A short while ago my wife and I were hiking in the Arches National Park in Utah, traversing the 8+ km trail known as “The Devil’s Garden.” At one point we approached one of the many rocks formed “arches” for which the park is famous. This one was a bit unique because you could actually walk right through it.
I had just walked through the arch and was admiring the spectacular view on the other side, when I heard a noise just behind me. I turned and looked and saw that an older lady had slipped and fallen. I quickly ran to assist her, arriving just before her husband also came to her aid. As we tried to help her up, it became apparent that she had injured herself badly. I immediately called out to my wife, who is a registered nurse, and told the couple “You’re in luck, my wife is a nurse.”
My wife, Paulette, came over and first she instructed us as to the proper way to lift the lady. With her guidance we were able to get her up and seated in a more comfortable position. However, it quickly became apparent that there was no way she was going to be able to walk by herself, not even just to walk back to the trailhead and parking lot. To make matters worse, neither of us had any viable signal on our cell phones.
As we did not have an emergency kit with us, my wife was very limited in what she could do in this situation. So she left to hike back out towards the trailhead to see if she could get a phone signal and call for help. A little while later she returned and said that help was on the way.
The first person who showed up was a park ranger who had little medical training but did have a small emergency medical kit. With those limited supplies Paulette was able to make the lady who was injured more comfortable. The ranger also was able to use her radio to call for more qualified personnel.
While we were waiting for the other help to arrive, I felt the urge to offer to pray for her. But before I could get to that, she asked us “Are you Christians?” Turns out they were long time believers; in fact, she was actually a Pastor’s daughter.” Needless to say, prayer followed quickly after.
Eventually a team of paramedics showed up with much more advanced medical equipment. Even then they relied a lot on Paulette to assist them in treating the lady.
She was eventually put on a mobile stretcher and the was carried out to the trail head where an ambulance was waiting. We exchanged contact information with them and before we parted the husband looked at me with tears in his eyes and said “I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t come along.”
We have kept in touch with them ever since. It is truly amazing that God would bring a nurse, all the way from Canada to Utah, and we would “just happen” to be on the same trail at that exact time, to be able to render critical assistance to this lady!
Rev. Baker, May 2024
Burnaby Christian Pentecostal Church 