God's Protection of my Family in Nice, France

    Exactly one week ago, it was Thursday afternoon July 14, 2016. My mom just got off the phone with my dad, who was with my sister in Nice, France. My heart started to beat faster as she told me something had happened, but they were alright. All we knew was that a truck drove into the crowd. It seemed trivial as long as they were okay. I had no idea it was a terrorist attack or how bad it actually had been. I decided to Google what happened in Nice, France. The title read that 30 were dead, and I discovered what actually happened. Then it hit me how terrible this attack had been. My dad and sister were at the exact event where this terrorist attack happened. They were about 500 to 1,000 feet beyond where the truck had stopped. Thankfully, God protected them.

      There was a large crowd at the promenade celebrating Bastille Day that night. There were beautiful fireworks and music. My sister and dad were listening to a man play some music, when they decided to step out of the crowd. Soon, they saw panicked people running, so they ran not knowing why. A man took them and many others into his travel agency office that was in a basement. This is where they hid. I'm so grateful to this man for finding a safe place for my family until it was safe to go back to their hotel. In scary and hard times, there is always those people helping others. I think it's important to focus on these people because it's so easy to focus on the evil in our crazy world. After about a little over an hour, my dad and sister were able to take the back roads to their hotel and arrived safely.

     As the news continued to update, I learned 84 were killed and 202 were injured. Almost 300 people were killed or injured at the event where my family was, but God protected them. It was a lot to process. My heart rejoiced in God's sovereignty. Yet, at the same exact time, my heart was heavy. I felt for the families of those who were killed. I learned a father and son from Texas had died. I was shaken up, and my family was safe. I could not imagine what it would be like to have a family member killed during the attack. Before this event, terrorist attacks in France seemed so far away. Sure, I thought they were sad. However, after this experience, I have so much more compassion for those whose families were killed or hurt.

     I still went on with my day, but inside my heart was broken and I mourned for all those affected by the attack. I secretly hoped no one asked how I was because I really wouldn't have known what to say. I felt so loved and so broken at the same time. The next day, my dad and sister retraced their steps from the night before and visited the memorial full of flowers for those who died in the attack. It was a day of mourning in Nice. To me, this event served as a reminder that those I love could go home to heaven at anytime. God knows the number of days they will be here with us, but I don't. If it's not their time, God will protect them. God is good.

Thank you to everyone who reached out to us and supported us during this scary time. Thank you to everyone who prayed for my dad and sister's safety. We are blessed to be surrounded by so many caring people.