Testimony of Healing January 18, 2010 Issue

SAVED FROM UNDERWATER DANGER

GARDNER FOGG

When I was in college, I wanted to have a practical and conscious understanding of God's presence in my life. One of the ways I developed this conscious presence was by listening, moment-by-moment, to discern what God would have me do. This practice reduced the "noise of life" and gave me a calm confidence that I was on a sound track. I felt secure in listening and then following the direction I would receive.

During this time, I was studying to be a marine engineer, which meant I went on yearly training cruises with other maritime cadets. Our ship had a pool, and during free time we loved to engage in "Jungle Water Polo" (admittedly a dangerous version of water polo, with no rules). Because I had an ability to hold my breath for a long time, my role was to clear a path to the goal by pulling opponents down to the bottom of the pool.

During one of these sessions, I'd been underwater for several minutes and was in dire need of a breath of air. I started to rise to the surface for much needed oxygen, but just as I was reaching the surface, a cadet jumped into the pool and landed square on my head, knocking the air out of my lungs and paralyzing me. Sinking to the bottom of the pool, I was unable to move, and for whatever reason, the other cadets didn't notice. I knew that I had to force myself not to gasp for air while I was under the water, but that was as far as human logic got me. As I lay there alone, unable to move and on the verge of passing out, I instinctively reached out to God for what my next move would be.

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