Despite doing something very foolish one day last summer, God didn’t send me just one miracle that day, He sent me two. The power of prayer and the priesthood saved me from myself.
It was June 14, 2020. My family had just returned home from a trip to Utah. Before we left, I had parked my work truck in front of the house, which I had never done before. When we got home my wife, Brenda, asked me to move my truck.
I started the truck and tried to put it into reverse, but it wouldn’t go into gear. The first thing I did wrong was to crawl under the truck while it was still running. When I got under the truck, I noticed that someone put bailing wire on the linkage because it must have come apart from the rod, and now it had come apart again. The really foolish thing I did, though, was trying to attach the rod to the linkage with the truck still running. It was a rookie move that I would soon regret. As I tried to connect the two, I accidentally pulled the linkage and put the truck into reverse. I immediately saw what I had done and, in a panic, tried to put the truck back into park, but instead, put it into drive.
The consequence of that mistake was instantaneous. With the truck now in drive, it started to move forward and before I could get my body out of the way, the driver side back tire rolled over my right foot, now pinning me. Even though my nickname is “Bull,” I was no match against the weight of this truck. The tire proceeded to roll up the right side of my body with the full weight of this 8,500 lb. truck crushing every part of my body that it rolled over – my foot, my ankle, my leg, my ribs. I was screaming in pain. The tire had gotten chest high and would be crushing my head in a matter of seconds. At that moment, I cried out to God in a desperate prayer for Him to get this truck off me. As soon as I uttered that prayer, I managed to get the palm of my right hand under the tire and, almost effortlessly, lifted the truck and threw it to my left side. It was not my own adrenaline nor my own strength, but it was God’s angels lifting that truck off my body. Now my left arm was in the way of the tire, and it rolled up and then off my left arm. Better my arm than my head. The truck finally came to a stop when it hit the front porch.
Unbeknownst to me my daughter, Nevaeh, had heard my screams and saw the truck driving over me. Thinking the truck was in neutral she tried to stop the truck from continuing its forward momentum. She barely escaped injury herself as she got out of the way of the truck just before it would have pinned her against the porch.
With the truck stopped, I was laying on the ground in agonizing pain. I was not able to get up. I could barely move, and my breathing was labored. I couldn’t feel my right leg, nor could I move it. I couldn’t even wiggle my toes. I knew I was in bad shape – my right leg and ribs were most likely broken, and I probably had internal bleeding. Nevaeh was immediately on the phone to my brother, Odie. She told him to come quickly and to bring the missionaries.
My family are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have been a member all my life. I am the Branch President of the Escrito, NM branch, which is in a very rural part of New Mexico. There are no hospitals or doctors within a 60-mile radius of where I live. I hold the priesthood of God, as do my brother and the missionaries. I knew if anyone could heal me at that time, they could.
As I was waiting for Odie and the missionaries to come, my friend Dave and his wife came to our house, not knowing of the accident that had just happened. They were bringing a horse for me and my two daughters to train. Dave told me later that he had taken one look at me and knew that I wasn’t going to make it. He had seen someone else who had sustained similar injuries from a truck rolling over them, and that man had died.
Odie quickly arrived with the two missionaries who were serving in our branch, Elder Sorensen and Elder Western. These two young missionaries were just a year or two out of high school. I was still on the ground, now fighting for every breath. They had to kneel to administer the blessing. Before the blessing, I looked at the two Elders and told them that if they didn’t have the faith to heal me then to step away. They both assured me that they had the faith to heal me. “We have faith, President.” As young as they were and as bad as the situation was, I was impressed with their faith and their demeanor. They stayed calm and performed their priesthood duties as authorized representatives of Jesus Christ.
Elder Sorensen anointed me with consecrated oil. With their hands on my head, Odie then sealed the anointing and pronounced the blessing. He told me that I would be healed and would continue in my journey in mortality; that I still had work to accomplish. He told me that I needed to keep my head clear and focus on what the Lord needs me to do, even with the outcome of the accident. He told me that I would be able to walk again and be able to breathe with ease. He ended “in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” Everyone present then uttered the word, “Amen.”
With this priesthood blessing completed, my brother and the Elders stood up. Immediately, it felt like scalding water was poured over the top of my head. I could feel this intense heat starting from my head and move slowly down the right side of my body until it reached the tips of the toes of my right foot. I could also feel that same heat move down my left arm. It felt like that part of my body was on fire. It was excruciating and was almost as painful and unbearable as the injuries I sustained from the truck. After this healing heat had traveled slowly through my body, it finally dissipated. As soon as it stopped, I could breathe with ease. I could feel and move my right leg, and all the pain was gone. I rolled over and pushed myself to a standing position all on my own.
Dave, who is not a member of our Church, was shocked at the miracle that he had just witnessed. He was blown away by what he had just heard and seen. He asked, “are you Superman?” I told Dave that it wasn’t me; that it was God who had just healed me through the power of the priesthood. Every time Dave sees me, he still talks about what he witnessed that day.
The bruising started immediately, but interestingly, was only below the lines of my garments on my right leg and left arm. The part of my body that was covered by my garments was not bruised; only the tread marks of the tire were visible on the skin over the ribcage. My wife drove me to the hospital in Farmington, NM. Tests revealed that there were no broken bones and no internal bleeding. I do have some residual effects of the accident. I have scarring on my left arm and it is still a bit weak, and I hobble around because of the torn meniscus in my right knee. Other than that, I am fine.
I was terminated from my job, but that has been a blessing in disguise. I can now spend more time with my wife, Brenda, and our daughters, Nevaeh, Sariah, Raven, and Tanisha. I have a closer relationship with the women in my life. Nevaeh, Sariah, and I work together to train horses, and we have developed a good reputation throughout the community for our work. We currently have a backlog of fifteen horses that need training.
What I did on that June day was very foolish. But what wasn’t foolish was putting my trust in God that He would answer my prayer and get that truck off me. That was the first miracle that day. Another thing that wasn’t foolish was having the faith to be healed, and that three other worthy priesthood holders had the faith to heal. That combined faith did, indeed, heal me. I am, literally, living proof of the healing power of the priesthood. That was the second miracle.
God was in my story that day. It just goes to show you how much He loves His children despite the foolish things we do at times. He and His angels stand ready and willing to help us in our hour of need. We just need to ask for their divine help. I will be forever grateful that God granted me more time to spend with my family. Apparently, I have more work to do. I pray that I will use my time wisely and for His greater purposes during the time I have left in my mortal journey.
Submitted by William “Bull” Chapman from Escrito, NM
May 2021
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