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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ001150A
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00:27 I'm standing at the very site where a devastating tragedy took 00:31 place. Right here hearts were broken, dreams shattered and a 00:37 family torn apart. Heartache, anxiety, brokeness. These are 00:43 well-known symptoms that people suffer after experiencing 00:48 terrible loss. A Mum and a Dad lost their blond-haired, 00:52 brown-eyed baby boy Maverick in a tragic accident right here on 00:58 a family farm in the northern table lands of New South Wales. 01:03 This is their story of heart wrenching pain and loss. But it 01:07 is also a story of resilience, amazing hope and remarkable 01:12 strength that this family has found. Make sure you hear this 01:16 family's secret of how to find the strength to go on when your 01:20 whole world crumbles. 01:23 ♪ ♪ 01:46 This is the northern table lands of New South Wales, Australia an 01:50 area known for producing beef cattle, sheep and grain crops. 01:54 The family farm we are visiting today was believed to have been 01:59 settled as early an 1901 with the original family homestead 02:03 still in use today. Five children were raised here along 02:08 with pig goats and kangaroos. They were happy times and 02:14 special memories. This bond with the land would later lead 02:17 the second youngest of the five children to return with his own 02:21 wife and family to make this their family home. Some would 02:26 call them the perfect family if you were to meet them for the 02:29 first time today. Mum, dad and three kids living the Aussie 02:35 dream to own land and run their own successful business in a 02:39 rural area. But someone is missing from the family. The 02:44 little ray of sunshine that once brightened each new day with his 02:48 happy smile and funny antics is no longer here. He was daddy's 02:54 little helper who loved the farm and animals and he especially 02:59 adored his daddy Dale. 03:05 Mavi was in a mad hurry to get dressed and 03:08 get out to go work with Dad. 03:10 And if I would take him into his room to try to dress him 03:14 and I pulled out a shirt that didn't have a collar, 03:16 he would be most upset because it was in his little mind 03:19 they were pajama, he wanted a work shirt. He would get quite 03:22 frustrated with me and say No mom, go work, go work, work 03:29 shirt, work shirt. So we always pull a shirt out like dad's work 03:33 shirts. ♪ ♪ 03:40 So, Mavi was an awesome little helper. He was like my right 03:42 hand little mate. Whenever I'd go outside to do something, he'd 03:46 say go work Dad, go work Dad. He'd rush to the door and 03:51 shove his boots on as quick as he could, usually on the wrong 03:53 foot and we'd go outside and do whatever it was. When I come 03:57 home from the base, now he'd be the first one out to greet me. 03:59 He'd come running out. You know I'd pull up and then he'd help 04:03 me to undo the straps, help roll up the straps as best he could. 04:06 He also loved to go on the motor bike with me. Whenever I'd go to 04:10 start the bike, 04:11 me coming, me coming, motorbike and he'd be out there 04:13 with me. 04:15 Mavi had a great little sense of humor. Yeah, he was a 04:20 fun little kid and he... Just an example of his little sense 04:24 of humor was. I was busy sweeping the floor one morning 04:27 and trying to get all the jobs done and Mavi brought a box of 04:30 Cheesoes from the pantry and he comes out and he asks me if he 04:36 could have some and I said no Mavi, no, put them back and 04:39 he really wanted those Cheesoes. He's looking at them and he 04:43 asked me again and he's like Please mommy, Cheesoes. And I'm 04:47 like no put them back. And he looked in the box of Cheesoes 04:51 and he realizes he's not going to get those Cheesoes right then 04:55 so he grabbed that box of Cheesoes and he throws it into 04:59 the middle of the dust pile that I was sweeping in the middle of 05:02 the floor and he just throws it down there and he turns 05:04 resolutely away and (sings) let it go, let it go, and walked off 05:10 and that was the end of the Cheesoes. He just had such a 05:13 fun little sense of humor and as well as being just, I don't know, 05:19 I'm really proud of the little boy that he was. He could just 05:24 let stuff go sometimes. Yeah he was a brave little boy. 05:31 Mavi really made up music. He was singing stuff. 05:36 I remember we went with this family camping and then they 05:42 song in there the tent next to us everything is always a song at 05:46 my house. We used to listen to the music. 05:49 So then he just made up his own version cause he couldn't 05:53 hear properly. 05:54 And then he was just go around singing Lai, lai, lai 05:58 Lai Lai Lai and we were singing it one of our favorite songs 06:03 We always wished he was back here to sing it with us. 06:07 My light house, my light house, shining in the dark_ 06:17 I'll find you, my light house. 