From Tragedy to Miracle: The Girl Who Missed the Bus

A bus full of excited children, ready for their school’s annual trip, set out that morning—never to return. In a heartbreaking moment, the bus collided with a train, and every single child on board lost their life. Every child except for one girl who, by a strange twist of fate, wasn’t on the bus that day. This story, shared 30 years ago, is resurfacing now with new and moving details that bring it to life once more.

The children at the "Brenner" school in Petach Tikva were eagerly looking forward to their annual trip. Excitement filled the air as they prepared, buying snacks and making last-minute plans.

In one family, a mother gave her daughter 10 shekels to buy snacks for the trip. On her way to the grocery store, the girl noticed another girl crying. She approached her and asked, "Why are you upset?"

The crying girl explained, "My mother sent me to buy two milk cartons and two loaves of bread, but I lost the 10 shekels she gave me. We have eight children at home, and I don’t know how to go back empty-handed."

The first girl, moved by compassion, replied, "I have 10 shekels. Take mine, and use it for your family. Don’t worry, I’ll manage somehow." The second girl gratefully accepted the money and went home with the groceries.

Now, the first girl faced a dilemma. She had given away the money meant for snacks, and she didn’t want her mother to know. She decided to fill her bag with crumpled newspapers to make it look as though it was full and returned home.

On the day of the trip, when the mother asked her daughter what kind of sandwich she wanted, the girl, hoping her mother wouldn't look in her bag, said she didn’t need one. But the mother insisted on checking, and she was shocked when she saw the newspapers. "Where are the snacks? Where is the money?" she shouted. Clearly upset, she packed a sandwich and sent her daughter to get on the bus and told her she didn't want to see her.

The girl, feeling hurt and angry, arrived late to the bus station, only to see the bus leaving without her. She was now faced with another choice: should she return home and face her mother’s anger, or should she wait it out somewhere else? She decided to go to the park and let the time pass.

Meanwhile, the mother was working at her sewing shop when she heard a horrific news report on the radio. A train had collided with a bus, and all the children on the bus had died instantly. The mother, overwhelmed with grief, cried out for her daughter, whom she thought she had lost forever.

After several hours, the girl returned home from the park. When the door opened, the mother couldn’t believe her eyes. Her daughter, whom she had believed dead, was standing before her. Overwhelmed with joy and shock, the entire house rejoiced in this miraculous turn of events.

After the excitement settled, the mother asked her daughter how she had escaped the accident. The daughter explained that because of the stressful morning, she had missed the bus and gone to the park to wait until her mother wasn’t angry anymore.

This true story, which happened about 30 years ago, is a powerful reminder of Divine Providence. "Charity saves from death" is more than just a saying—it’s a principle that can be seen in action. In Heaven, the girl's act of kindness in giving away her 10 shekels was seen and rewarded. Her kindness came back to protect her, as she returned home safely.