‘Miracles’ of man shot at petrol station
The man who was shot during an attempted robbery at a fuel filling station outside Mossel Bay on 6 December, speaks of the "miracles and Grace of God" he and his family experienced with regards to the incident.
He prefers to withhold his name and also not mention details because this may jeopardise the court case, which is in progress. Two suspects are standing trial in the case.
Australia
The man, who is from South Africa, but has been living in Australia for eight years, lists the miracles:
Of all the bones he could have been shot in, it was his elbow, one of the strongest bones in the body. If he had been shot a little higher or lower, the bullet would have penetrated a lung or organs lower down.
Despite multiple shots being fired at his car - first with a handgun and then an automatic firearm - only one bullet hit him. His baby boy, aged one, in a baby car seat next to him and his wife, other son (11) and daughter (17) on the back seat, escaped unscathed.
Before the incident, the gears of his car had been giving trouble and he struggled to change from first to second, but during the incident, the car slipped into gear perfectly and he could get away from the scene quickly.
Bone shattering
Despite being shot in the elbow while driving and the bone shattering, he had total, full sensation in his fingers and arm and could continue driving to get away from the shooters.
A few years ago, the victim had a memorable dream. It was a crime scene and he had feelings of peace and courage. Those same sensations of peace and courage filled him during the incident. He recalled the dream. It was as if the dream had prepared him for what was to come.
The surgeon was extremely happy with the outcome of the surgery and impressed with the range of arm movement after only six weeks.
The day the man returned from hospital, the family saw a rainbow over the sea. In the Bible the rainbow was a promise the Lord would not flood the entire earth again. The man's son, aged 11, said: "Look, God is promising us this will never happen to us again." (Genesis 9:13-16: "I have set my rainbow in the clouds ... Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.")
"With the grace of God", the man did not suffer any significant post-traumatic stress and believes talking about the incident helps to deal with it and the emotions involved.
When a local pastor and his wife came to counsel the family, the man said: "I had total peace and am excited because if the attack by the enemy on me and my family is so extreme, and he wants to steal, kill and destroy, then I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us." The rest of the family are also leaning on God and receiving the necessary support from the church, family, and friends.
After the shooting, the man drove from the Engen filling station on the N2 to the Total station, which is a few hundred metres further towards Cape Town and he stopped there for help.
The family jumped out of the car, shouting for help.
Comforted them
Staff from the filling station and the coffee shop and others rushed to the family, crowded around them and comforted them. An ambulance was called.
The children were taken into the coffee shop, cared for and the 11-year-old boy asked for prayer for his dad. Staff took groceries out of the car boot and placed them in a fridge inside. The By Grace ambulance staff allowed the whole family into the ambulance and drove everyone to Life Bay View Private Hospital.
The nurses there prayed for the injured man and his family. One of the nurses stayed at his bedside the entire night to ensure he was all right, doing her administrative work there.
The man said: "Mossel Bay is a city of Angels. Almost everyone we met is a believer
in God. It's just wonderful to see."
The family returned to the Engen filling station a few days after the shooting to tell the staff there: "We are the family who was shot at. We are okay."
One of the pump attendants exclaimed: "You saved our lives", meaning that the man had been a type of scapegoat, otherwise others could have been hurt.
Afterwards, when returning to the hospital, one of the nurses told the victim: "We face storms all the time, but if we are calm when facing the storm, we know God is with us. I can see the Lord is with you."
Grateful
The man is grateful the incident happened at the beginning of the family's holiday, so he had time to recover.
They had about two months' holiday after the shooting before returning to Australia this week.
He and his family extend a huge thank you to everyone who assisted them at the time of the shooting and afterwards. "We have no fear. We love South Africa, and we will be back," the man said.