Participants: Cheri Peters (Host), Luke Pierson, Mark Pierson
Series Code: CLR
Program Code: CLR00043A
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00:10 Welcome to Celebrating Life In Recovery, I'm Cheri your host.
00:12 Sometimes we literally get slammed in this life, and 00:15 during those times we see who we are, 00:17 but more importantly we see who God is. 00:19 That's what we're going to look on the set at today. 00:21 So come join us! 00:49 Welcome back, I travel all over the country, and there 00:53 are sometimes I just get blessed because 00:55 I get to a place, and I literally get to watch the folks 00:59 that are from that church, from that community stepping 01:02 out and doing ministry. 01:03 It is a ministry they are ready have established and 01:05 some people just bless me. 01:08 What they are doing is so real and so honest, I 01:13 just want to know, where were they when I was a kid. 01:16 So this next group that you're going to meet, you have 01:20 met Monica before, Monica's been on another show. 01:23 It is her family, and as I got to know them and watching 01:27 the ministry, and watching them work with adolescents 01:30 and watching them bring in people into their homes 01:31 and loving on them, and then I see and hear their 01:34 own testimony and where God has led them. 01:36 I was so kind of shocked because some stories I was 01:41 hearing was so sad, yet I saw this joy and this healing 01:44 that is I wanted for them to unfold it for me to see how 01:48 those two went together. 01:49 They did and I was blessed so, I want to have you meet the 01:53 folks that I met when I was in Greeley California. 01:57 So Mark, come on up because I want to start with you 02:01 because, I want to know who you were, 02:04 who's your wife, how you fell in love, and 02:07 some things before you share with us what happened. 02:10 Well Cathy was my wife and we were married 29 years, and 02:17 it was always getting better - good! 02:20 I've known her since she was 14, and we have two sons, 02:25 Mark and Luke. 02:26 Cathy was the only girl I had ever kissed and it still 02:32 that way today - when you first said that to me, did 02:35 you see the tears of wield up in my eyes? - yeah! 02:37 My heart just went like no way, how romantic is that. 02:40 She really was the love of your life, you have known her 02:44 whole life - yes - yes. 02:46 That is incredibly cool. 02:49 So you end up married and having your sons and your sons 02:54 move away and you're going to help them on a move. 02:57 Yes, both of my sons decided to move to Michigan, my 03:00 older son Mark moved first. 03:03 Luke with his wife Candace and they have two children 03:07 that they are guardians of, where going to move to Michigan 03:10 in March of 2006. 03:12 Cathy and I wanted to go with them because my sister, 03:17 her family were there - so they are moving to Michigan. 03:21 The ministry I saw them with the teens and had two 03:24 people with them from that ministry. 03:27 Candace was pregnant too, right? 03:28 Yes, she was like 7 months pregnant - okay - at that time. 03:31 We met them at their home in Bakersfield, my wife and I 03:39 drove the truck and the some followed in the car behind us. 03:42 The following day in New Mexico, Luke and I and Raymond, the 03:48 son they were taken care of, were in the U-Haul. 03:52 Cathy and Candace and Amanda were following 03:55 in the spot behind us. 03:57 It started snowing, and when we came on the freeway the 04:02 traffic had stopped, because there was a wreck farther 04:05 up ahead, so we stopped behind them. 04:07 A semi truck went slow in the left lane, and after it 04:14 had went by two cars spun out by that short time. 04:17 I told Luke to get on the phone and tell Cathy to pull 04:21 up beside us, because this can't be safe. 04:24 He picked up the phone and looked in his mirror and said 04:27 dad were going to get hit. 04:30 All of a sudden our truck was moving forward, and we hit 04:34 the back of the truck in front of us. 04:35 We had the biggest U-Haul truck, and I knew that Cathy 04:40 was behind us and we were moved forward, so I knew they 04:44 had been hit and it would be bad because our truck was 04:47 moving, and I had my foot on the brake. 04:49 You had a lot in those big U-Haul's, you had a lot 04:52 around you and they were in a smaller car. 04:55 Yeah, they were in a Passat - wow. 04:58 And I remember opening the door of the truck, and I 05:01 didn't want to look back, because I knew it was going to 05:03 be bad, because we had moved. 