Marcia Murphy: It was going to be a day of pure fun because I just loved canoeing. Besides, I was going to be with friends from school. When we got to the river, we divided up into groups. I was in the passenger seat, with two boys paddling.

Edward Berhorst: I was steering our canoe. The river was high that day. We came to a bend in the river, and we couldn't quite tell where to go. Straight ahead didn't seem quite right, but there wasn't any other way. Before we knew it, we were moving faster and couldn't seem to get the canoe to slow down.

Marcia: All of a sudden there was a big tree barring the way. We hit it, and then we all fell out. We all thought getting wet would be fun. But the current was very strong, and I was frightened when I found I couldn't stand up.

Ed: I began to laugh at the thought of all of us getting wet, but I soon found myself crying to God when the canoe lodged itself upside down under the tree, and when I didn't have the strength to swim against the current. Then another canoe, which had been right on our tail, hit our overturned canoe. I finally got ashore. I was shaking with fright but grateful to come out of it with only cuts and scratches. I felt the closest to God I have ever felt. Suddenly we realized that Marcia was missing—but where was she?

Marcia: The next thing I knew, I was trapped on my back under our canoe. It was stony on the bottom where I lay, and the canoe gunwale pinned me at the waist. I tried desperately to reach the top, but no matter how I tried to lift the canoe, it wouldn't budge. Then I thought, "Marcia, do you realize that you might die if you don't get out of this mess?" I really can't believe how fast I counteracted that thought with the truth that I had learned as a Christian Scientist. I immediately realized that the thought of dying was ridiculous, because God was my Life and my protector. That thought, "God is my Life," came to me so strongly that I knew I would be saved. I just knew it. I felt no panic or fear. I thought of how I shouldn't swallow any water, but then I had to or I would just burst. So I breathed out and inhaled water and passed out.

Ed: We called for Marcia and searched up and down the stream. Finally we listened for God's intelligent direction. We realized that Marcia had been trapped under one of the two canoes that were jammed up against the log. We tugged on one canoe, praying to God. It wasn't silent prayer by any means. I think you could have heard it for miles. We declared God's allness and goodness. We tried to see that a disaster just can't befall a child of God. Finally we got one canoe out from under the log but found nothing. We knew time was running short. We had about six people working to get the second canoe out. It seemed impossible. The current was so strong, and we were getting tired. By this time other canoes had pulled to shore, and because most of the people were Christian Scientists, you could feel the support they were giving.

We knew that man is the reflection of eternal Life, that God protected all His children and He would guide us. Guide us He did, for we all tugged and pulled once more, and out came the stubborn canoe. Through the cloudy water I saw a light object about the size of a person. To reach the girl seemed almost impossible. The current was forcing me down and back. It was the strength of God alone that enabled me to reach her and pull her near the shore.

Walter Bigley: Ours was the canoe that came down on top of the one Marcia was in. I'm not a Christian Scientist. When I got to Marcia, she was unconscious, not breathing—swollen and blue. I would say she had been completely submerged seven or eight minutes. It looked like a pretty serious situation.

Ed: I turned to God in a hurry. The thing that came to mind was that God is Life. Mrs. Eddy says, "Wisdom in human action begins with what is nearest right under the circumstances, and thence achieves the absolute." ^{Miscellaneous Writings, p. 288;} Although I wasn't quite sure how to do it, I began to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, feeling this was the correct thing to do. After a lot of prayer on our part she began breathing.

Roger Wold: I felt that someone should declare the truth aloud directly to Marcia even though she was unconscious. So, I repeated "the scientific statement of being" from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy with its wonderful assurance that "Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness." ^{Science and Health, p. 468;} I told her that she was a spiritual idea, the image and likeness of God, and that God was her ever-continuing Life. I told her that she was surrounded by Love and had nothing to fear. After several minutes she began breathing on her own. We then lifted her up onto the riverbank.

I asked her to acknowledge that she could hear me and that she knew my statements were true. She did. I assured her that all was well, that her real status as a child of God had never been invaded and so she couldn't slip backwards or have any aftereffects. She began to breathe much more freely.

Walter: The timing was amazing. The right person to do the right thing just seemed to be there. If this had not been true, the end could have been entirely different. As far as I'm concerned, the recovery of that girl was a miracle.

Marcia: The only injuries I received from the experience were minor bruises and cuts. But that evening at home when someone ran the bath water, I felt all the blood rush from my face, and it was as if I were going to faint. Then I said to myself, "This is ridiculous. I have never been afraid of water, and I am not going to start now," and that was the end of that reaction. Since then I have gone canoeing, sailing, and swimming with absolutely no qualms. I just passed my senior lifesaving successfully. Since God is with me and I am with God, there is nothing to fear. As it says in the Bible, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, ... nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." ^{Rom. 8:38, 39.}

Ed: To everyone involved in this experience, God was very close. From now on I will never hesitate to trust God. I won't doubt for a moment that God is an ever-present help.

Marcia: I'm so grateful for all the people on the canoe trip who refused to believe what the physical senses were telling them about the situation. I'm glad they stayed with the truth of my being.