My Unwashed, Blood Stained Shirt

It wasn't my first car accident but it sure was my last... (knock on wood)

As I arrived in Samoa on April 6th, 2010, I was thrilled to meet my Mission President and so ready to serve! You can imagine my surprise as I walked out of the arrival terminal, smiling and hoping to strike a good first impression, only to stand there, scanning the crowd from left to right and not seeing any "Elder Funaki" sign.

It was a night flight and many taxi drivers offered to take me to where I am heading. I declined, not only because it's not safe but also because I had no idea where the mission home was at.

I rolled my luggage to a sitting area and sat there waiting for my ride. Everyone started to leave the airport and the place was getting empty. I was scared. I'm a Tongan in Samoa. It was a new place and I don't know a single person there. 

I bowed my head and in my heart I plead with the Lord, "Heavenly Father, I'm scared and worried. Please send someone to pick me up and take me to the mission home..."

As I finished my prayers and looked up, a man walked by and said, "Elder is someone coming to pick you up?"

He called the Mission President. There was a miscommunication and the Mission Home was informed that I won't be arriving until tomorrow.

I talked with the Mission President on the phone and he gave me permission to ride with the man, who I found out was a stake president.

I slept at the Mission Home that night, got a good breakfast and some interviews the next morning, and by mid-day, I was on a boat to the beautiful island of Savaii.

My first area was Falealupo, covering Tufutafoe and Papa Sataua. Everything was splendid until one week and six days in.

It was a Monday morning. The zone leader arrived in the zone vehicle with some other missionaries. He didn't feel well so he asked me to drive. I was not a designated driver but we had to go downtown and scan our baptismal papers over to the mission home at Upolu. My trainer told me to drive and so I did.

We picked up the Sister missionaries and off we went.

I was speeding and having no experience on the roads of Samoa, I should have known better.

As we arrived in the village of Fagafau, there was a sharp turn. I was going too fast and the back tires went off the pavement. The vehicle slid across the road heading straight towards the cliff.

I lost control of the wheel and the vehicle rolled...

Luckily it didn't roll towards the cliff or we would have been dead!

The zone leader flew out the vehicle, all of us had injuries. Some minor and others major.

As I came to, the vehicle was upside down. There was a big stick which has broke through the front window shield and was only a few inches away from my stomach. 

As I unbuckled my seat belt and crawled outside, I saw that the vehicle was right next to an electric pole. The only reason why we didn't hit the electric pole was because there was a huge rock in front of it on which our vehicle has collapsed onto.  

All of us were taken to the hospital.

Later on, I had to be in court. I was taken into police custody until my passport was handed over to the authorities. I was on probation and there were weekly check-ins. 

There are a lot of detail that I'm leaving out from this experience today because they deserve a post of their own.

But from this experience I have learned that rules are there for my own safeguard. I shouldn't have driven that vehicle regardless of what the circumstance was. I wasn't a designated driver and I should have stuck to that!

I have since kept my shirt from that day. Exactly how it was. Blood stained, and all. I wrote the names of all that were in that vehicle and the date it happened. I had it all through my mission and I even keep it now in my closet. 

It is a constant reminder to myself that Rules are there to Protect Me!