06:19 Well his, other favorite song was Let your light shine, so clearly 06:23 light theme seemed to work for him. 06:24 Let your light shine, whoa, oa Let your light shine, whoa 06:31 Every time before Mavi went to bed then he had to have everything 06:35 in a certain order and we'd have to have the bedtime prayers 06:40 which was Gentle Jesus meek and mild, Look upon a little child, 06:44 pity my simplicity, suffer me to come to thee, In my little bed I 06:49 lie, Heavenly father hear my cry Lord protect me through the 06:53 night, keep me safe till morning light. In Jesus' sake, Amen, and 06:57 then we'd have the bedtime stories and hugs and the kisses 07:01 until finally Mavi would say light off door on which meant 07:05 that he wanted he wanted the light on and the door open. 07:14 We brought our family up to know and love God because that means 07:16 everything to us, our faith in God. So naturally instilled into 07:19 our children. Mavi really loved... He had a favorite verse 07:22 and he also had lots of favorite songs. His favorite verse was 07:25 Proverbs 28:1 and it said: 07:34 He was a lot of fun having him into our home. We just loved 07:40 him. He was the center of our universe including our family 07:43 the connecting link. We all were so proud of him. 07:46 But one sunny day this family's beautiful world just crumbled 07:53 into pieces. It started out as a day of happy smiles and special 07:59 times together. Maverick enjoyed his mum and dad's undivided love 08:03 and attention that morning during bedtime cuddles. After 08:07 breakfast mum left to run some errands in a nearby town and 08:12 dad and Maverick went to do some jobs on the family farm. 08:16 Little did she know that morning was going to be the last time 08:21 she would see her son alive. Soon after Jessica arrived home 08:26 She heard Dale's traumatized voice at the house gate yelling 08:31 Jess quickly call the police. Maverick is dead. 08:36 So I heard his voice, heard him calling out and I could hear the 08:49 trauma in his voice and so I knew instantly that things were 08:55 not okay but I couldn't comprehend it. I couldn't 09:00 understand saying call the police and I think, no I need to 09:04 call an ambulance. And he was being very adamant that I 09:07 need to call the police and that Mavi had, in fact, died. I could 09:13 see, I got a slight glimpse of him standing at the door there 09:17 holding Mavi and I could see he was sleeping. It was very difficult 09:24 to try and understand what was going on and it just didn't make 09:31 any sense. 09:34 Tragically Maverick, their precious little boy was killed 09:40 instantly that day in a terrible farm accident involving 09:44 a fork lift. 09:46 It just didn't hit me right away I was standing at the gate 09:50 calling and calling and you know just holding my lifeless 09:53 little mate that had only been with me a few minutes before. 09:55 Now I didn't know if I was in a dream or reality. 09:59 And my little mate had suddenly become a farm 10:03 accident statistic and there is no one to blame but me. 10:06 Once I got outside and I could see Mavi lying there and Dale 10:18 was standing there. I stood at the gate and screamed at the 10:27 mountains and 10:28 I just screamed and screamed to just let the energy out and I 10:35 knew that I had to make a choice I just in the moment knew that I 10:42 had a choice to make and that was whether I could choose love 10:46 or I could choose hate. I could turn around to Dale and start 10:50 yelling and screaming and shouting at him what happened 10:53 because I didn't know what happened. I could just see Mavi 10:56 there. I could be angry with him or I could just turn around and 11:03 see a broken man has just lost his son and I can choose to love 11:12 and to be in that space and to be together with him. And I'm 11:19 really grateful God gave me clarity in that moment because I 11:23 could see in those split seconds that if I chose the path 11:30 of hate that I was going to lose everything that I loved. 11:34 But that I could choose the path of love 11:38 and we could stand there together and 11:46 we could live this together. 11:48 I wanted to wake up from this like you normally can. 11:52 I felt like I was stuck in a bad dream 11:54 but in an instant my worst fears had become a reality. 11:58 Looking back even at the time I was amazed 12:00 at the control and strength I showed and the attitude 12:03 we're in this together and that 12:06 was an accident. I love you. This is Satan's fault not yours. 12:14 Family and friends gathered to be close to the family and 12:19 support them during the darkest hour of their lives. How do you 12:26 go on when your whole world crumbles in one day. The trauma, 12:31 the heartache, the pain, the emptiness just don't go away. 12:36 You feel helpless to change your devastating situation and 12:41 feelings of despair wash over you like ocean waves in a storm. 12:46 Dale and Jess, I can't even begin to imagine what you've 12:57 both been through since your son passed away. Now family 13:01 members have told me stories of amazing courage through your 13:04 pain. Would you just for a moment let us into your world 13:07 to find out what it was that helped you to cope and find 13:11 strength to get through this? 13:12 When Mavi had first died and Dale and I are sitting there 13:18 holding him just waiting for the first responders to arrive, 13:22 you know the whole world has fallen apart just one thing 13:29 came into my mind It was a Bible verse, Psalm 23 It says even: 13:43 and that was what gave me strength to keep breathing, to 13:46 keep sitting there until the first responders got there. It was the 13:52 most painful day, moment of my life and it still hurts today. 