Post by Admin on Jul 17, 2004 16:36:18 GMT -5
Angel in the Fire
contributed by rockman
From the aftermath of major tragedies we often hear stories of raw courage and self-sacrifice which shock or shame us into thinking more about the deeper issues of our existence. It’s here that the fragility of life is laid bare and our perspective of what really matters is brought into frightening focus. It seems that the closer we are to a particular act of heroism, the more profound the impact. In addition, God sometimes gives us a glimpse behind the veil of His dealings with us and allows us to see His mighty hand at work in our most bitter disappointments.
For nearly three years now I’ve been working in Vietnam as a freelance geologist and part-time English teacher. Like many foreigners, I have a great affection for the country and feel very much at home amongst a people who are well know for there resilience and indomitable spirit but lesser so for their infectious warmth and friendliness.
At the end of last year, I was going through a lean spell on the work front and was frenetically looking for new projects from my base in Hanoi. In short, I was in dire need of fresh impetus and direction, not to mention a financial boost. Then unexpectedly, I received an offer to carry out a geological assignment near Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in the south of the country. The opportunity appeared to be heaven-sent as the timing and nature of the work couldn’t have been better.
The assignment was approved in principle by the client but was pending the result of a shareholders’ meeting. This was seen as no more than a formality. However, on the morning of the meeting the client (who was also the chairman) took ill and the decision regarding my project was postponed indefinitely. I received the news by email from the company manager, a very genuine Englishman whom I’d been in contact with for about six months. The manager expressed his own dismay at the situation and shared a little of his plan to return to the UK to spend Christmas with his wife and children. I happened to note at the bottom of the email that the new office location was in the International Trade Centre in Ho Chi Minh City.
I must admit that I was bitterly disappointed with the turn of events and wondered where God was in all this. Over the preceding months I’d grown weary with the endless opening and closing of doors, the constant rising and falling of hope, all of which seemed to be without pattern or meaning.
A few days later, I phoned round various business contacts in Vietnam to try and drum up some work. It was then that I heard about the fire at the International Trade Centre. The fire had been started accidentally by a welding spark as three workman attempted to install light fittings on to the ceiling of a nightclub on the second floor. After failing to put out the fire, the welders panicked and fled. The fire swept through the building and 61 people died. The English company manager whom I’d been dealing with and three of his staff – another ex-patriot and two Vietnamese people – were included in the death toll. They suffocated in their office on the fifth floor – the very office where I was scheduled to have been working at the time of the fire – had my project been given approval.
My initial reaction was that of shock and disbelief. Someone whom I’d been with only a few days ago was dead, killed in the relatively safety of his own office during the course of an ordinary business day. My thoughts then turned to the families of the victims and how their lives would be tragically changed forever from that day on. Then through a mixture of emotions, I realised that I was very fortunate to be alive. Was it just coincidence or did God intervene to keep me from the fire?
contributed by rockman
From the aftermath of major tragedies we often hear stories of raw courage and self-sacrifice which shock or shame us into thinking more about the deeper issues of our existence. It’s here that the fragility of life is laid bare and our perspective of what really matters is brought into frightening focus. It seems that the closer we are to a particular act of heroism, the more profound the impact. In addition, God sometimes gives us a glimpse behind the veil of His dealings with us and allows us to see His mighty hand at work in our most bitter disappointments.
For nearly three years now I’ve been working in Vietnam as a freelance geologist and part-time English teacher. Like many foreigners, I have a great affection for the country and feel very much at home amongst a people who are well know for there resilience and indomitable spirit but lesser so for their infectious warmth and friendliness.
At the end of last year, I was going through a lean spell on the work front and was frenetically looking for new projects from my base in Hanoi. In short, I was in dire need of fresh impetus and direction, not to mention a financial boost. Then unexpectedly, I received an offer to carry out a geological assignment near Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in the south of the country. The opportunity appeared to be heaven-sent as the timing and nature of the work couldn’t have been better.
The assignment was approved in principle by the client but was pending the result of a shareholders’ meeting. This was seen as no more than a formality. However, on the morning of the meeting the client (who was also the chairman) took ill and the decision regarding my project was postponed indefinitely. I received the news by email from the company manager, a very genuine Englishman whom I’d been in contact with for about six months. The manager expressed his own dismay at the situation and shared a little of his plan to return to the UK to spend Christmas with his wife and children. I happened to note at the bottom of the email that the new office location was in the International Trade Centre in Ho Chi Minh City.
I must admit that I was bitterly disappointed with the turn of events and wondered where God was in all this. Over the preceding months I’d grown weary with the endless opening and closing of doors, the constant rising and falling of hope, all of which seemed to be without pattern or meaning.
A few days later, I phoned round various business contacts in Vietnam to try and drum up some work. It was then that I heard about the fire at the International Trade Centre. The fire had been started accidentally by a welding spark as three workman attempted to install light fittings on to the ceiling of a nightclub on the second floor. After failing to put out the fire, the welders panicked and fled. The fire swept through the building and 61 people died. The English company manager whom I’d been dealing with and three of his staff – another ex-patriot and two Vietnamese people – were included in the death toll. They suffocated in their office on the fifth floor – the very office where I was scheduled to have been working at the time of the fire – had my project been given approval.
My initial reaction was that of shock and disbelief. Someone whom I’d been with only a few days ago was dead, killed in the relatively safety of his own office during the course of an ordinary business day. My thoughts then turned to the families of the victims and how their lives would be tragically changed forever from that day on. Then through a mixture of emotions, I realised that I was very fortunate to be alive. Was it just coincidence or did God intervene to keep me from the fire?