05:04 I finally turned my head and the car had been pushed up 05:07 beside us in the roof was tore off from the driver side 05:11 and sticking up in the air. 05:12 I walked back there and picked up the headliner of the 05:17 car and the three girls were in there - you could see 05:22 them? - yes, and they were, nobody was moving. 05:25 Then Amanda after a certain - but you know I've asked 05:30 you this before, because it seems like time must of 05:34 stood still for you in that moment? 05:35 Yeah afterwards, I realize that I do not remember any 05:39 noises, it seemed real peaceful, and I remember 05:42 thinking, God is making this peaceful - because there 05:46 were people were sliding into each other all around you 05:48 - yeah there were about 20 to 25 cars in the total pile up. 05:52 There were semi's, a city bus, but there was this strange 06:00 peace at the same time, and I remember thinking, God is 06:04 doing this because this is something you normally read 06:06 in Reader's Digest and tragedy stories and just those stories. 06:10 I remember having that thought went through my mind, 06:11 they should be in Reader's Digest, 06:13 but it is happening to me. 06:14 This was real. 06:15 I was a volunteer fireman in the past and I remembered 06:20 the ABCs of rescues first is airway. 06:22 So I checked my wife airwave, but there was no, nothing, 06:25 I mean, when I picked up her head. 06:29 I tried to open her airway, but nothing happened - wow. 06:34 Then I can see a blue lump on her neck, and I thought 06:38 her neck was probably broken, and so I just laid - so 06:43 you going through doing the right thing, everything was 06:48 kind of peaceful, slow motion, sound and even the snow 06:53 was still falling. 06:54 Yes, and it started snowing harder after the accident, 06:58 and it popped into my mind these are Jesus' tears that 07:02 froze, you know, because it was cold out. 07:04 And one thing - because you felt a sense of God 07:07 grieving for you? - yes, because I knew Jesus doesn't 07:12 want anybody to die, and He is sad when there is death 07:16 of saved or unsaved people, especially the unsaved 07:19 people, He is more sad. 07:21 I wanted to say something, but the only thing that came 07:25 to my mind was Jesus be with her - Amen! 07:28 Afterwards, I realized God is in my life, this is coming 07:32 to my mind because I always doubt myself. 07:35 My relationship with God, sometimes - but during that 07:37 time, you didn't doubt Him at all. 07:39 He was right there, present with you, even feeling His 07:42 tears on your skin. 07:43 Yeah, and Luke came around after he can get through 07:47 the wreck and we stood there and we prayed. 07:49 Just for a short moment that we would stick with God and 07:54 not let this ruin our lives - I'm going to come back to 07:59 this right here, but I want to ask Luke to come up. 08:02 So will you come back up after I introduced folks to 08:07 Luke, to Amanda, to Monica. 08:09 Then I want to know, why is it that when I met you the 08:15 only thing I felt was a man of God full of joy. 08:17 So this right now, I do not know how you survived that. 08:21 So, I want to talk with your son real quick - sure. 08:24 Luke, come on up, and so now I see your father going over there 08:30 You knew that you were going to get hit, you knew 08:33 at that moment said that something is going to happen. 08:36 Did you even want to get out of a car and go back there? 08:38 The first thing I thought we were hit, I was on the 08:42 passenger side so I didn't see the car was to get 08:44 Raymond to safety, because when I got out of the U-Haul 08:47 after we got hit. 08:48 I looked back, and a couple hundred feet back I saw this 08:51 semi at a high-speed hit a car stopped on the roadway. 08:54 So I knew it was really dangerous - so you had this 08:57 little kid with you still - right and so I basically 09:00 yanked him out of the U-Haul and ran to the side of the 09:03 freeway towards a fence side and have him stand there. 