Accident story

 "It was a beautiful Saturday morning in May, though it was somewhat more humid than usual because of a prolonged El nino summer. A layer of dust settled on the banana plants and other vegetation around the little Seventh day Adventist Church we go to, caused by vehicles o the unpaved road passing in front of the Church."

To avoid the dust of this long, hot summer, instead of driving straight to the vacant lot adjacent to the front of the church which we are using as a temporary parking lot, we drove around the block and parked by the back gate. We did this because we wanted to serve space in the front lot for the vehicles of a singing group who would present a mini religious concert that day. Also, a doctor from Manila Adventist Medical Center, together with his team who would conduct a special intercessory prayer meeting later in the afternoon, would need to park his van in the front parking lot, too.

When everyone had gone inside the church, I went back to the car to lock its door. I swung the back gate a little to check that it didn't touch the car's side mirror. It was then that the accident happened! The small rusty hinges of the gate - now made brittle by their long exposure to the elements - gave way! The gate pirouetted on one side, first whirling around for awhile until it hit the front "tapaludo" hood of the car. I held the detached gate to prevent it from doing more damage to the already dented hood. I wrested with it with all my might, but the massive Iron Gate was simply beyond my strength to control.