Angels Watching Over Us?

[arrowcreek]

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Spiritual Encounter #7

It was a beautiful spring day in Reno NV. when my youngest son and I got up early to go fishing. We had decided a few days earlier to go fishing at the Stampede Reservoir on his day off from work. In early spring the temperature here in Reno can be in the middle 30's or low 40's, but up at the mountain lakes, it can be 10 to 15 degrees cooler, so we had to take our heavy jackets with us.

As we headed up highway 80 toeing my sons boat and motor behind his big Diesel Truck, you could still see snow back off the highway in the tree line that hadn't melted yet, from all the winter storms, very picturesque. Once you leave the highway you clime up hill to the lake along the little Truckee river.

Stampede Reservoir is a beautiful high Sierra lake, popular with anglers and water sports enthusiasts. The reservoir is situated at an elevation of nearly 6,000 feet, east of Donner Summit and 15 miles northeast of Truckee. Neighbored by Boca Reservoir, Prosser Creek Reservoir, and Donner Lake, Stampede is one of the leading kokanee salmon fishing lakes in the West, also plenty of brown, mackinaw, and rainbow trout.

After arriving at the lake we headed to the boat ramp and launched the boat in the cold clear mountain water, anxious to start catching fish. We headed for the lake dam and spillway, slowly trolling and fishing on the way. We soon found out that fishing was slow, we had some hits but managed to land one in the boat, but released it back to the lake, since we had caught nothing all morning.

It was round noon we decided to call it a day, and head back to the boat dock, the sun and the cool air was very pleasant, the snow lined banks of the lake and the tall Pine Trees was very quaint. As we neared the boat dock and slowed down, I was preparing to take the boat rope and tie us off, so my son could go get the truck and boat trailer, when this happened.

I was standing in the boat up front, with the rope in my hand, as we came in contact with the dock, I placed my right foot on the boat top rail and the left foot on the dock, I must of pushed the boat backward as I was trying to get on the dock, as the boat moved my right foot slipped off the top rail and I fell backward hitting the right-side of my face on the boat rail, knocking me out for a moment, until I hit the icy cold lake water.

I woke up struggling to stay on top of the water, but my heavy winter jacket and pants was socking wet, and no life jacket on, I was in big trouble, to stay afloat. My body felt like a big lead weight hard to move, there was a strong under current pulling me downward, it was like someone had a hold of my legs pulling me down, as my head went under the water, all of a sudden some thing pulled me back up.

I want you to know this was all happening to me very quickly, it seems like time stops, when you loose consciousness, and then wake-up. What happened was this, a man happened to be standing there close enough to reach down and grab the collar of my jacket as I was being pulled under by the swirling lake under current.

He helped me get up on the dock, I had to shed my heavy wet clothing to keep from freezing. I don't know how cold the water was but there was ice along the lake shore earlier that morning. My son had something in the truck to place over me like a tarp or blanket to keep the cool air off me as I was standing there in my underwear shivering.

I thanked this man for helping me, and being there to grab hold of my jacket when he did, he said he was glad to be in the right spot, at the right time on that dock, where he could help me. I was able to get to a restroom close by and clean up a little. When my face hit the boat rail it knock off my glasses and put a deep cut above my upper lip that would require stitches, also knocking out 5 of my upper front teeth, requiring my Dentist to replace them with porcelain caps.

I wasn't in that restroom very long, but the thought came to me, I would not be alive if this man had not been there, so I went outside looking for him, not knowing anything about him, his name where he lived, why was he there, was he fishing, and I wanted to thank him one more time for what he did for me, he was gone no where to be found and seen again.

All of this took place in 2006 just ten years ago, about this same time of the year. I can't thank the Lord enough for being there when these life threatening events took place with me. I have a few more events where these spiritual encounters took place, but these 7 are the ones that standout in my memories the most.

God Bless

[carol b]

Thank you for sharing your stories. My stories are of times not life-threatening. They are my flat tire stories. Every time I have had a flat tire or a broken fan belt or similar situation, immediately someone comes along to help me. Twice it was my own brother who was supposed to be in another county. My transmission failed directly in front of a transmission garage. Another breakdown was directly in front of my daughter's best friend's business. I had another incident on the interstate on the day I had forgotten my phone. Got help from a former student who I hadn't seen in twenty years. The Lord will provide.