A Chaplain's Call

Article by Chaplain Sam McIntosh, April 2006

As I read the January issue of Highway News and Good News and got to page five I was struck by Raydean Stuckey's poem. It seemed to be a step-by-step record of my life starting from when I was first approached to apply as a volunteer on the chapel in Sherwood Park, Alberta. Line by line it seemed to fit the answers that I was given to my questions over that period of about 11 months or so.
I was, and still am, a trucker by trade and I was a confirmed loner. I liked my life the way it was going and didn't want it to change, but God had different ideas. I fought against change simply because I was happy with the way things were. I used every excuse in the poem and many besides, but they didn't work. As the realization became clearer that all we have to be is available to allow God to work through us, I got a little less afraid to fill out the application.

 I can only tell you I have been richly blessed ever since I listened to His call.

Scott Weidner's article on page 12 was a reaffirmation of sorts as to what my duty as a chaplain is really all about. First of all, as Scott put it, to be there and meet drivers where they are is of vital importance. The second is to meet the needs of all drivers as we become aware of the needs. We as chaplains are trained to deal with different challenges that arise in a driver's life; and our training is ongoing. Most of us are or were drivers. We really do understand what the challenges are and what they can do to a person. Our training, along with a compassionate heart and the Word of God, helps us to help these drivers and certainly leads us on how to pray for them.

The third article I found meaningful was Gary Nussbaum's column on page 13. By the time I had figured out that God's Word is the only map for our Christian walk, I had wasted most of my life trying to find my way on my own and made a terrible mess of it. When I realized the Bible is the Road Map of Life, I knew by God's grace that if I followed that Map I would be guided and directed home to eternal life with the Lord. We give out hundreds of Bibles, which coincidentally are called "The Road Map of Life," from each chapel. 

If you or anyone you know has a feeling like a little tug on the heartstrings to get involved in this ministry, I can only tell you that for me it was the smartest, most obedient move I ever made. Stop in any of our many chapels (see list on page 15) and ask for an application. Pray about it and fill it out, as this ministry is "a dynamic ministry to a dynamic industry."

Sam McIntosh is the Lead Chaplain at the Northern Lights Chapel in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Chaplains Assist Accident Victim
Article by Inge Koenig, February 2005

"Pray for my friend," the Canadian trucker asked when he stepped into the Woodstock (Ontario) chapel. "He's been in a terrible accident down in South Carolina."

Murray Scott, TFC's Director of Overseas Ministries, was on duty at the Woodstock, Ontario, chapel when a driver walked in asking for prayer on behalf of a co-worker who had just been in a terrible accident in South Carolina. While heading south on I-77, his truck had exploded and the driver, Dan Elliott, had been burned on over 95 percent of his body. His friend was concerned that Dan was almost 1,000 miles away from home and completely alone in strange surroundings. He had been taken to Columbia and then airlifted to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta, GA.

Murray called the International Office, where a prayer chain was set in motion right away. Then a phone call went out to Ted Keller , lead chaplain of the TFC chapel in Columbia, S.C. Chaplain Ted in turn called Assistant Chaplain Clifford Royal (who lives in Augusta); then he headed to Augusta to be with the trucker. At the Burn Center he met with Clifford and Margaret and also Dan's wife, Natalie.

There he also learned some details about the accident. "A witness said the truck suddenly caught fire. Elliott manoeuvred the truck to the side of the road," Ted said. "Then he either jumped out of the cab or was thrown by the explosion. Seeing him surrounded by flames, this witness threw dirt onto his body and smothered the fire. He also said that before losing consciousness, Dan's last three statements were, 'My name is Dan Elliott,' 'Please call my wife, Natalie,' and 'Lord Jesus, help me.' The truck apparently was so damaged by the explosion that there was little left to investigate, but they've ruled out the possibility that Dan was speeding since his company trucks are equipped with a device to keep drivers at the speed limit."

Over the following two weeks, the chaplains made daily trips to Augusta, ministering to the young driver's family. Dan had been placed in a chemically-induced coma and had to have daily surgeries, but since doctors said it was possible that he was aware of his surroundings, the chaplains spent much time by his bedside reading the Bible and praying for him and with him.

Dan's two sisters and his dad also came down from Canada and were there part of the time. Ted was able to secure lodging for them at a facility for families of burn victims, near the Burn Center.

As the staff and customers at the Columbia 20 Travel Plaza learned about Dan from Chaplains Ted and Clifford, they started a collection to help the trucker and his family. Meanwhile, Murray Scott visited Dan's company, PCY Carriers in Ontario, to explain Natalie's needs. John, their director of safety, called several times a day to be updated on Dan's condition.

One day, as Ted and Tammy had just returned home from Augusta , they received a call from the head nurse telling them doctors would have to remove Dan's hands and feet, and that Natalie had asked for them to be there with her. After calling the International Office with the news and asking for renewed prayer support, Ted headed right back to the hospital. So in God's providence, both chaplains were there with Natalie when Dan passed away that evening (before the surgery could be performed).

Ted recalls the events of the following days: "We arranged for Natalie and Dan's sister to stay in a motel away from the Burn Center, and we helped her in dealing with the coroner and having Dan's remains released to a funeral home in Augusta. We took them to the funeral home, accompanied them to the airport, and arranged for them to have special care on Delta airlines." According to Ted, the airline was exceptionally helpful, having a representative at every point. "And Safety Officer John Fox met them at the airport in Toronto and drove them home to Kingston," Ted concluded.

As arrangements were made for a memorial service in Kingston, Ted received a call from Murray Scott saying that the owner of a trucking company had offered to pay for airline tickets so he could attend the service. "I met with the family and we were with them as they received friends," Ted says. He was asked to assist in the memorial service the next afternoon.

Ted also visited Natalie and daughters Tasha (10) and Danielle (7) and was able to minister to both Dan's and Natalie's parents. "Little Tasha came to me and said, 'Chaplain Ted, thank you for taking care of my Mommy.' She broke my heart," he says.

In December, Nancy, a driver from a trucking company in Columbia, led an effort to adopt Natalie and the girls for Christmas. Many other people also stepped in to assist the family. Contact was made with Face the Fire, a ministry to burn victims and their families, established by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Birdwell, who survived the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. Both Brian and his wife, Mel, contacted Natalie and later sent a generous gift to help with their expenses.

"In the midst of a terrible tragedy, God's mercy and faithfulness were revealed through the combined efforts of His people," says Scott Weidner, President of TFC. "I guess the key for me is the amazing way God put together people who were separated by geography, culture, and simple lack of knowing each other but were there serving the Lord and available when the need arose."

"Natalie asked that we keep in touch with them," Chaplain Ted said recently. "She said she was thankful that the TFC team was there for them, and that there will always be a special bond and relationship between her family and the TFC family."

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