Mistaken Identity

I just finished reading the book Mistaken Identity. All I can say is...wow. This story is almost too fantastic to be real. Five students and four faculty from Taylor University, a Christian school in Indiana, were traveling between two TU campuses in a school van when a semi-truck crossed the highway medium and hit the Taylor van from behind. Four students and one faculty died instantly; the other four passengers were critically injured. In the chaos of the crash scene, two students were misidentified. The Cerak family were told that their daughter Whitney had died in the crash. The Van Ryn family rushed to the hospital to care for their daughter Laura, the only surviving student, who was in a coma in the ICU. For five weeks the Van Ryns cared for their daughter as she emerged from her coma and started therapy. As "Laura" became more aware of her surroundings and started communicating more, the truth became apparent: the Laura Van Ryn in the hospital was actually Whitney Cerak.

Mind blowing? Absolutely yes! And if this is mind blowing for me, I cannot even begin to imagine what both families experienced living through this unbelievable tale. But what is more mind blowing is the strength, grace, and faith that these two families exhibited during this time. My faith and commitment to God were definitely challenged just reading this story and thinking about what I might do in their places. The book is filled with Scriptures and encouraging thoughts taken from the families' prayer times, journals, blogs, and memorial services. Mistaken Identity is beautifully written and does an excellent job communicating the story from the perspective of all those who were involved.

Did these families question God? Did any of them feel angry with God for all that they had been through? You cannot be human and not question or not be angry at some point in a situation like this, but what amazed me is that the families never fed their doubts or nursed their anger. Both families trusted in God and turned to Him.

Two impacting parts of this story for me:
-In the days leading up to Whitney's funeral, the Cerak family had a to-do list a mile long and numerous family and friends in town. But their daughter Carly insisted that they spend at least two hours every morning in prayer and worship. She said that they would not be able to survive the difficult time without starting the day with God. I identified with her mom's response: "Prayer time, yes! But two hours?!" Carly refused to take "no" for an answer though, and the family testified to how important that time with God was in the midst of their chaotic and difficult time.
-In the epilogue of the book, Whitney's mom confessed to the Van Ryn family that she struggled with talking to them because the Cerak family had the happy ending. The Van Ryns' response was "So did we. We just haven't seen all of it yet." A powerful statement about unwavering hope and heaven.

To this day, the families are close friends, and I feel like their story is such an inspiration and faith-builder. If you have a chance, grab a copy of the book (and box of tissues). This story is a must read.