, that we heard news that the conditions were not nearly as bad as they could have been. On Tuesday, he was transferred to a holding cell (~40 men in a 15’x15’ room) at the justice center – after several hours he became really hungry and fatigued and a guy received a meal from the outside and he offered some of his food to John and a bag of water before he took any for himself. John wrote that it really gave him the energy to keep it together when he went to the prison several hours later.

In a letter sent to the DA family and prayer supporters John wrote of some of his experiences through the 6-day ordeal. "Two men who I found myself in the line-up with as we got off the ‘bus’ at night and were funneled into the prison quietly ‘coached’ me through the process, explained what was going to happen, and gave me a sense of peace that I can only attribute to God’s provision and a direct result of your prayers. While nearly everyone else was ushered into small rooms holding anywhere from 80 to 150 people, I was escorted to another cell. This was truly God’s hand in my situation; there were only about 25 of us, some foreigners, some Senegalese military, etc… The room was calm, orderly, and pretty quiet – a very, very stark contrast to the other cells I had seen (packed and super noisy). God provided several people in my cell who really looked out for me while I was there. The chief of the cell (also a prisoner)allowed me to keep my stuff under his bed (I was on the floor) so no one messed with my things…he also insisted I wear his African sandals for my court appearance because he, and others, were concerned about my grey, puma flip-flops being too casual. A young, former Senegalese military guy who was determined for me to wear his flip-flops to the shower area so I wouldn’t ruin mine. An older man, who was one of two guys who spoke English in the room who explained many things to me (prison procedures, etc…) – he also was worried that my button-up shirt for court was too wrinkled so he put it under his mattress with his court clothes and, sure enough,on Thursday my shirt looked just like someone had ironed it (of course, I sweated through it while I was waiting for my Tribunal but…) Another prisoner who also spoke English and was constantly joking around – in fact, at one point during the last night, I was in tears because I was laughing so hard."

"Despite being nervous about all the details [for the trial Thursday morning](Would they even hear my case that day? Would I say the right things? Would the outcome be favorable?), I clung to the promises of Jesus and the thought of so many around the world praying. There are many little details about the tribunal I wish I could share but, suffice to say, God provided peace and justice on Thursday. There were countless people that God provided to help with all the different facets of this situation."

I'm happy to be able to report that around noon Thursday, John was exonerated by a Senegalese court. All three judges on the panel agreed that John could not be held responsible for the death, that it was an accident and that John acted in accordance with the law.

When the call came to the office Thursday, one of our admin made an announcement for the student body that John was exonerated. This was met with a deadening silence. It then occurred to Mrs. A to re-phrase. When she announced he had been found "not-guilty" the campus exploded with cheering. We got a chuckle out of this in the staff room.

The paper work for his release was time consuming, so unfortunately John spent another night in prison, but was welcomed home Friday afternoon around 1pm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEXKWKoDk4Y


Thank you for supporting us in prayer. It's amazing to know that people were praying around the world. Please continue to pray for the family as they recover from this very traumatic experience.