Saved at Sea

If a man were drowning in mid ocean with apparently no human help at
hand, there is a law of God which when rightly appealed to, would bring
about his rescue. Adam H. Dickey God's Law of Adjustment

Undisturbed amid the jarring testimony of the material senses, Science,
still enthroned, is unfolding to mortals the immutable, harmonious,
divine Principle is unfolding Life and the universe, ever present and
eternal. Mary Baker Eddy Science & Health with Key To the Scriptures

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of
the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold
me. Psalms 139

Our son was asked by friends to join them for a Sunday lunch at a
waterside restaurant in a coastal town just north of us on the Gulf
Coast. He told them that he would try to make it if his schedule
allowed, but there was a possibility that he would not be able to
attend. This is why his friends did not alert anyone when my son did not
arrive for lunch.

He did set off for the restaurant and friends around 12:30 p.m. that
Sunday, using the family boat. He did not tell anyone of his plans,
thinking that he would be back in a few hours.

The only route took him directly out into the Gulf of Mexico. He
traveled about a mile offshore, parallel to the coast. Halfway between
our town and his destination, the gear shaft exploded, sending a metal
rod through the casing and into the water. The propeller halted and so
did the boat.

He let down the anchor, put on his ski vest, and got into the water to
check the propeller. The anchor broke away from the boat and the boat
quickly drifted away from him. With 30 knot offshore winds, and a tide
going out to sea, he was unable to swim fast enough to catch the boat or
swim strongly enough to reach shore. Within minutes he found himself
drifting out to sea. This was approximately 2:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon.


Later that evening, I mentioned to my husband that I had an uneasy
feeling concerning our son. Of course we corrected our thought with
truths about God and man. But, around 2:00 a.m. I was awakened with an
overpowering sense of danger concerning our son. I immediately drove to
his apartment, but found he was not home. I returned to my home, and my
husband and I worked with the lesson until dawn. It became very clear
to me to check the boat which we docked at a local marina.

We found our son's motorcycle at our boat slip, and the boat was indeed
gone. We were told by a marina employee that our son was seen leaving
in the boat the day before about 12:30 p.m.

The Coast Guard was called and the search for my son began. I must admit
that human will took hold at first. My husband and a friend took our
small plane and scoured the coastline. Many friends used their boats to
search. Of course, the Coast Guard was on the job, and soon the Marine
Patrol, and many of the County's Sheriff Deputies and City Police were
on the water.

But we had no idea where to look. My son's friends, who had not heard
from him, decided that his schedule did not allow him to join them for
lunch that Sunday. They, of course saw no reason to alert anyone about
my son's absence from their luncheon.

By this time our son had drifted beyond sight of land wearing only swim
trunks and a ski vest that was absorbing a great deal of water. During
the first few hours in the water, he was stung numerous times by
man-o-wars that were too large to push away. As the sun set, he noticed
that sharks were encircling him, braving an occasional side swipe. Just
before he was in total darkness, he told us that he cried out very
loudly, God, help me. Almost immediately, he saw four dolphin swimming
around him, bumping him, making clicking and squeaking sounds. He
watched as they protected him from the sharks. The water was cold and he
was fighting hyperthermia and the effects of the scores of jelly fish
stings. As he began to lose consciousness, the dolphin pushed him and
touched him, making sounds to arouse him. This happened numerous times
during the course of the night. Nothing else in the water came near him
that night. The dolphin that joined him at sunset that night, never
left his side until after sunrise the next day.

The true testing time came that morning. The coast guard called us to
inform us that our boat was found 10 miles out to sea and that our son
was not on it. They expressed concern that a person could survive in
the shark infested, cold waters. They said that they would search for a
few hours longer, but they could not offer hope considering the
circumstances. They said that they had never recovered a person in
similar situations.

I immediately called a practitioner, and she went to work right away. I
sent word to my husband to come home. I knew that we needed to turn
completely from this picture and rely radically on God's care for our
son. I struggled at first to even physically sit down and quiet my
thought. Our son was beyond human help, and I had to see that he was
not, nor never had been beyond God's help. I had to see that nothing in
this material world was needed to save him. God already had him safe
and sound. We spent the next hours holding to what Mrs. Eddy says on
page 167 in Science and Health, ?Only through radical reliance on Truth
can scientific healing power be realized.? We had to give up all sense
of our son being separated from God. We were led to keep our prayerful
work simple in face of the material tumult - Yes to God's love and
complete control, No to the lie of failure and death.

