"He Didn't Start Out That Day Planning on Killing Our Children": A Tale of Incredible Mercy and Forgiveness

Benjamin Gill : Aug 1, 2018
Faithwire.com

"We ask the court to give the maximum allowable grace. We've had people say, 'Well you have to be super Christians.' No, we're just plain people but we have a super God that just lifted us up." -Father of deceased, Kathryne Pals

(Ogallala, NE)—[Faithwire.com] A Minnesota couple has taken the bold decision to forgive the man responsible for killing their son and grandchildren in a horrific car wreck that occurred exactly two years ago, on July 31, 2016. (Photo: Grandfather and father of the deceased, Rick Pals, hugs the man who killed his family members/Source: Screenshot/NBC Nebraska/via Faithwire)

"I know how much God has forgiven me. How can I not forgive you?" father Rick Pals told the convicted driver, Tony Weekly, according to KNOP-TV. "I am not in the position of authority to extend you mercy, Tony, however I can request mercy for you."

Pals lost his son, Jamison, 29, daughter-in-law Kathryne, 29, and grandchildren Ezra, 3, Violet, 23 months and Calvin, 2 months, when Weekly slammed into their vehicle on Interstate 80 near Brule. The family were on their way to Colorado to attend a training event for an upcoming mission trip to Japan.

According to a report from the Star Tribune shortly after the accident, the couple met at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, an evangelical Christian college in Roseville. In the months leading up to the horrific crash, the family had sold most of their belongings in preparation for their big move, which was expected to take place in late October.

"They were just going to travel with one big backpack for each of them," Jamison's mom, Kathy Pals, said at the time.

Before they left, Jamison wrote on his blog, which was titled Joy of Japan, "We want Jesus Christ for Japan. That's what 'the joy of Japan' really means."

Weekly pled no contest to seven charges, six of which were related to vehicle homicide; the seventh was a reckless driving charge. Nebraska State Patrol Investigators proved Weekly was distracted by his phone when he struck the family's vehicle, causing it to ignite.

Due to the severity of the incident, Weekly faced major time behind bars. But in an astonishing show of grace, Pals pleaded with the judge to be lenient on the driver at sentencing.

"Everybody makes mistakes, and he didn't start out that day planning on killing our children," the father explained. Despite his staggering show of mercy, Pals admitted that he struggles "to find the words to describe the grief that gripped me" following the accident.

The father of Kathryne Pals also petitioned the judge for a lighter sentence.

"We ask the court to give the maximum allowable grace," he declared in court. "We've had people say, 'Well you have to be super Christians.' No, we're just plain people but we have a super God that just lifted us up."

"That is how we can walk this path," added his wife, Nancy. "It's because we have hope."

In an incredible show of forgiveness, the Pals family even gave Weekly a hug as he appeared in court for the sentencing...

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