13:58 But before we lost Mavi we had lost a little boy born too early 14:05 We called him Sunny and it was a very difficult experience for 14:12 me and I felt like the whole world was black, dark and I 14:20 really struggled to cope. I couldn't see the sunshine, I 14:26 couldn't feel hope, I felt completely broken and just very 14:34 dark and black and hopeless. I remember sitting out on the 14:39 back step, my kids did school over the air and they were 14:42 in the schoolroom and I was just 14:44 sitting there on the back step feeling broken and alone and 14:47 just hurting so bad inside I was just sitting there and I felt 14:57 I don't know if I felt it or I heard it but I believe God spoke 15:04 to me and he spoke to my heart and he said, I heard the words, 15:08 I felt the words, I lost a Son too. And that changed everything 15:17 for me. I suddenly felt like God understood, he knew, I wasn't 15:27 alone in my pain and he understood perfectly what it was 15:32 like to lose a child, and that, I just remember in that moment 15:38 I suddenly felt the sunshine and I felt my heart felt warm and I 15:44 felt a big hug from God. Today that's what still gives me 15:49 strength. When I lost Mavi it was even more traumatic and 15:54 difficult but I knew God was with me, I knew that he was 15:59 holding me still and I knew that he understood and was going to 16:06 walk beside me in this pain as well. 16:09 Well I'm just amazed at the grace that Jessie has shown me. 16:14 She could easily blame me for what happened. Accident or not 16:20 it was certainly my fault. I live with the constant reminder 16:23 in my mind. Why was I so dumb? Mavi was in my care 16:26 Tommy had the awful burden of raising my little mate Mavi-. 16:31 I'm just so thankful that everyone including God has forgiven me 16:36 and I'm slowly letting go of the guilt. 16:38 As Christian's we have hope beyond the grave. 16:42 This is not the end. Yes our little boy is not with us now 16:46 but the Bible says in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 that 16:50 we don't need to sorrow as people who don't have any hope. 16:52 Let me read this to you really exciting: 17:35 So this says when Jesus comes back we'll get our little boy 17:41 back. We'll see him again. We'll get to hug him and cuddle him 17:43 and squeeze him 17:45 and we just hang onto that and that's why we called this garden 17:49 Mavi's garden of hope. 17:53 Dale and Jess have you ever questioned why, why this was 17:59 allowed to happen? 18:00 Definitely. At first, that was just the biggest question in my 18:05 mind, why, why did God, allow my little boy to die, especially 18:11 after I felt Mavi was such a gift. He was such a special 18:16 treasure after losing my other baby. I felt like he was the 18:22 sunshine and such a present from God and I couldn't understand 18:26 why God would allow him to be taken away. And it really, 18:29 really hurt me. I wanted to know where was Mavi's guardian angel 18:35 at that moment. Why? Why? and I just came to understand that 18:47 it's not about that, it's not about why. And I don't need to 18:50 understand why. I need to know that God is still on his throne 18:54 and I believe that he is and that he is King and Lord and 18:59 he's got this. He's already saved us. Jesus has died on the 19:03 cross and we, we're on the other side of that. I just need to 19:12 focus on the next step. Every little step forward and that 19:17 Jesus is walking with me. I just need to pray and take the next 19:22 step. 19:24 Sometimes when I think why me and now I think why not me. If 19:28 even God has to lose his Son what makes me exempt? 19:32 One of my favorite Bible verses is something Jesus said 19:34 which is recorded in John 16:33: 19:47 Maybe this is an opportunity to let God take control and teach 19:52 me to trust him. I often hang onto the words of the song 19:55 called O'Lord by Lauren Daigle and it says 19:59 your strength is found at the end of 20:01 my rope, your grace reaches the hurting. Still through the tears 20:05 and the questioning why, I'll stand my ground where hope can 20:07 be found. Jesus is the only one who can give my boy back to me 20:13 someday. So I'm hanging onto that and I'm sticking with him 20:16 until he, as the song says, takes what's wrong and makes it 20:21 right. 