How Was it Possible?

By Jodi Opitz

My husband, Derek, and I were making the three-hour drive from Holbrook Seventh-day Adventist Indian School to Arizona’s capital, Phoenix. I work at Holbrook as registrar and administrative assistant, while Derek is the maintenance assistant. On that Sabbath afternoon, I was driving our jeep, and Derek was taking a nap in the passenger seat.

We were running late. We were headed to Phoenix to listen to a Sabbath-afternoon sermon at a church, but we first needed to pick up my mother so she could go with us.

It rained heavily on and off during the drive. The wet road ran through many mountain ranges, and I navigated many curvy corners. Yet, I was pushing down on the gas pedal. Several cars were also speeding beside us on the road.

About halfway into the trip, our vehicle started to hydroplane. In just seconds the jeep spun 180 degrees around and slammed into a mud hill on one side of the road. Then it rolled onto Derek’s side and slid down the highway backward, stopping about 75 yards (75 meters) from the initial point of impact. Somehow the jeep stopped upright on all four wheels.

Derek and I sat in complete shock. Then Derek struggled to open his door. It wouldn’t budge. It was jammed into the car frame. Derek smelled smoke. Fearing that the vehicle was going to catch on fire, he exclaimed, “We have to get out of here!”

At that moment, my door opened.

“Are you OK?” asked the woman who had opened the door.

The woman had witnessed the entire accident and had stopped to help.

Minutes later, a small crowd of people surrounded our vehicle. They asked whether we had called for a tow truck. We had not but, before we could reply, a tow truck stopped right in front of us. The driver, who owned a towing company, was traveling from a dentist appointment.

“Can I help?” he asked.

Then, without us calling the police, a police officer showed up to direct the steady flow of traffic whizzing past us. His help was much needed because our vehicle, located around a curve and on a downslope, was not clearly visible to the oncoming traffic.

In just minutes our jeep was loaded onto the tow truck and ready to go. We inspected the damage. The jeep had two working wheels and an undamaged hood and roof. Everything else was ruined. The vehicle was totaled.

Derek and I sat in the tow truck, trying to put together the pieces of what had happened. We had intended to take a friend with us to Phoenix that day, but the plan had not worked out. Normally we traveled with our dog, but she wasn’t with us that afternoon. The opposite side of the road, away from the mud hill that we had initially hit, had a steep drop-off. Derek and I had survived the accident with only cuts, sore muscles, and a few bruises.

How was it possible that we had not hit any other cars? How was it possible that we ended right-side up? Why did we not hit the guard rail and plunge down the 100-foot (30-meter) drop-off?

The only possible answer is that God spared our lives. He took care of everything even before we set off on the journey. Later, we learned that three friends and families had felt impressed to pray for us that day. God answered their prayers. Less than an hour after the accident, friends from Holbrook Indian School picked us up and took us home.

Psalm 94:22 says, “But the Lord is my refuge; my God is the rock of my protection” (CEV). God has protected us many times at Holbrook Indian School. We truly thank God for his continual watch over us.

Jodi Opitz and her husband Derek live in Holbrook Arizona. Jodi works at Holbrook as registrar and administrative assistant, while Derek is the maintenance assistant. The couple met at Dakota Adventist Academy in childhood but didn’t reconnect until 15 years later. And then it only took nine months for them to decide that a lifetime together was what they wanted. Today, they are thankful to work side by side serving the Lord, surrounded by beautiful scenery and beautiful people.

World Church Prayer Requests

January 21 - 28, 2022

• Pray for supplies and aid for those whose lives have been destroyed or impacted by the recent volcano in Tonga. Pray for communication channels to be re-established.
• Pray for those around the world that are continuing to struggle due to sickness, lockdowns, loss of jobs, and other challenges related to the ongoing pandemic.
• Pray for the staff and students at Holbrook Indian School to stay strong for Jesus.
• Pray for the Baloch people. The Baloch have a population of 7,380,000 in Pakistan. They are a semi-nomadic people in which there is yet to be a Christian presence. Pray for new channels to open for them to hear of the everlasting gospel.
• Pray for God to raise up more “Daniels” and “Esthers” to stand in the modern day courts who will speak on behalf of Biblical truth.

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