God’s Saving Grace
Here it was the month of July in 2009, a rainy day compared to the scorching days wehad had! I was just getting off of work at the Super 8 Motel from 8:00 AM until 5 PM. While walking on Grossjean Rd., I noticed a Grey Grand A.M. sitting under the bridge covered in water.
As I got closer to the vehicle I started feeling very nervous and frightened. Looking at the car I noticed a woman gripping the steering wheel with her eyes as wide as a wise old owl. There were two men standing there with the look of despair. I asked the men if the woman was alive, dead, or why isn’t anyone doing something to help her? The man said, “We have called the police and they are on the way!”
My adrenalin rush kicked in as I approached the carto see the face of the woman. Here it was my neighbor, my babysitter for my youngest son, whom she had babysat when he was two years old. I looked at the gentlemen and took off my coat, handed them my phone, and said, “If we don’t make it back my name is Patricia, her name is Hattie, and I can’t swim, but I am going to try and save this woman.”
So the one gentleman said, “Ma’am are you sure you don’t want to wait for the police and the paramedics?
I cleared my throat and kept looking at the woman in the car and felt that there was not a minute to spare, so I said“I’m going to save this woman!”
He said “Ma’am, then I will follow you!”
As we approached the water, it looked black and freezing cold, and in my mind I was praying that God please spare us all because I couldn’t swim!
When we got to the car, we placed our hands on the door and pulled on the left handle of the vehicle,and the door just opened. Hattie was holding onto the steering wheel for dear life. So I whispered and said,“God had me come this way for a reason!” She looked at me and tears were streaming down her face. I told her that this man and I would not be leaving without her,and by the Grace of God,we managed to walk out of that five foot water as if Jesus was our crossing guard!
The gentlemanwho had remained on the shore said,“Ma’am, I thank God for your bravery.” The gentleman that followed me said nothing, but smiled.
I just thanked God for being with us and leading me down the path to help rescue someone! Sometimes God wants us to know that he is always available in any situation.