Miracle Stories

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TRADGEDY OR TRIUMPH

I was tired... very, very tired. I felt like the wet soppy dishrag ,spread out across the bottom of my sink, after all the water drained. Life just couldn't get any worse.
Eight months earlier my husband of 21 years and the father of our 7 children had left the country. He made sure no one was able to contact him. He did not want to be found. He did not want to pay child support.

It had been a long eight months. Budgeting had become a thing of the past. Surviving the day at hand was the only issue. I sold everything that was sellable including my $2000.00 wedding set for $56.00 of instant cash, which meant we had supper for the next three nights. All that mattered was getting the next meal on the table. I was able to find odd jobs here and there but nothing stable. The children and me had moved from an 1800 sq. ft. house, to a 935sq.ft. Basement suite. I had cut all the corners but without fulltime work; stability appeared impossible.

My mother persuaded me, after countless phone calls, to bring the children to her in Calgary, Alberta 1300 kms away.
She was worried about my emotional state. The plan was to leave the children with her and go back home to Vancouver, B.C. for a month. "Rest, relax and find reliable work", "Figure out a plan of action" she said.

I remember thinking, after hanging up the phone, the first thing I would have to do was figure out how to stop crying. I seemed to do nothing but cry and sleep lately.

My girlfriend offered to lend me her Van for the trip. It was fully camperized which meant we could eat and sleep along the way. Then a friend offered to come along as a relief driver. Thank you Lord for friends. And so, we set out on our 13-hr. journey to grandmas.

The first 11 hrs. were full of the usual antics that fall hand in hand with seven children and travel. The million and one bathroom stops. The arguments over whose music we were going to play, whose turn it was to sit by the window, who was squishing who, etc... The 12th hour, however, was a quiet reflective time as, one by one, the children drifted off to sleep. The three youngest had settled up on the top bunk and the other four on the converted kitchen nook / bed.

Finally! They were all sleeping. It was quiet, so peaceful. Only the muffled drone of the engine could be heard, lulling me deeper into thought.

"Mom, can you please take Tacey up there with you?" My oldest pleaded.
"I have no room to sleep".

"You'll be fine" I replied, not wishing to crowd my space and numb my legs with the addition of a three year old.

Ahhh peace, a rare commodity that always seemed to be just out of reach lately.

As a new single mother time was always in short supply. It seemed there was never time anymore "just to be".

A few more complaints though, and I finally gave in. There was no peace with all the complaining anyway. "At least Tacey would be sleeping while on my lap and Tasha would finally go back to sleep", I thought.





Little did I know the Lord was about to give me a renewed and updated perspective on the value and preciousness of the 7 blessings he had placed in my life.

The world of "poor me" was about to shatter.

I had always loved my children very much. I knew Jesus was my very best friend. I knew my Father God was my provider, my creator, and the only reason I made it through each day and woke up for the next.

What I don't recall, is when I stopped applying all that I knew. And became focused on how “I” was going to work it all out?

I remember thinking about how dark and peaceful ,yet scary, it was in the mountains that night. There seemed to be no other travelers on the road, it was very black, not even the moon could be seen.

“God turned out all the lights so there are no distractions in my peace” I chuckled to myself as I started rocking Tacey and humming Amazing Grace.

“All alone, a tiny speck, moving along the bottom of a vast black crevice”. "This must be what an ant feels like scurrying along in the bottom of a deep crack in the ground..."

I never finished the thought.




There was a flash of light and a simultaneous impact. It felt like a 1 ton wrecking ball had made contact with the back of my seat. Immediately the van was airborne. I will never forget hour thirteen of that trip. It felt like 3 days.

First there was the realization ,once we stopped flipping end over end, that Tacey was still in my arms and she was ok. But as I turned around ,to check on the other children, I froze in disbelief.

All I could see was twinkling stars and blackness. There was no roof, backdoors, cupboards, appliances, or...children. I couldn't even see my hands.

Filled with sheer terror, I fought my way out of my seatbelt and ran out the back of the van.

I remember telling Tacey to stay in the van but then grabbed her because I was scared the gas tanks might blow. We had just filled both propane tanks at the last station and they were at the very back of the van where we had just been hit by...?

There was no sound.

All I could hear was my heart beating. It was so loud. I was exasperated, I couln’t hear past the pounding thump in my ears. I remember saying "shhhhh" and straining to hear past the beating, for any sounds of location and life from my children, and repeating "Father God in the name of Jesus" over and over.








My entire existence was held together and melded within those 7 words for what felt like an eternity.

In an all consuming turmoil and fear I called out to my babies with sobs that threatened to constrict my throat to the point of suffication.

After forever, they started to respond. The pain, fear and confusion in their moans shredded my heart and soul as they pleaded for me to come. Their voices seemed to be coming from every direction sounding very muffled as if they were miles away.

Frantically I got down on my knees. With my arms stretched out as far as they could reach I started sweeping them in semi circles ,while patting the ground, trying desperately to connect with a hand... a foot... anything. All the time praying desperatly.

I was later informed, by my friend and my children, that these prayers were actually screamed at the top of my lungs "Father God in heaven help me”, "In the Name of Jesus things are not as they seem", "Please Father God protect us all, heal us, save us..."

A peace and warmth came over me. Like warm oil being poured over my head, slowly flowing down around my body till it totally surrounded me.

Immediately I became aware that I no longer was afraid. I seemed to know and understand that the outcome was totally in God's control. My mind was in a state of total peace as I surrendered each one of my children and their futures to God and God alone.

As I found each one of them I prayed that God would heal them and release them back to me but that above all else, His will be done. I meant every word to the depths of my soul. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that if He chose to take any or all of them home I would be able to stand strong in Him until his purpose was revealed.

I found the three youngest children in various places in the meridian that separated the east and westbound freeways of the Transcanada #1. The older children had been thrown up onto the westbound lanes and were found, as the headlights of a Semi-trailer truck crested the hill.

There is no doubt in my mind as to how he stopped in time.

Through all that was yet to come with children on life support, in wheelchairs, crutch's and stitch's, I remained at peace. It was as though the Lord reached in through all the pitiful selfish garbage I held inside, removed it, and filled me with a wisdom, trust and understanding that defies all logic and explanation

We all survived and recovered but my life was forever changed that night. It is amazing how far the Lord had to take me before I would give back to Him, what was never mine.

I know my time, my children, and the provisions I am blessed with daily throughout my life, all belong to the Father. They are only on loan to me.






I own nothing; too think anything different is to deceive only myself.

The ownership is the Fathers, only the privilege of use and stewardship is mine as his child. The Lords desire is that I trust Him; and be a good steward with everything he has placed in my care.

I strive for the most I can get from every moment He gives me; it could be my last chance to testify for him down here.

I thank God daily for all I have, instead of looking at what I don't.
I try to do and say nothing, till I have first viewed it through the eyes and heart of Jesus and know that he would do the same.

God IS in control and everything on this earth is temporal, except the salvation of souls.

Carol Jordan/2002

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