20:25 I get a lot of comfort from reading God's word, reading the 20:30 Bible. I find promises in there that I love and underline them. 20:34 I have a journal that I write in and then I can look through it 20:39 any time. It gives me lots of hope and comforts me and 20:44 encourages me. I save them on Pinterest and scroll through them 20:48 on my phone any time that I want to 20:51 and friends and family send them to me often 20:53 and it just brings me little burst of hope and comfort 20:58 I had the opportunity after Mavi died to join the 21:04 Bible study group and I joined up with a group of ladies over 21:07 the phone and we just study the Bible on Wednesday nights and 21:12 then church on the weekend. I've just got to get to 21:15 Wednesday and then I've just got to get to the weekend and that 21:22 kept me alive really. It's all about communities, just that 21:26 communities have been around us and checked us and 21:30 just having people to talk to and people that care. 21:35 I'm on the farm a lot and just being able to go for walks with 21:42 my dogs and hanging out with my cows. It's really therapeutic 21:46 for me. 21:47 I keep in mind that the best days are yet to come. 21:51 Life on this earth is full of heartaches, 21:53 challenges and trials. But because of Jesus we 21:56 can have hope and peace in this world and amazing happiness in 21:59 the world to come. 22:01 Perhaps you've been in that place where you feel like your 22:07 whole world is crumbling around you. Perhaps you've received 22:10 news that you or a loved one has a life threatening illness, news 22:14 that has set you reeling. Some of you have experienced a 22:19 breakdown of trust in your relationship and your heart and 22:22 your relationship has been broken. Maybe you've put blood, 22:27 sweat and tears into building a future for your family and now 22:31 you've lost everything. Or perhaps you too like Dale and 22:35 Jess have experienced the valley of the shadow of death by losing 22:40 someone who is precious to you. Whatever it is you're going 22:43 through or have suffered in your life, never forget that there is 22:48 someone who loves and cares about you, someone who walks 22:53 beside you through the darkest valley. You may doubt his love 22:56 because your pain is so great. You may feel those waves of 23:02 despair washing over you and wonder how you can go on. But 23:05 here is a promise to comfort you: 23:18 God understands what you're going through. He suffers with 23:21 you. He won't always fix the situation in this life but he'll 23:25 always be there to comfort you and strengthen you. He gave his 23:30 son to die for you so that you can experience life more 23:33 abundantly. Because of Jesus we can have hope. Because of Jesus 23:39 we can have peace even when our world crumbles. Because of Jesus 23:44 the dead will rise again and families will be reunited never 23:51 to part again. The best days are yet to come and the pain and 23:57 suffering of life on this earth is only temporary. One day God 24:01 will wipe away every tear from your eyes: 24:16 If you'd like to experience the peace and hope that Dale and 24:19 Jesse have found in knowing God and trusting his promises in 24:23 their life, and if you want to be ready when Jesus comes again 24:27 soon, I invite you to give your heart and all your struggles to 24:32 Jesus as we pray: 24:35 Dear God, thank you for hearing our hearts cry today, that you 24:39 feel our pain. You see our tears Lord we are broken. Right now 24:46 in this moment we give our heartache and brokeness to you. 24:49 Please come into our hearts Lord Jesus. Please heal us. Speak 24:55 peace and hope even now into our souls that need a touch from 25:01 heaven today. Come Lord Jesus, Come soon. We long for the pain 25:06 of this life to be over and eternity with you to begin. Keep 25:11 our eyes fixed on Jesus and may we come to know you the source 25:17 of hope and peace and one day see you face to face. I pray in 25:23 your precious name, Amen. 25:26 Life is fragile. A family from a rural farming district in the 25:34 northern table lands of New South Wales understand this 25:38 better than many of us. A day that began with happy smiles and 25:42 special times together ended in horrible tragedy when their 25:47 precious two-year-old son was killed in a machinery accident 25:51 on the family farm. How do you find the strength to go on when 25:55 whole world crumbles? Is it possible to find hope and peace 26:00 amid such heart wrenching loss and tragedy. If you want to find 26:05 out more about how you can experience hope and peace when 26:09 your whole world crumbles, then I'd like to recommend a free 26:12 gift we have for all our viewers today. It's the booklet Finding 26:18 Hope When All Seems Lost. This book is our gift to you and is 26:23 absolutely free. There are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 26:27 So, make the most of this wonderful opportunity to receive 26:32 the gift we have for you today. Here's the information you need: 26:36 Phone or text us at 0436333555 in Australia or 0204222042 in 26:49 New Zealand or visit our website www.tij.tv to request today's 26:57 free offer and we'll send it to you totally free of charge and 27:01 with no obligation. Write to us at: 27:22 Don't delay. Call or text us now If you've enjoyed today's 27:29 journey to a farm in the northern table lands of New 27:32 South Wales and our reflections on the hope that only God can 27:36 bring, then be sure to join us again next week when we will 27:40 share another of life's journeys together. Until then remember 27:45 the ultimate destination of life's journey. Now I saw a new 27:50 heaven and a new earth. And God will wipe away every tear from 27:54 their eyes. There shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying 27:58 There shall be no more pain for the former things have 28:04 passed away. 28:05 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2021-02-03