Plane crash in Quito (and some reflections)

Last Thursday, a military plane crashed into 2 buildings in Gonzales Suarez, an upscale area of Quito, Ecuador. At least 7 people were killed, including a child who was on board the plane. At least 2 who were living in the building were killed.

ST and I were on our way to meet Katty for sushi near the area and we happened to pass Gonzales Suarez. As we were nearing the area, we heard parts of the news on the radio in the taxi… “Accident in Gonzales Suarez, death of military officer, fault in the communication system, fire in 5th and 6th floor of buildings”.. etc. and then, as we drove into Gonzales Suarez, we saw a lot of police cars, ambulances and others (possibly journalists and families of people who live in the area)… and we realized.. “It happened here!”

Initially we didn’t realize it was a plane crash as we only heard parts of the news.. but we knew it was really serious, judging from the number of police cars and ambulances in the area. We later found out from Katty that it was a plane crash…

Here’s 2 articles about the crash (in English):
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090320/wl_afp/ecuadoraccidentairmilitary_20090320085223

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-world-latinamerica/20090319/LT.Ecuador.Plane.Crash/

The Quito airport is right in the middle of town, just about 15mins drive from our house. We hear the planes flying above us everyday. It’s a small airport because Quito is a plateau among the mountains… And the planes do fly very close and near the buildings. Gonzales Suarez is an area in Quito that is on slightly higher ground and it almost always has fogs in the evenings. This is the 4th or 5th plane crash in the area now.. almost all involving small military planes because that’s the route the military planes have to take to land.
Dangerous area.. that’s probably part of the reason why they are constructing a new and bigger airport, about 1 hour away from Quito, to the north. It should be ready in 2010.

It’s a shocking and painful news.. Set me thinking and in a pensive mood for the past few days… When accidents, deaths, come close to you. Can’t help thinking about how terrifying and helpless it would be, watching a plane fly towards you, into your house. Wonder if they knew God… Losing loved ones, losing possessions… Reminds me of the 911 incident too. Reminded us that life is very precious and fragile and we should treasure every moment of it, especially treasure people and relationships because at the end of time, souls are what remain. Reminded us of the urgency and importance of sharing the gospel… Reminds me to set my mind on heavenly and eternal goals… reminds us of the reason why we are here.

Truth is that even as we are here in Ecuador, learning and assimilating into the new culture and language, making a living in a new country, adjusting to new roles, leading a church with whatever we know… sometimes it gets challenging, sometimes it gets tiring, and at times, we feel like giving up too.. haha..
But God has been really good and He always reminds us in different ways (through our Quiet Time, through people, through incidents, through CG discussions) of the purpose and reason why we are here.. to love the people for Him.

Thank God for His presence in our lives and for always being there for us. Thank you Lord, for never forsaking us. Thank you Lord, for showing us your immense love through Jesus. Help us in our weaknesses Lord, help us to always draw strength and love from you. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to learn from and be like you, to learn what it is to say “Not our will, but yours be done.” To learn and experience life, like you did. Thank you for using us and growing us. 🙂

Here’s an article that recently encouraged me and reminded me to refuel my love tank with God.. interestingly, Rick Warren used an illustration of planes.. in a different manner. May it encourage you too!

http://www.purposedriven.com/article.do?method=articlePage&contentId=125450