Welcome to Jedidiah! Response Detail

From the Corners of the Earth
By Ej (Liz) Chan, Vancity, BC

Something was crawling up my arm as I sprawled out on the humid grass, staring up into star-stricken cosmos. He sat on a white-washed bench looking down at me. And I smiled. Not the forced smile that I had become so accustomed with, but a smile that came as an overflow of a strange sense of wellbeing. “Do you hear that?” I asked him.
He leaned forward, focused, straining to hear what I heard. After a moment he shook his head. “Hear what, E?”
“The music.”
He held his breath as he tried again, harder this time, knowing what it was that his ears where searching for. And then he heard it.
Faintly in the distance, someone was singing, the dim acoustics of a guitar in accompaniment. And as we both became silent, the words fell heavy to my ears.

Hey! From the corners of the earth

We will sing of your great worth

And around the world proclaim
Our God Reigns!

April 25, 2008.

Staring into pitch black shattered partially by limpid lights, the contained excitement surrounded me like thickening soup. All at once, lights began to explode against the inky darkness, like flowers blooming on an ash-smothered canvas, drenching the stage with vivid colors. Shadows approached the scaffold and their familiar features are brought to life under the lights. As I looked up at these men weathered by this beautiful mess called life, I could hardly recognize the boys I had known from not so long ago. Without warning, the music started and we are taken into a whirlwind of sound. And I became lost in it all. Lost, as I closed my eyes and let myself get carried away with it, completely sold out on its beauty. "And we're not backing down, no way! We're finally seeing it clearly. One body, one church, one Saviour. One call to praise. Hey! From the corners of the earth..."

As the floor began to articulate the movement of the crowd, my eyes bolted open and I became aware that something felt intensely wrong. Suddenly, the floor began to sink, slowly at first, then the entire thing collapsed with a resounding snap. A 20 by 20 feet area of ground gave way, sending a little over 70 people on a 17 foot drop. As I fell, everything seemed silent, muted...frozen as if the entire scene had been called to a halt. But as I hit the basement floor, everything came back to life. All I could hear was screaming, wails of desperation and confusion. Soaked in residue water and oil from splintered pipes, I stood up to look around. The horrific effects of the collapse became evident. It was as if we had woken up to our worst nightmare. Lighting and sound equipment littered the ground among large segments of concrete and flooring. Dust hazed it over, dimming its reality. I locked eyes with a friend across the room and as I was about to call out and see if she was ok, a massive speaker fell, hitting against my head sending me sprawling. Lying on my chest, I began to realize, my life was actually on the line…that it was significantly possible that I might not come out of this alive. As I turned to look over where my friend was, I watched helplessly as a pew fell, carrying 7 people, landing hard on her legs. Her scream pierced the room, ringing harsh in my ears. Making my way back to my feet, I began to feel vertiginous, almost on the edge of losing consciousness. Forcing myself to get a grip, I staggered over to her, and began to yank panicking people off of the pew, yelling at them to get out and make their way upstairs. As soon as I could, I lifted the pew of her legs and knelt down to hold her as she began to sob. She stopped abruptly and looked up at me, eyes wide, mouth moving but no words came out. As the guys from the band jumped down to offer their help, Jon, their guitarist, ran over to me and grabbed my shoulders, looked me right in the eye and told me that I needed help. At first I looked at him kind of strangely before he clutched my hand and put it against my own face, soaking it with blood. “I’ll get her,” he yells over the noise, indicating over to my friend, “Just go!”

As I stumbled up to the main floor, nothing seemed real. I was quickly brought to lie down. My friends gathered around and began to cry at the sight of my face caked thick in blood. Paramedics rushed onto the sight as sirens blared loudly and lights flashed blinding signals. Everyone that could was told to evacuate. Tim, one of the band boys, came around not long after the paramedics confirmed that it was blunt force trauma to the head, weeping and apologizing over and over as I tried so hard to explain why it wasn't his fault.

From then on, it was a blur. I remember a hug from a firefighter and the feeling of sudden security that came with that even in the midst of such brokenness and a shared prayer with a man who was a complete stranger, yet in that moment, a brother and a friend. I remember riding the ambulance with a couple other girls who were really good about the whole thing. I remember amazing doctors and nurses and a cellphone that just wouldn't stop ringing: a small portion of the care and concern that followed me throughout the night represented. And most of all, I remember feeling a strong sense of peace that night, that amidst all the prayers that surrounded me, I would be ok.

A scar over a 4 inch laceration to the head attached to vivid snapshots of utter chaos reminds me of a certain beauty that was present. A beauty that was present because of the immense amount of prayers, because of the praises going up in stark contrast to the horror of the event because somehow...we survived.

Those words, that particular melody, has branded me for life. So here’s to Starfield’s “ From the Corners of the Earth”. Cheers. I am reminded each and every time it hits the radio, each and every time I play the CD, each and every time I step up and perform it that I am alive for a reason, that I am meant to live for so much more than simply avoiding failure, that I am given the chance to live a life worthy of the calling that I have received, and that nothing, ever, is wasted for His kingdom.

"What are you thinking about?" His voice cuts through my muse.

"What's that?" I ask, slightly startled.

"You've just been staring into the night..."

"I guess I was just zoning out for a bit." I shrug nonchalantly.

"And what were you thinking about?" he prods.

"I wasn't thinking about anything."

"You sure?"

“I’m sure.”

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