By Sister Gayle Bleak, a senior missionary at the Center, 2022
My husband and I were serving as full-time missionaries at the PCC. One evening in February 2022, Scott and I went to the PCC with the goal of getting to the Gateway Restaurant to visit some students before they left work after their shifts.
We arrived at the PCC and found they had just closed the gate that separates the Hukilau Marketplace from the rest of the Center, and we no longer had access to the Gateway.
I knew of a shortcut through the Hapa Home shop. I had done that before. I knew the manager, and she allowed us through her store and out the back way.
What I had totally forgotten about was that the sidewalk from the store to the asphalt winds around to the right, down a path that you
cannot see in the dark, and there is a two-foot ledge from the store’s back door to the asphalt road if you go straight out the door.
I let out a scream as I hit the road and landed on my right side.
When Scott saw me drop off the edge to the ground, he had to suddenly jump and was surprised at how far down it was.
Scott told me to lay there to see if I was alright before sitting up. My first thought was wondering if I had torn my dress or broken my phone.
I knew nothing was broken on my body, but I could feel I was a little scraped up. I got up and moved around and felt fine.
My leg and arm got scraped up, and my arm was bleeding. The palm of my right hand hurt, but otherwise, I was totally fine.
It was totally dark, and I was in a hurry. I ran out the back door and fell right off the two-foot ledge onto the road beneath. Eventually, I had a bruise on my hip and shoulder, but I escaped getting seriously hurt.
I felt like there were angels who cushioned me as I landed.
It was a miracle that I didn’t break any bones or have any sprains or serious injuries.