De Moines, Iowa
I found my way to Christ the day my brother nearly lost his life in a strange accident. But, the circumstances of Joe's near second floor fall cause me to become a true believer in Christ, and today we both share the Lord's wondrous love and salvation. At the time I wasn't really a church goer, I did believe in God and Jesus, and I agreed that Christmas was slowly becoming a holiday of gift giving with no Christ in it. I just couldn't see any good reason to daily pray to God or Jesus. I raised my kids to believe in Jesus as real. But, religious studies, even the light Jesus schooling during the summer vacations, I didn't feel was necessary. I couldn't see any missing parts, and had nothing to complain about at all in life. Jesus was just the talk we all did.
But, I remember clearly what happened the morning Joe, my brother, nearly fell 200 feet to his death. I had no idea when I arrived in the parking lot of our family's small printing business that I would find him suspended from an electrical cord 200 feet above from the floor below. The memories of that morning still flood my thoughts, and I shake all over at the thought of my brother hanging on for his life by the insides of broken piece of plaster wall.
I had to push my way through the door as it was against the jamb, and inside something was blocking it from opening all the way. The upper floor of the building had fallen down. All of the small printing equipment was piled on top of a pile of wooden flooring and the upper room's plaster walls. I couldn't believe what I saw and started yelling out for someone who might be in there. "Joe!" I screamed out. Digging my way through the rubble, I couldn't get to the back of the office and stood calling inside of the collapsed room. Cupping my hands, I tried yelling again into the demolished space, "Joe, you here boy? You in here?" I couldn't see anything in front of me. Looking around I finally turned to look up. The hole in the ceiling still had falling debris from the collapse, and I tried to yell above the smashing plaster hitting the already huge pile below. I thought I heard something upward and tried yelling at the sound, " Joe, where are... you?" Pushing the powdery smoke away from my eyes I looked again into the falling ceiling and saw Joe's body hanging through the hole 200 feet from the floor below by an electrical cord that had survived the crash above. Just dangling in mid-air holding on to a still active, silver metal coated electrical cord my brother hung on for dear life. Gasping in fear, I scrambled forward and called up at him, "Joe, hold on." More plaster slide at my yelling, and the echoes of my streak sounded around the hole in the floor. Panicked and lowering my tone, and finished in respect to the falling plaster, "I'll run to turn the power off. I'll get the fire department on the phone. Just hold on...and, don't move!"
Shaking, I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and pressed 911. "Please help! I don't know how long he has been there, and..." I lost my composure and started shaking so vigorously I wasn't able to speak clearly any longer. "Joe, I called them, I stammered. " The..fi..fir is on th..e..ir way" I could hear him mumble something and give a short laugh. Watching up at the damaged space, Joe just continued looking up at the flooring and cable he was holding on to. Again, I heard him chuckle. The sounds came down lightly to me while I stood on top pf the pile of rubble just below his hanging body. My mind cleared to the sound of his chuckle, and I began to calm down.
Within minutes the fire department arrived with sirens blaring. Jumping down the pile, I ran out and in front of the first truck waving to the firemen inside. "Please hurry, my brother is hanging from the ceiling on a wire that's been pulled from the wall in the fall. The floor fell through from the second story overhead."
Within seconds two ladders were pulled out and standing against the upper part of the flooring that was still attached. Three fireman held Joe by his waist and got his feet on one of the ladder's rung. Whispering soft prayers and thanking Jesus, I stood looking at our little shop upper story and the firemen as they all worked to get the scene under control.
An hour passed while Joe and I sat outside away from the falling plaster silt. Pulling him self together, he quietly began to talk. Shaking his head a little he deeply expressed his thanks me, "Walter you held on to me until the firemen came. All my strength to hold one came from you. I'll remember always that you held me." Catching his breathe he stammered and added, "All I saw was your two hands reach down and hold on to my wrists...I was about to pass out from the stress." Joe shook has head again and continued saying, "I heard your whispers "come on stay with me...hold on." I just stared at your face thinking what a wonderful brother you are. "And, hey," Joe laughed a little and added, " you sure can look a little different when hanging 200 feet above the floor."
I broke into Joe's passionate words and said, "Joe," I stalled, "I was never up there." Shaking my head back and forth, I pleaded my case, "I never got pass the rubble. I could only stand on top of the pile."
Stunned, he turned his head around to look back into the shop and up at the ceiling.
"I got here about 20 minutes before the fire department arrived. I could only yell up at you."
"Well, someone...!" Joe shouted. I could see he was quizzing himself again, but he finished telling me that someone held on to him. Still caught by what I said, he sat quietly holding onto the bag of ice the fireman had given him.
Jesus became my savior that day. I turned my life to the Lord that day. I watched my brother hang from that silver cord, laughing and encouraging me that everything was fine. A man was standing on the remainder of the collapsed floor encouraging him to grip that round cord while he held his hands by the wrists telling him the fire department was on the way. Between Joe's near death and who Joe saw up there with, I knew Jesus had come to save my brother's life. And, my life, as Joe's is now, filled with the Holy Spirit and abundant in the grace and love of God. Praise God and all my love to the Lord. I bow my head to Jesus every time I remember that day and how it looked in the shop that day, Thank you Jesus...thank you Lord for saving us.
June, 2010