I spoke with the practitioner every 20 minutes or so. She lovingly and
firmly affirmed our son's innocence and safety, not in the future, but
right NOW.

Late in the afternoon we received a call that said our son had been
found, unconscious, but alive, and was being transported to a nearby
hospital.

We cried tears of joy as we drove to the hospital. The doctors met us
at the door and informed us that they were doing everything they could
to save his life. If they did save his life, there would be a long
hospital stay. These statements made absolutely no impact on me what so
ever. I knew that with the practitioner's help...the work was done.
The demonstration of man as God's child had been made. I was taken to
my son in the emergency room while my husband and daughter waited in a
family room. The only part of my son's body not covered with wires and
tubes and bandages was his face which I kissed, though he was not fully
coherent. The whole picture had absolutely no reality for me.

At that point, our family knew that our son would be coming home with us
that day. We made no demands, nor did we speculate as to the recovery
time. We just stayed with the truth of perfect God and perfect man. I
was rejoicing beyond words at what we had witnessed of God's love. I
know we all felt that where we stood was indeed holy ground.

In about an hour and a half, the doctor took my son off monitors and
tubes. They removed all of the applications they had made to save his
life. The swelling and discoloration from the jellyfish stings which
had disfigured his whole body simply disappeared. All of the organs
that were at risk due to the claim of hyperthermia began to function
perfectly. All of his strength returned, and he dressed himself,
thanked the hospital staff for their care and walked out of the hospital
on foot. The attending nurses and doctors were in awe. Most of the
nurses were crying, and even one of the doctors cried as they hugged our
son goodbye. The entire emergency room was hushed as they watched him
walk out the door.

The next day, I contacted the couple that had found our son. We wished
to see them in person and thank them. My husband and my son and I went
to their home that night. During that visit, we were told about that
remarkable day. The husband and his wife, together with another couple
were fishing in a pass late that morning. They were catching quite a
few fish, but suddenly the husband felt absolutely compelled to take the
boat far out to sea. His wife and the other couple were concerned about
what seemed to be erratic behavior on his part. They argued against
going into the Gulf, which was rough that day. They saw no reason,
either, for leaving a perfectly good fishing spot. As the husband was
taking them far out to sea, and would not listen to their protests, they
began demanding that he turn back. The wife added that she felt he
might be having some mental problem. He refused to turn back, and kept
telling everyone that he HAD to do this. Suddenly, when they were
almost beyond sight of land, the husband saw our son as a little dot on
the horizon, floating, and unconscious. The others on the boat did not
see him until they pulled much closer. They pulled him out of the water
and hurried back to the marina, calling the authorities on their radio
as they returned.

During our visit, the husband cried often and said his life would never
be the same. He said that he truly heard God's command to save the
boy's life. He told me as best as I can remember, "I have been tithing
all my life. I have always turned to God all my life. I have spoken to
Him all my life. Yesterday He spoke to me, clearly. It was almost
audible. From now on, I will stop talking and listen." We learned
later that the closest human aid at the time of the rescue was at least
3 hours away.

This wonderful demonstration of God's protection and care actually was
on-going. We were barraged by the media for about a week after the
rescue. Many TV talk shows called us. HBO wanted to do a story about
it. We were able to quietly decline all offers with no protests. One
person told me that this was a story about faith answered, hope
realized, and that people need to see that miracles still do happen.
Everyone who had a part in the search, from the Coast Guard to the
doctors all used the term miracle.

Our son has had no effects from this experience. He is still an avid
boater and swimmer.

We are grateful for this beautiful demonstration of God's love and care,
to Jesus Christ for showing us the way. We are grateful for Mrs. Eddy's
gift to humanity. We are grateful for all practitioners' healing work.

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of
the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall
hold me.

-confirmed by Mrs. Lona Ingwerson, CS
The mother prefers to remain anonymous.