The Mission Trip Car Accident

 This morning, as Doug and I were chatting about old memories, I mentioned having to call Mom and Dad after the big car accident in Louisiana in high school on the way back from the church mission trip in Houston, TX. 

For the first time, I realized that with the internet resources we have now, I could probably find info or at least articles about the accident. 

I've always remembered that OJ Simpson's bronco chase happened during the mission trip because the story about our accident came before it on the local evening news we watched that night. However, I have never thought to use it to triangulate the exact date of the accident. I looked up when the bronco chase was - June 17, 1994. I looked at a calendar of June 1994 and was shocked to see Saturday (the day of our accident) was the next day - the 18th. 

After some creative Googling, I finally found newspaper articles. 

Once I had confirmation of where it happened, I looked at a map to see if I could figure out the church we'd stayed at that night until our church folks could come pick us up since the vans we were riding in were totaled. 

While I'm not 100% sure, looking at pics of the sanctuary for University Baptist Church in Baton Rouge felt instantly recognizable. I remember walking around outside the sanctuary trying to relieve muscle pain in my leg then sleeping on the floor in the back of the sanctuary for a bit. 

Ever since connecting these dots, I've felt a strange pain and connection to the past. Maybe it's just healing taking place because I have a bit of clarity on a hazy-but-impactful part of my life.