09:06 I still had my dads cell phone in my hand, and I called 09:10 911, and they said there was already emergency 09:13 vehicles on the way. 09:14 I was like okay and they asked if anyone was hurt, and I 09:18 stop for a second and thought that I hadn't even seen 09:20 the car that my wife and my mom were riding in. 09:23 I thought, you know what I don't know. 09:26 So, she said that's fine, emergency crews are on 09:28 their way so I hung up. 09:29 And to get to the U-Haul, since there was a big pile up behind 09:33 us I had to crawl under the semi that we had been hit into. 09:37 When I got on their side, I saw the car and it didn't 09:42 look like a car, it was so destroyed 09:44 When I first saw it, I was so shocked because it didn't 09:49 look like a car, it just look like a pile of metal. 09:53 Yeah, yeah and I got up to the car and looked because my 09:59 wife was right in the back seat sleeping. 10:00 The bumper and part of the trunk was pushed up over her 10:04 and I called her name a few times, she didn't move she 10:08 didn't say anything. 10:09 My dad was working on my mom trying to clear her airway 10:12 and Amanda was crying and begging me to get her out of 10:16 the car - so Amanda was at that point becoming fully 10:20 awake - she - she was already awake by the time I got there. 10:22 But my first thought was to pray, and I prayed to God 10:27 and said God, I know that you can raise them from the 10:32 dead, but I said I had peace about this and that I felt 10:36 it happen for a reason, I am okay with this happening 10:40 because You're in control. 10:41 Like my dad said, I felt total peace at that time. 10:44 So literally isn't that interesting, that literally God 10:47 just was with you guys, because both of you said the 10:50 same thing. 10:51 For whatever reason, as strange as this might sound to 10:54 anybody, was that I knew that God was with me - oh yeah! 10:58 I knew that God was with them, I knew that we were okay. 11:01 There was not a doubt in when the Bible says that it is 11:04 a peace that passes all understanding that is 11:06 totally true, because the worst day of my life, 11:08 I was feeling terrible but was totally at peace. 11:10 Totally at peace - your wife and your daughter didn't 11:14 make it - right my wife was seven months pregnant with 11:18 Katrina. Right! 11:19 They did not - and even when you say with Katrina, and 11:23 that you found out it was a girl during the autopsy - yeah, 11:25 afterwards it was a day or two after the funeral home. 11:28 They had asked if I had known it was boy or girl, I said no, 11:31 so they found out and told me. 11:34 Wow, how did you survive that? 11:36 And did that peace's stay with you as you walked 11:40 from the accident. 11:41 Cause that had to be crazy with all the emergency 11:44 vehicles got there and tried to get everybody dealt with. 11:47 Like I rode with Amanda to the hospital and spent the 11:49 rest of the day in the hospital with her, but the peace 11:53 never left, and honestly, I had hard times where I'm sad, 11:57 but being at peace I've still had the peace so - because 12:02 you know, you will see them again - oh yeah. 12:03 And that definitely helps. 12:05 I wonder how people who don't believe in God or have a 12:07 relationship with Him or how they can deal with death. 12:10 Because with no hope, I can't see how you can handle a 12:13 situation like that. 12:15 Did those scriptures about the Resurrection and 12:17 seeing your loved ones again, did those scriptures 12:20 come up for you right away? 12:21 I don't remember certain scriptures, but I remember just 12:24 having that peace of Yeah I would see them again, 12:27 that they were saved there was no doubt. 12:29 I never doubted, like is it true or anything. 12:32 The whole thing has just made everything more real to me. 12:35 And you know that, and we're going to get back to that, 12:38 because that's what I saw in your life when I met you guys at 12:42 first, I saw such a joy, I'm going to Saturday Night Live and 12:46 watching you minister to youth and you love of each other. 12:50 There is such a joy and such a realness in your Christianity. 12:53 I mean, it really is that you are the hand and feet of 12:56 Christ in that community, and so when you start telling me 12:59 this and I'm thinking what do you mean that you've just lost 13:02 your wife, what you mean and I wanted to stop knowing 13:05 you're doing this ministry and saying, are you okay 13:08 And you're looking at me saying I'm more than okay - oh 13:12 yeah - that's a lot. 13:13 Because before I had more trust in having a good job or 13:16 providing for my family wanting to do it for myself, 13:20 where God wasn't number 1. 