Where is My Favorite Place to Pray?

Written by Judy Johnson
February 18, 2008

Awhile ago I had a little survey on 'Where is your favorite place to pray?' It was our Deaf high day and we had a small deaf group at the fellowship. In answer to my survey I came across a very interesting story by Dan Pineda.

I will try to remember the story he told me.

'I was still a young man during that time in 95'. My friend that took ASL class invited me and my other few friends to go out and have fun rope swinging from the high branches of Douglas Fir trees. I drove along on highway 26 in my Chevy Blazer with my friends. Then we stopped at one of the parks in the forest. We had fun climbing to the top of the tree, and swinging the rope over the branch. Then we would jump and swing across to another tree with a hanging rope to grab on to and then swing to another tree. It was a lot of fun. We had to be carefully not to fall down because it was a risky sport.

When the day passed on into late afternoon, we folded up the ropes and went back to my car. I drove along at a normal speed up the hill. All of a sudden we came to a "sharp curve" that there are shadow where there's no sun make the black icy road to melt. That's where my Chevy Blazer couldn't stop at the sharp curve black icy road. There was hardly any time to stop. I sent a quick pray to God for protection as I stamped on the brakes. My car slid to a halt slightly half over the edge of the road. The right tire was spinning. All of my friends suddenly panicked. I tried to calm them, and told them if they panicked, then the car will go over the edge. They finally calmed down. With my instruction, each friend crawled out of my side window one by one as I sat silently in fear if I moved, my car and me would have tumbled to my death. At last, the last friend had crawled out, that left me sitting alone. I slowly crawled out of my left side window.

I breathed with relief that I got out alive and well. My friends stood around me as we all realized that a miracle just happening in front of our own eyes. I was puzzled how and why my car had stopped. Then, I went and take a look around my car. There, a tiny cute baby tree, maybe five inches tall in height had stopped my car from sliding over the edge and tumbling to our deaths. I couldn't believe my own eyes. We talked among ourselves, and we even took some pictures to prove it had happened. I had someone flag down a truck, and they tried to pull my car out. It took over an hour to finally pull out the car because the right tire blocked the way to get out until finally the tire was turned, then the car was pulled out safely. We drove home totally silent and so tired but happy to be back home alive.

"That is my story in answer to your survey question about, 'What is my favorite place to pray? ' Really my favorite place is anywhere even in my car. A miracle happened because of my prayer in my car."

Coming to the end of Dan Pineda's story brings goose pimples up my arms.

Edited by AMB