I had tears in my eyes when I was heading towards the computer to blog about this... Was supposed to be studying when my mom said that a particularly interesting story was showing on Oprah...
It's a true example of forgiveness and faith... Maybe you guys' have heard about this story of mistaken identity...
Of course, these are in my own words so forgive me if I get some facts wrong..
Two young ladies with striking similarities (blonde hair, same body size, fair skin) were in a van along with some other students and people heading somewhere.. when a terrible accident happened. 5 people on the van didn't survive.
One of the girls, Whitney Cherak was rushed to the hospital and was in ICU for 5 weeks, while her family was back at home mourning her death.
Another family, the Van Ryns, stayed by Whitney's side 24/7 for the whole time she was in ICU... and they believed that her name was Laura Van Ryn, not Whitney Cherak.
I guess you can see where this story is going. Imagine the Cheraks' total amazement when they received that phone call at 2am in the morning with the coroner saying there is reason to believe their daughter and sister is alive.
And, the Van Ryns who have been holding on and hoping for so long.. to find out that their daughter and sister is not the girl who they have been caring for all this while.
It's a sad story, but so beautiful at the same time because in the end, those two families became fast friends and the Van Ryns chose not to harbour any bitter feelings but to forgive everyone involved for that terrible mix up.
My FAVOURITE part was when BOTH families quoted scripture and shared their faith in Jesus and now I know I'll meet them someday in heaven as well...
go search it on the internet if ur interested...
"
Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope"
BEAUTIFUL story!!!!
