Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1264646
"I Read Your Chart, You Should Be Dead" Spanky Thompson, Minnesota BSHDFC My name is Stephan Thompson, but some know me only as Spanky. This is how God returned me to this earth. I was brought up Catholic, and participated in the church in multiple ways. I graduated from high school in Minnesota and then joined the Navy to be able to travel and for the opportunity to continue my education. This put me in various places in the world and sometimes in precarious situations. I tried to connect with various churches in my travels, but was shocked how aggressive, judgmental and unaccepting groups are if you don't fit into their cookie cutter beliefs. So, I was disheartened and distanced myself from organized religion, including the Catholic church. While stationed in Hawaii, I got married. We were married for thirty- three years. Sadly, my wife passed away in 2017. A few weeks later I came to the conclusion that I needed to get my head and heart clear, so I made a bucket list run – Route 66. I did the run alone because I wanted to be on my own time table and ride as hard as I wanted or choose to hunker down somewhere for as long as I needed. The trip itself was fantastic! It really did help me recover from all the loss and tragedy. Even so, I was heading down a very dark path, with an attitude of "I just don't care about anyone else anymore!" and I was willing to live the rest of my life in that way. On my way back to Minnesota, I visited family, taking a lot of scenic roads along the way. As I drew closer to home , that is when God decided to get my attention in a dramatic way. It was June 14 th , a hot steamy day, 2pm in the afternoon. I was on Highway 61, heading north 30 miles east of Iowa City. Two lanes in each direction, separated by a grassy median. I was behind a semi-truck that was spitting rocks at me, so I decided to go around. It was just the two of us, so I twisted the throttle and swung around into the fast lane. At 70+ mph I was almost to the point where I could look up into the truck's cab. Suddenly, what had been a clear road, was now filled with a big brown deer! If the truck had been going a little faster, he would have taken it out. In the millisecond before impact, when I locked eyes with the deer, I looked for a safe way out, but there was none! Part of my brain was screaming while another part was calm and simply said, "So, this is how it ends." I braked as much as I could before I heard the crunch. I went up and over the front of the bike. That was the last thing I remember. PAGE 10 / www.BlackSheepHDFC.org The next thing I knew, I was in a place that had no light. It was not dark or depressing. On the contrary, it was the most peaceful, calm place I had ever experienced. I know now that I was not allowed to see the full glory of where I was. I had no PTSD, no chronic pain from past injuries, no heartache, no anxiety or depression. It was not too hot or too cold. It was the most comfortable I have ever been. I could sense others around me, all loving and completely accepting. Even though I could not see my surroundings, I had the thought, "I could stay right here forever and be happy." It was then I felt a hand push me forward and I found myself at the crash site with the police and the paramedics. I was told it took the police fifteen minutes to arrive on site and another ten for the ambulance. For me, it was just a moment. I was taken to the University of Iowa Hospital where they told me I had two broken vertebrae in my neck (C2 and C3), six broken ribs, a broken collar bone, a broken right thumb and left knee, along with a few molars that were completely shattered. I also had traumatic brain injury. I spent a few days in Iowa before being released to Minnesota. The police officer made a visit before I left and stated he did not think he would ever see me again. My neurologist told me, "I read your chart, - you should be dead". During the next six months of recover, I had time to reflect on what had happened and what I had experienced. I knew that I was saved for some reason. My special needs son was absolutely one of those reasons, but there had to be more. I knew that God had returned me here, but why? As I searched for answers, my spirit was led back to the LORD. I re-connected with an old friend, whose name was Dawn. She too had suffered a personal loss that year, so we shared a similar grief experience. Dawn invited me to Eaglebrook and it was there that I felt at ease with the preaching of the Gospel. Dawn and I were married last year and now both serve the Lord. As I became more active, I kept looking at the shelf where I placed some of my motorcycle gear. Among everything else, there was a Black Sheep [downed biker] blanket. It had been given to me by Greg Anderson a few years prior after a minor accident. God used that blanket to draw me in even closer and pressed upon my heart that I needed to do more. I reached out to Greg and we started the process of mentorship to become a Black Sheep. Similar to Saul, God had to take drastic measures to bring me back to him. He has given me the opportunity to be a willing vessel to pour his abundance onto others. Since I am a palliative care and hospice nurse, it adds to our hospital Black Sheep opportunities. It allows me to share Christ with others. I thank God every day for saving me spiritually and physically so that I may be of use by him in my job and BSHDFC.