Update from Greta about her miracle!

I wanted to post this message from my friend Greta (*Roo) who I blogged about the other day. Greta is here by the grace of God and I praise Him for His hand on her. I have been a receiver of several miracles as well and I can shout that we serve and AWESOME GOD! Thank you Jesus!

This is Greta's email (posted with permission and slightly edited for confidentiality):

December 18, 2008. 4:45 am. I woke up knowing I had bus duty. It was Polar Express Day at school and while I was getting ready I was debating on whether or not to wear my Snoopy pajamas. I had just purchased them the weekend before and they were so cute, but what if no one else wore pajamas and I was the only one? What if I had car trouble and had to get out wearing pajamas? What an embarrassment to be seen in public with my pjs on. Little did I know that those would be the least of my worries on this dreadful day.

6:20 am. I put on my brown leather jacket and went to my beloved 6 month old Honda Accord. I remember thinking how humid the weather was, but wore my coat anyway, knowing I’d have recess duty at 10:30 and it could be a little cool. I loaded my white powdered donuts and jingle bell necklaces for the students into the car, along with my camera, and a change of clothes in my duffel bag. And then for the ride of my life….

It was still dark outside. I turned on my cell and saw two text messages that my friends had sent the night before. I laid the phone on my lap and continued on my way. I did not have the radio on, because I wanted to talk to God as I did every morning.

I began talking out loud to God. I prayed for my family members, one by one, that they would be safe and healthy, also thanking God for saving my niece, Taylor, the week before. I thanked God for saving my brother’s girlfriend’s daughter, and prayed that her brothers would be saved soon.

At that moment, I noticed two small, orange park lights on the left side of the road, on the grass. “What is that?” I thought. Then I realized that it was the big truck that had been parked there on the grass for the past several mornings. Each morning when I passed it, I never realized that it was a log truck and that it was parked across from a logging area. I just thought a truck pulled over every morning. Maybe he lived nearby and parked it there. Maybe he slept in it until daylight. I never gave it a lot of thought. It was just there. So it was there again this particular morning. “Oh, it’s the truck,” I thought, “It’s parked there again.”

So I felt fine and kept going until I saw a strange image in front of me. I figured out that it was the silhouette of the trailer part of the log truck. No logs. Just the trailer with those huge spikey rails sticking up. “He’s across the road,” I remember thinking. I did not see a single light on the truck. The entire trailer was stretched across the road. (They later told me that he was backing into the logging area across the road).I slammed on brakes and turned the steering wheel hard to the right hoping to go in the ditch. I could feel my car as if it was sliding and I knew I was wrecking.

It’s hard to explain because it happened so fast, yet it felt like slow motion at the same time. I never heard a collision sound. All I knew was that I was wrecking and the next thing I knew I saw a sheet of shattered glass hanging in front of my face. It wasn’t the whole windshield. Just the part where I was. I guess the rest had fallen into the seat beside me. I guess God kept that windshield off of me.

I felt like I was in a big dark hole and no one was going to find me. I started yelling, “Somebody please help me! Help me! God, please save me!” I just remember yelling this over and over. I thought of the cell phone that I had on my lap and realized it was at my feet. I felt it with my left foot. My right foot was still on the brake. I wanted to call someone to help me. (I wondered why the truck driver never came. I wondered if he was hurt.) I realized I couldn’t lean down to get my phone because of the shattered glass in front of me and my seatbelt. I don’t know how many minutes it was, but I heard the voice of an angel….

I couldn’t see him, but I heard a man’s voice. He told me his name (which I forgot, but was later told it was JG, a neighbor of ours). He said he lived near the church and said that they had some help coming. I told him to call my husband, but I knew he was at work. He couldn’t get him on the phone. I gave him my in-laws’ number and he called them. Then I remember someone saying the fire truck was there. Then two EMS workers came to me. I remember I could wave my hands back and forth. The EMS workers held each of my hands. I felt more calm knowing that help was there.

Then I heard my father-in-law, Doug, calling my name and he climbed into the car from behind me between where the two front seats were. I told him I was scared and he told me I’d be okay and for us to pray. He held my hand and prayed that the Lord would take care of me. I felt a sense of peace come over me that stayed with me through the entire ordeal….

