Snakebite!

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, July 20.

By Andrew McChesney

E

ight-year-old Hickel darted across the grass on a hot Monday afternoon in Costa Rica.

School was out, and he was playing soccer with his 8-year-old friend, Royden.

The soft green grass of the churchyard felt good under his bare feet.

Then Hickel saw an opening, and he lunged for the ball. Raising his leg, he kicked the ball with all his might.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced the back of his foot.

Lifting his leg, he peered under his foot. A dark-brown snake with white stripes was dangling from his heel.

Hickel’s eyes widened with horror, and he screamed, “Aaaaaaaaah!”

At that moment, the snake let go of his foot and slithered off into the grass.

Hickel’s foot hurt, but he ran home as fast as he could. He was scared.

“Mother!” he cried. “A snake bit me!”

Mother heard his cries and ran out of the house. She was scared, too. She saw the two marks left by the snake’s fangs on his heel.

Mother frantically called Father on the phone. Father came home from work and took the boy to the clinic. The doctor pulled out a syringe and gave Hickel an injection. Then he looked at the boy with concern.

“Do you feel all right?” he asked.

Hickel didn’t look well. He didn’t look well because he didn’t feel well.

The doctor knew what to do. He handed a plastic bag to the boy.

Hickel quickly put the bag over his mouth.

Blech!

The boy vomited his lunch of rice and boiled green bananas into the bag.

Thump!

Hickel fainted and fell to the floor.

No one knew what kind of snake had bitten the boy. Was it dangerous? Was Hickel’s life in danger?

People ran to the churchyard to look for the snake. After a short search, the snake was found in the grass behind a small shed that served as the church’s kitchen.

“It’s a baby velvet snake!” someone called out.

The velvet snake is the most poisonous snake in Costa Rica.

Someone killed the snake and took it to the doctor.

This was a serious emergency. The doctor called an ambulance.

A short time later, the ambulance was rushing Hickel from the clinic to the nearest city hospital. It was dark when Hickel arrived two hours later in the city of Limón.

It was scary being in the hospital. It was scary having a big, swollen foot. Hickel was scared, and he asked Mother to pray to God for help.

Mother and Hickel closed their eyes.

“God, please heal Hickel’s foot,” Mother prayed. “Help him to leave the hospital soon.”

Then she told the boy to have faith that God was with him.

Hickel believed.

On his third day in the hospital, Hickel received a clean bill of health and was sent home. He was very happy! He knew that God had heard Mother’s prayer and healed him.

Back at home, the whole town heard about Hickel’s snakebite and his astonishing recovery. Everyone was amazed to see the healthy and happy boy.

“It is a miracle,” someone said.

“There is a God who takes care of His children,” said someone else.

The next Sabbath, nine people came to church after hearing how God had answered Mother’s prayer. All nine gave their hearts to Jesus and got baptized.

Hickel is happy to be alive.

“God saved me from the snake,” he said.

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a center of influence that will teach at-risk children about the power of prayer in Costa Rica. Thank you for planning a generous offering on September 28.