Bad Accident, Perfect Timing
Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to be going right? That was our trip home from Phoenix, Arizona. The family had a wonderful time at the GYC (Generation of Youth for Christ) meetings held at the Phoenix Convention Center December 28-January 1. And we had a great time going to GYC, stopping along the way at Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon National Parks. (You can ask the children about their experience hiking the Bright Angel Trail at Grand Canyon). But going home was another story.
Phoenix had been overcast the whole time we were there, and there was some light rain when we headed out of Phoenix for Missouri. As we headed out, following the GPS, we headed up the mountains to the north and then started heading east. But, strangely, our trip duration (18.5 hours) didn’t decrease after driving for about 2 hours (If your trip begins as 18.5 hours, after driving for 2 hours, it should be 16.5 hours, but it was still saying 18.5 hours). We eventually hit a long line of traffic that was not moving very fast. We could see that it only extended about a mile and then was clear after that, so we waited, and waited. Eventually, we got the idea that the line would move forward when people pulled out of the line and turned around. And that’s what we eventually did, too.
Cell signal was minimal, but I got enough service to see that we needed to backtrack a little and head further north so we could reach I-40 and then head east toward home. So, that is what we did. As we got higher into the mountains, though, the rain turned to snow. Everyone liked the snow-covered scenery, but with a 2-wheel-drive, 15-passenger van without snow tires or chains, it was a little concerning. Then we hit more traffic. It was stop and go for a while, until we got to the police officer. He was weeding out the vehicles. He asked us if we have 4-wheel or all-wheel-drive, and we said, “No.” So he said, “Turn around!” Ugh. Another dead end and delay.
Now, we had been driving for 3+ hours and hadn’t made much progress. So, we turned around and headed south. We stopped at a town we had driven through to get some food and water. We had to run into the store because of the heavy rain, but when we came out, we were running through heavy snow with about 2 inches of accumulation on the parking lot already! We tried a different GPS, and it told us the first route we tried only had a 23-minute delay, so we decided to go that way again. But as we got toward the traffic, there was a sign saying the road was closed ahead, and to choose an alternative route. So, turning around again, we headed back to the town, now blanked in snow, and headed south (We found out there had been a landslide with the rain that closed the road).
We found another route east that didn’t require us going all the way south to Phoenix and decided to take it. But we missed the turn because the GPS’s volume was somehow turned off. By the time we got to the road we wanted, we had been on the road about 5 hours and made zero impact on our travel time. We still had about 19 hours to go, according to our GPS. But this road was lower in elevation, didn’t have snow on it, and there was no indications of road closures that we could tell. So, on we went.
Eventually, however, the road started heading up into the mountains (in the dark), and we were alternately in the snow, out of the snow, in the snow, and out of the snow. With the delay, there was no way we could stop for the night, because we had to get back to Missouri in time for our daughter and her friend to catch a flight back to Alabama. And I was wondering what purpose God had in the delay. There had to be something. And then we found out why we had been delayed….
As we were driving up a 2-lane, mountain road behind two other vehicles, a car passed us going the opposite direction. Almost immediately beside us, we heard a loud “Bang!” All three vehicles stopped and turned around to see what had happened with the car. As we drove back toward the accident, we noticed pieces of rock scattered over the road, but there was no vehicle. So, we kept driving to see if we could find it. After driving for a little while, we realized that the vehicle must have gone off the road, so we turned around and started driving back in our original direction. That’s when we saw the vehicle down an embankment.
There was already a woman calling 9-1-1 to report the accident, while her husband and son were climbing over a barbed wire fence to go down to see if they could help. The woman asked what mile marker we were at so she could tell emergency services where to come, and our oldest daughter told her exactly what mile marker we just passed (She told us later that she doesn’t ever pay attention to mile markers, but at that moment, her attention was drawn to one to explain to her youngest sister how emergency crews can find people when they have accidents). We pulled off the side of the road, and my son and I went down the muddy embankment to see how we could help.
As we got close to the car, the driver was having a seizure and was momentarily unresponsive while still restrained in the driver’s seat. Her vehicle (as you can see from the picture), was facing down hill. She came to and started responding to us shortly after we arrived, and we discovered that her right lower leg was broken and bleeding, but not significantly. The best we could do was comfort her and encourage her as we waited for emergency services to arrive. It was about an hour in the rain/snow and mud before the fire department came and was able to cut her out of the car and get her up the muddy embankment.