13:21 Now I have the real joy because I am not looking to more 13:26 feeling happier safe by what I do or what I earn, or how 13:29 comfortable I am or the amount of money or any of that. 13:31 I found out that God is the only thing that will ever 13:34 bring true joy or happiness and that is the most 13:36 important thing. 13:37 A lot of good has come out of a bad thing. 13:41 God has led my to dedicating my life to being a 13:44 missionary, my whole life, not a 1 or 5 years or 10 13:46 years, it's my whole life, no retirement, nothing. 13:49 I'm just being in missionary - and it's almost like 13:52 when you see, to me some time, somebody will say, you 13:55 know, this world, I really actually like it here and 13:58 I'm thinking, man people are dying, people are losing family 14:02 members, there's addiction, molest, and we were really 14:05 made for another place - old yeah. 14:07 Death really has you evaluate that, do you actually 14:10 believe what the Bible has to say about you know, 14:13 this world is so hurtful, and God said there is going to 14:16 be a day I will comeback and were out of here. 14:19 Yeah - and until then work for Me - I'm looking 14:22 forward to that, because it just showed me how 14:25 everything is meaningless in this world and people is 14:29 all that matters to me now. 14:30 You know relationships with people and sharing what 14:32 Jesus has done in my life and what He can do for them. 14:35 I wish I could show them you, and I should say, you at 14:38 work, but it's not work for you in your life, loving 14:42 on folks, because it is way cool. 14:44 Yeah, I don't view it as work, missionary work 14:47 is not work to me. 14:48 I look forward to it I love it - your a man of God. 14:52 So, you know, when you're dad talked about your mom and 14:55 said that that was the first girl I ever kissed, that 14:58 was the same for you - Yep and growing up I wasn't 15:01 someone that I'm only going to kiss my wife, whatever 15:04 I never said that or ever thought about it, 15:05 it just ended up that way. 15:07 I was thankful for it, very thankful for it. 15:09 Exactly, Luke you got to meet the gentleman that ran 15:13 into Candace - yes - what happened with that? 15:16 Because I don't even think unless you know, I know you, 15:19 so, I believe the story, but it is almost unbelievable. 15:22 Yes, the day after the accident since it happened in New Mexico 15:25 and close to our family on my dad's side of the family so we 15:29 able to be right away with relatives, which it was nice. 15:32 The day after since we were moving I had about a 15:34 thousand dollars in the car and I didn't have anything 15:37 to do that day, I felt like doing something, so I wanted 15:39 to go look for it. 15:40 One of my uncles and two of my youth leaders flew in 15:44 the day of the accident just to stay and support us, 15:48 stay with us. 15:49 So we were going to drive out to the wrecking yard where 15:52 the car was at, it was about 10 miles from the accident site. 15:54 To look for the money, so we got there and 15:57 looked through the car for a while and couldn't find it. 15:59 The guy that worked at the wrecking yard said a few 16:01 times that you should go look at the accident 16:03 site and see if you can't find it there. 16:04 I didn't really want to do that I thought there was no way 16:06 I was going to find it, there was a big pile-up and 16:08 it had snowed the day before, and melted off, but as I 16:10 like, I'm not going to find it. 16:11 I kept saying that so like, alright, we will. 16:14 So we went to the accident site, and we got there 16:16 There was some vehicles still there? 16:18 There was not exactly where our car was at, but there 16:21 have been multiple wrecks along the freeway, and there 16:23 was still some semis and cars in different spots. 16:26 They hadn't been taken away and it was pretty much 16:28 exactly 24 hours after the accident. 16:30 So we went to the site, when we got there was a crew measuring 16:35 and surveying the accident site and investigating 16:37 how it happened. 16:38 I asked them if they had seen a little wallet with the 16:41 money and they said no. 16:42 They were really nice, said they were sorry, 16:44 and they got to talk to me. 16:45 And so we turned to leave and when we turned to leave 16:48 there was a man standing with them that wasn't 16:50 dressed like them and I could tell he wasn't part of them. 16:52 He was just standing around, and he came up to me and 16:55 when he got close to me, he started crying and told me I 16:58 heard what you said. 16:59 I am the driver who hit and killed your family yesterday. 