35W Bridge Collapse

The pictures above depict horrible scenes. Man's pride and confidence in himself is once again shaken as another of his creations fail, passing into the annals of time, only to be forgotten like so many other happenstances in history.

As for this writer, I will not forget this day or these scenes. You see, by all rights I should have been on that bridge when it collapsed.

This bridge fell just after 6pm on a Wednesday night. For a year leading up to this event, I was unfailingly on a bus headed for a church service in Forest Lake, MN. My trip started in downtown Minneapolis (1619 Portland Avenue South, MNTC) and I passed over this bridge each Wednesday evening just after 6pm.

This Wednesday evening was no different. My fellow students and I had loaded onto the bus and were heading out of the parking lot. Just as we made the corner from 17th Avenue left onto Portland Avenue South, the bus drivers cellular phone rang.

It was the charge-staff from our facility (MNTC) calling. He instructed the driver to alternate his route and vary from the regular, shorter way which we always took. The driver had to swing from the far right lane on Portland Avenue back to the far left lane, so he could turn left onto 18th or 19th Avenue and then up Park Avenue, left on 15th and over to 94 West. We then went up to 694, to 35W north and on to Forest Lake (Maranatha AG Church).

If you know Minneapolis, you know that due to many factors, this is not the way one would voluntarily or logically choose to go. It's longer, there is a lot of traffic and it just doesn't make sense.

We were about 10 or 15 minutes into this alternate route when the radio announcer broke in with the news flash, saying that the bridge had just collapsed.

We should have been on that bridge. As the story unfolded, we heard that a school bus full of children had went in (later found inaccurate, though there were children in a bus on the bridge who were rescued, praise God). Many of us knew that God had showed us special favor. We don't know why we were given this Grace and others were not, but I have an idea.

The charge-staff who re-routed the bus for no apparent reason: This man was sensitive to not only the roars of God in a silent room, but he could also hear God's whispers in a windstorm. His obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit is what saved our lives. There were about 60 of us on that bus that night.

Thank you, Glen (charge-staff). Thank you, God.

As we exited the bus, many of us fell to the ground and prayed. Yes, we were thankful that we were spared. However, thanksgiving (for most of us) was not the fervent prayer on our lips and hearts. We prayed for those who didn't hear. For those poor souls and their families. We knew that we would have went home had we been on that bridge. There are other who may not have had that confidence and security.

We prayed for them.

As for myself, I hope to continue to strive to be in the place where Glen was that night, when he heard God's voice. I must admit, I thought it asinine to go the long way around without a valid reason. Having been humbled in this, more than ever I see that God speaks to us in ways we really do not understand. Understanding is not the key, however. Obedience is the true key.

God Bless You!

Ed Yaekle
e.yaekle@yahoo.com
413Solutions.Blogspot.com