We now knew why we had encountered landslides, snowy roads closed to 2wd vehicles, missed turns, and were over 5 hours behind our travel plans. It was so that we could be at the exact right spot at the exact right time to help this woman. We knew of the accident, and we still had a hard time finding her. If no one was around when she had her accident, no one would have found her for a long time, and it is quite possible she could have died down there. Praise God for His timing!
For the rest of the night, we were confronted with snowy and sometimes icy roads as we continued our journey home. But all thanks to God, 27 hours after starting an 18.5-hour trip, we arrived safely at home.
We have found out that the woman did make it to the hospital and had surgery on her leg. Unfortunately, her small dog that was with her in the accident didn’t make it. We hope to be able to get her contact information and send her a care package with comforting truth for these days, so that she can not only be helped out of a terrible accident and muddy pit to physical healing in a hospital, but that she might also be helped out of the terrible results of sin’s muddy pit and receive complete renewal for heaven.
It was a bad accident, but the timing was perfect!
Prayer Team
If you would like to be a part of our PRAYER TEAM, please send your name and email address to [email protected] and we will add you to our team. We are grateful for all who have volunteered and are always looking for more prayer warriors.
Ministry Updates
New Paradigm Camp Meeting!
We are going to have our first ever New Paradigm Camp Meeting September 20-24, 2023, at our property in Cabool, Missouri. More information will come as the details are finalized but keep those dates in your calendar. We will be focusing on mental/spiritual health, practical agriculture, and natural remedies this year. Plan to attend!
Group SessionsMonday evening group sessions will resume tomorrow from 6:30-8:30pm Central Time on Zoom. The link for each meeting is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87592054012, which will be the same link for every group session. If you can’t join the meetings in person, you can watch them later on our YouTube channel HERE.
Lessons From Covid
Lessons From Covid is a 11-part series that Dr. Sandoval developed to look at what happened in the Covid pandemic from a scriptural standpoint. The 17 lessons outlined in these 11 presentations are important for us today as we consider other infections, future epidemics or pandemics, vaccine mandates, and other coercive measures of enforcement that will recur in the future and how we are to relate to these things from a scriptural standpoint. Lessons From Covid is now available in HD on flash drive, with 9 hours of video, 11 presentations, and all the PowerPoint slides and PDF files for the entire series—all for only $45 (with free shipping in the US). To order yours, please email us at [email protected].
Counseling or Health Consultations
If you are struggling with personal, relationship, or health challenges, we are available to counsel with you. Virtual appointments can be scheduled through our website at https://npmin.org/appointments
Scheduling Seminars
If you would like to schedule Dr. Sandoval to speak for your church or community, you can contact us at [email protected]. Schedule soon, because he is already booked through 2023 and is taking appointments beginning in April, 2024.
Upcoming Events
2023
January 13-14
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking at the Pearland International SDA Church in Pearland, Texas.
January 17-22
We will have a booth at the Adventist Agricultural Association’s annual meeting in Glen Rose, Texas, and would love to see you there.
January 23-28
Dr. Sandoval will be presenting a week of prayer at Eden Valley Institute in Loveland, Colorado.
March 17-19
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking at Oklahoma Academy for a health/mental health weekend.
April 14-16
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking at the SDA Church in Augusta, Georgia.
April 28-30
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking at the SDA Church in Bowling Green, Ohio.
May 11-12
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking for Wildwood Health Retreat’s Diabetes Seminar in Wildwood, Georgia.
May 20-21
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking at the SDA church in Landsdale, Pennsylvania.
June 16-18
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking for the Amity SDA Church in Amity, Arkansas.
June 28-July 2
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking at the Red River Camp Meeting in Stanton, Kentucky.
July 14-16
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking at the Hot Springs, SDA Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
July 24-30
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking for the Family Camp in Pearland, Texas.
August 2-5
We plan to have a booth at the international ASI convention in Kansas City, so come see us.
August 30 – September 2
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking at the MEET Ministry camp meeting in Huntingdon, Tennessee.
September 20-24
Plan to join us in Cabool, Missouri for our first New Paradigm Ministries camp meeting!
September 28-30
New Paradigm Ministries plans to join the North American Outpost Centers International leadership retreat in Rapidan, Virginia.
October 13-15
Dr. Sandoval will be speaking for the Orange City/Debary SDA Church in Debary, Florida.
November
Dr. Sandoval plans to be in Brazil promoting the Law of Life book, which has been translated into Portuguese.
Donate
If the Lord is laying it upon your heart to support the work of New Paradigm Ministries financially, we would be most appreciative. Your tax-deductible donations can be given via check to:
New Paradigm Ministries
Cabool, MO 65689
14527 Berry Rd.
Or you can donate on our website HERE.