17:03 In my first - how do you do that. 17:05 I'm just stunned even hearing it, it is just I can even 17:09 imagine looking him and for that split second saying okay 17:13 God were are we going with this. 17:15 I didn't have time to think, my first reaction, 17:18 honestly was all God was I walked right up 17:21 to him and hugged him and told him it's okay. 17:24 My family and I won't have any hard feelings, it's okay, 17:28 we know you didn't mean it and we forgive you and God 17:33 forgives you too. 17:34 He was just crying for a few minutes and hugging me and 17:38 saying he was sorry and thank you. 17:39 Then he said, I am not much of a godly man, but last night I 17:44 I was so troubled that in the hotel room I prayed to God 17:48 and accepted God because of this, because I didn't 17:50 know what to do. 17:51 So he didn't say much else, I said I'm sorry this all 17:57 happened, but I know God is with you, and that's 18:00 all that matters, so we parted ways. 18:03 A lot of people ask me if I felt anger since or whatever 18:06 I just tell them that I didn't truly forgive him. 18:09 because forgiveness is your letting it go, 18:11 it's done and it's forgotten. 18:13 And I honestly have not been angry at him ever. 18:15 I actually someday, hope to get to meet and talk to him again, 18:18 because I wish him the best I hope he's doing well. 18:20 So we didn't press charges or anything - you didn't 18:22 press charges and then a blessing that you gave him was 18:24 don't carry this your whole life. 18:26 You didn't mean to do this, this is not something that 18:29 you set out for, I'm sorry, the weather was so 18:31 horrendous, I mean all those kind of things, but you 18:34 know, had you responded in a different way, you could 18:37 have totally destroyed him for the rest of his life. 18:40 Because I'm sure the images that he was going to carry away 18:43 was this tremendous guilt, and you said don't do that. 18:47 Yeah I've actually felt in my position, if it be harder for 18:51 me if I killed the people that having lost them. 18:54 Because for me, I just can't imagine that would be terrible. 18:57 Yet he had to see them all, he was actually was someone who 19:00 got a blanket for Amanda while she was still in the car. 19:03 So I know what he has to live with the rest of his life. 19:06 So while you guys were going back to see what happened 19:09 he actually was coming forward, can I do anything? 19:12 I guess so, I don't remember seeing him, because at the 19:15 wreck our remember certain things and other things I don't 19:19 I don't remember - exactly - so. 19:20 I would like to talk with Amanda and 19:23 just see, but know that man you have blessed me. 19:27 You blessed me even before I heard all this, I was 19:31 just blessed by who you were and the fact that you were 19:34 so incredibly in your ministry to these youth that were around 19:39 you then I heard this, then I hear this story about your 19:42 wife, and the follow-up. 19:44 I hadn't even heard about the forgiveness part, but I 19:46 thought, you know what, this is not a guy who walked out and 19:49 just is an incredible man of God, this is a man of God that 19:53 has struggled with horrendous things, but did not let 19:56 go the hand of God during those times. 19:58 Man, Man, okay Amanda. 20:01 You know, it's, you were living with Luke and Candace, 20:07 in the car with the girls, they were with your brother, 20:12 the boys in a U-Haul and you were the only survivor here. 20:16 Yeah - do you remember the accident? 20:19 I remember bits and pieces. I don't remember stopping or 20:25 getting hit, but I was knocked unconscious and I 20:29 remember coming out of that. 20:31 I seeing things around and smelling stuff - the fact 20:35 that I remember was one time the seatbelt was on and it 20:39 was really tight - yeah. 20:40 I was crying because my seat was pushed forward, and it 20:44 was really like tight on me. 20:46 I was crying for someone to take it off and I was really confused 20:49 I didn't know what was going on - so then who got 20:54 you out of the car? 20:55 Mark - say okay so Mark gets you out of the car, 20:57 literally get you into a safe place. 20:59 Yell well Mark cut my seatbelt off and I think one 21:03 of the paramedics actually pulled me out of the car. 21:07 And then they took me to the ambulance, and I had to sit 21:11 in there while they checked stuff. 