Jasper church offers support to family of injured volunteer

When June Williams arrived at the Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, July 27 after two days of travel, what she saw was a sight for sore eyes — her husband, Dray, though bruised and banged-up was standing in the hall waiting for her.
   
It was a far cry from the initial confused and gloomy reports of Danny Ray “Dray” Williams’ condition that rippled through Alabama July 25.
  
While doing what family members say he does best — missions — Dray Williams had suffered a severe head injury early that morning during an accident in Thailand.
   
And after hearing the news that he had been hospitalized with multiple injuries — details of which were critical-sounding and unclear — June Williams, who had never been out of the country before, began immediately working fast and furiously with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) to get an emergency passport.
   
But the rest of the family had only to wait and pray. “I’d give anything to get to go,” said Dray Williams’ mother, Betty Williams, at a July 26 prayer service at Antioch Baptist Church, Jasper, where she, her husband, Talmadge, and Dray  Williams are all members. “We are anxious for her to get there, so we can hear from her how he is. She is ready to get there, too — she’s a nervous wreck and she left crying.”
   
The service was intended originally to offer encouragement to June Williams as she waited for word to go, but instead it rallied around the family left behind — his parents; his daughter, Dana; and son, David. 
   
And it lifted up a Thailand-bound June Williams and recovering Dray, whose reports began to get clearer — and better — even as the service went on.
   
“As soon as we got out of the service, I checked my e-mail and had gotten one saying that he had improved a lot, that his memory was coming back and that they didn’t think he’d have to have surgery after all,” David Williams said.
   
All of the Williamses, he said, are thankful for the prayers offered by the church and other Baptists in the state who have heard about Dray Williams and are lifting him up.
   
Tim Marsh, pastor of Antioch Baptist, asked those present at the prayer service to “pact to be faithful to lift Dray up to God every time we say our prayers.”
   
“Lord, you have a whole different mission for Dray over there than we realize. Thank you for what You have already used him for over there. Mend Your vessel,” Marsh prayed.
   
He also prayed that the missions efforts to Thailand would not be thwarted as a result of this accident — a prayer that’s already being visibly answered.
   
Residents of the region heard of the accident and more than 400 of them came in trucks, on motorcycles and on foot to bring flowers and thank the missions volunteers for their help. Thai Buddhists and Muslims, youth and children came from all around to show gratitude — opening up doors to share with people the team never would have had the opportunity to otherwise.
   
“It didn’t sit well with him (Dray) when he was told he wouldn’t be able to witness openly there (because of security concerns),” David Williams said with a laugh. “His accident may open up doors for him to share with people he wouldn’t have gotten to share with.”
   
David Williams, who began running his father’s flooring business after he retired to devote more time to missions work, said the accident “won’t stop him at all.”