I remember the workers saying that they had to move the truck. (I had gone up under the truck). Next thing I knew, I heard a cranking noise. I thought it was the truck, but later I was told it was the “jaws of life” they used to cut my door off. When that cranked, my seat belt tightened and it was hard to breathe. I told Doug and he yelled for them to give him something to cut it off of me. When he cut the seat belt, it felt better.

These emergency workers are truly life-savers. They employed the skills that they had been taught. They told me they’d have to slide me out the driver’s side feet first. I had to scoot down as they guided my feet. Doug yelled and told them I couldn’t get through. I guess my face was going to hit the dash or whatever was in front of me. They pulled something back. I remember seeing the speedometer hanging on a torn up dashboard. That’s the last I saw of my car.

I remember my feet touching the ground and I was going to stand, but they stopped me from doing that. They strapped me to a board and took me to the ambulance. The workers told me I was one lucky girl and that if my seat had not leaned back, I would’ve been gone. I told them that it was not luck. I told them it was all God and that He had a plan and purpose for me.

They took my stats and things. I remember one worker telling everyone that my blood pressure was better than his. They talked to me and kept me calm. I watched as they cut off my brown leather jacket and they cut my “new” Snoopy pajamas. I explained to them that it was Polar Express day at school. These EMS workers knew how to keep me calm. I still felt that peace that was with me since Doug prayed. I was thanking God inside for saving my life. I knew it was all Him.

I remember the police officer asking me if I had been drinking alcohol and I told him, “No. I’ve never even tasted alcohol.” I’m not sure if he believed that, but it was the truth. (Just another thing God saved me from in my life. I never had a desire for that.)

My mother-in-law rode in the front of the ambulance. They didn’t have the sirens on. They told me I’d probably go home later that day.

I remember them getting me out of the ambulance and taking me through the hospital halls to a room. Dr. D came and introduced himself. He asked what happened. I told him about saying my morning prayers and then what happened with the wreck. He said, “Oh, you do that too?” (in reference to the prayer). He said, “You know, we’re supposed to do that before we leave home.” He said he had read his Bible and said his prayers before he left home. It was so awesome that I had a Christian doctor.

Shortly after, my husband Clint and my parents came in. Clint was upset and grabbed my hand and I told him that I was okay. Dr. D said, “He must love you a lot.” My daddy came over and kissed my forehead. My mama came in too. I remember my brother, Mark, coming and grabbing my hand. My mother-in- law was there. My brother, Hal, and his wife, Linda, came. Everyone was so wonderful to check on me. Several friends came in or were in the waiting room.

Nurses kept telling me that I was covered in glass. They took me for the C/T Scan to check for internal injuries. They had to run the dye into me. I did well with that. I just felt a little flushed in my face, but didn’t get sick as some people do. After this, they took me to the X-ray room to X-ray my shoulder and knee because that’s where I felt some pain, although not a lot. They wheeled me back to my room in the ER. I was still strapped on the board and the back of my head was throbbing. I guess it was rubbing on the board. (We later found scratches on my head).

I also told the nurse I needed to use the restroom, but she told me that I couldn’t come off the board until they had examined the scans and x-rays. It wasn’t long before they let me off of the board and I was able to get up and walk to the restroom. Then I went back to my room. I sat up on the edge of the bed. My preacher and my in-laws’ preacher came in and talked to me and prayed with me.

I asked them to X-ray my wrist, as it had begun to hurt. Later Dr. D came in and explained to me that they scanned my head, abdomen, and pelvis for injuries and found none. They X-rayed my shoulder, knee, and wrist for breaks and found none. The surgeon came in and put 12 stitches in my face near my lower left jawbone. He said it would leave a scar.

I left the hospital around 12:30 pm on that same day. I had lots of glass in my hair and on my body and lots of aching and bruises, but I also had LOTS of joy and thanksgiving in my heart, for my God had saved my life. He isn’t finished with me yet. He has a plan for me.

I pray that I will always seek His will in everything I do. I should not be alive today, but through God’s never-ending mercy and grace, He saw fit to let me live. I want to share my story with the world. God is more powerful than any old log truck. He cares about us and protects us on a daily basis. We don’t always see it, but He does. He just chose to show me in a little more visible way. We need to thank God every day for saving our lives. If we are Christians, the greater miracle is that he has saved our souls. Nothing can take that away.