21:13 Did you see Candace or - I didn't think to look back - 21:18 okay - for some reason. 21:19 That's why it's so confused about it, because I looked 21:22 over at Cathy and remember seeing her face and she was 21:25 bleeding, I remember that but I never thought to look 21:28 back at Candace. 21:29 You know, I know, just because I talk with you before, I 21:33 know little bit about what has happened here is that you 21:37 are the only survivor in this family that had just taken 21:41 you in and you love, you held something for full year. 21:45 Can you talk about that? 21:46 I did because I thought well, since I wasn't really 21:51 related, I kind of felt really bad because I had just 21:55 come into this family. 21:57 I had survived this accident in their family members, 3 22:00 of them were killed in one day. 22:02 I had a really strong, well Satan had a stronghold over me 22:07 and I was just blaming myself - and the guilty that I should 22:12 have died they should have lived - yeah. 22:13 I was thinking a man they're not going to like it and 22:16 they are going to hate me for this because I thought 22:19 they would hold something against me because I was the 22:21 only one who survived. 22:23 All on all they were actually where happy - but a year later, 22:27 you come back to the site because you are staying with 22:30 the family, and you actually bought it up to them. 22:33 Yeah, now I told them that is what I thought, 22:36 but they disagreed. 22:38 Really, strongly - uh-huh, yes - because they love you, yeah. 22:43 To me I could just see these guys literally saying, what 22:48 did you mean, because we never thought that. 22:51 Yeah, - is that what they told you too. 22:53 As we love you, we never thought that we never for a 22:55 minute want harm come to you. 22:58 Don't ever think that again don't carry that. 23:00 Yeah, I don't anymore - and you still living there? 23:04 Yes - this is your family - uh-huh. 23:06 Yeah, I accept them as my family now - with 23:08 your grief, because you messed up. 23:14 I actually wasn't as close to Cathy, because I didn't 23:18 see her that much. 23:19 But I didn't know her, but a little bit. 23:22 Candace, Luke had went on a trip for two weeks for work 23:26 or something and I really got close to Candace. 23:29 We talked a lot and I really started to get close to her. 23:32 I was really bummed because it seemed like when your 23:36 really start to get close to someone in life, they are 23:39 always taken away from you. 23:41 Or something happens where there's a wall between there, 23:45 something like that, so I was really, come on you know, 23:49 I was asking God why did You take her way? 23:51 I just started to get close to her. 23:52 and for people that don't know, because you're 23:55 mom had some issues with relationships, drugs, and you 23:59 were abandoned as a child and now you are in this 24:02 home and something happens. 24:04 It feels like to you that this is always happening, so part 24:08 of your healing must be allowing God to say, you know 24:12 what I am not going to take people away from you, I'm 24:15 sorry when this happens. 24:17 I'm sure that God grieved for you as much as 24:20 He grieved for anyone else. 24:22 And I mean, that accident in any other survivors 24:25 in that accident, because what you have been 24:27 through in your life already. 24:28 I still want to adopt you and I know I don't have to 24:32 because you have family. 24:33 But man, I just want to adopt you. 24:36 I want to thank you for sharing with us, because I know 24:40 it's not always easy to share. 24:41 Do you want to say something before I bring Monica up? 24:45 No, - okay, we are going to go ahead and take a break 24:48 and I know that this is kind of intense, well this is intense 24:54 And when we lose someone a whole family tragedy happens. 24:59 Literally, this is even bigger than the family as a 25:02 ministry and family tragedy. 25:04 But when we come back, we are going to talk about how God 25:08 stepped in this family and made everything real and full 25:12 of joy and they walked into a ministry and into a life 25:16 that they probably wouldn't have walked into it. 25:18 the realism with what we deal on this planet not hit them 25:22 if not slammed into them with this accident. 25:24 So you'll be right back. 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Revised 2014-12-17