WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:07.240 Before Eric could react, the water exploded in a violent splash. 2 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:11.080 He was yanked under the surface. Panic surged through him 3 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:15.199 as he realized he was in the jaws of an alligator. 4 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:20.480 It snapped my arm backwards and then kept dragging me under, 5 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:21.320 trying to drown me. 6 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:31.000 This is the Miracle Files. I'm Emily Jones and I'm 7 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:31.879 Holly Worthington. 8 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:36.039 We're two sisters who love a captivating true story, but 9 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:38.200 we're also seeking more light in our lives. 10 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:41.880 So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable, 11 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:46.600 uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us 12 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:49.280 on this journey. 13 00:00:50.119 --> 00:00:53.240 Welcome back to the Miracle Files. If I sound a 14 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:57.320 little sick today, that's because I am. But the show 15 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:00.200 must go on, right Yeah, I'm sorry. 16 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:02.280 Being sick is the worst it is. 17 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:05.120 But I don't have time for that. So we have 18 00:01:05.239 --> 00:01:10.400 a super entertaining story to share today. And I just 19 00:01:10.439 --> 00:01:12.719 have to say, when I first heard about this miracle story, 20 00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:17.400 I thought the guy in this story, Eric Murda, is 21 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:18.280 Florida man. 22 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:21.920 I had no idea what you were talking about. When 23 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:23.879 you said Florida man, I'd never heard that phrase. 24 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:27.599 Yeah, my husband introduced me to Florida Man. It's actually 25 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:30.319 like a it's a meme that was popular is I 26 00:01:30.359 --> 00:01:33.879 think clear back in like twenty thirteen, and it's like 27 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:36.439 just all these people in Florida who kind of do 28 00:01:36.519 --> 00:01:40.159 crazy things or dangerous things, and they have articles and 29 00:01:40.200 --> 00:01:43.879 they all start out Florida Man, like Florida Man tries 30 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:48.599 trading live alligator for beer or Florida Man uses finger 31 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:53.000 guns to still waffle house napkins according to Deputy. 32 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:56.799 You know, like they're so funny and honestly, now that 33 00:01:56.840 --> 00:01:58.840 I've met Eric and I know what the term means, 34 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:02.120 I can to see it. And I don't mean that 35 00:02:02.280 --> 00:02:05.640 as an insult because we really do like Eric. It's 36 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:09.520 just like he literally was just featured on a show 37 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:12.319 called It's Florida Man on HBO Max. 38 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:16.159 So he's not just us, Yeah no, and he's awesome 39 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:20.400 and he's so much more than just Florida Man. You know, 40 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:25.159 he has a really big heart and such a miraculous story. 41 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:29.120 So we're really excited to share this experience with our listeners. 42 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:37.759 Yes, so here is Eric's story. Eric Merida owned a 43 00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:42.120 ditch digging and sprinkler company. After finishing up his latest job. 44 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:46.159 One late afternoon, he left Sarasota, Florida, and drove his 45 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:49.000 Econa Line van out to the countryside. 46 00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:51.159 He traveled down a long. 47 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:54.319 Dirt road until he came to a wooded area and 48 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:57.879 found an old dumpster near a small convenience store next 49 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:01.919 to a lake. To dump some concrete in a dumpster, 50 00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:04.639 and then went into the store and bought some ice 51 00:03:04.680 --> 00:03:08.639 cream for some young men playing horseshoes outside. He felt 52 00:03:08.680 --> 00:03:11.039 a twinge of guilt for dumping his concrete there and 53 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:15.080 noticed garbage all over on the ground. He figured he 54 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:17.280 could at least pick up the garbage in exchange for 55 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:22.240 dumping the concrete. Beyond that, Eric had always found a 56 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:26.800 strange solace and picking up garbage. It wasn't just about 57 00:03:26.840 --> 00:03:29.960 cleaning up litter. It was his way of trying to 58 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:35.039 impose order on a life defined by chaos. For Eric, 59 00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:38.639 the garbage was more than debris. It was a metaphor 60 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:41.840 for the pain and regrets he had carried for years. 61 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:45.560 So I led myself in the woods picking up a 62 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:49.199 trail of garbage, and was piling the garbage up in 63 00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:51.400 the woods. Figured out cal him back on my way back, 64 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:53.719 I'll pick it up because it was so much, I 65 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:55.840 just left piles back there. 66 00:03:57.000 --> 00:03:59.360 Eric found a barbed wire fence and jumped over it. 67 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:03.599 He walked deeper into the woods. With each piece of 68 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:07.039 garbage he picked up, he thought back on the state 69 00:04:07.080 --> 00:04:11.159 of his life. His heart agonized as he thought about 70 00:04:11.159 --> 00:04:14.960 how his addictions had affected him and those around him. 71 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:18.720 In recent months. He had lost his relationship with the 72 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:22.120 woman he considered his wife, even though they weren't lawfully 73 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:26.920 married and not hurt enough. But when he'd lost custody 74 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:31.680 of his children, his world had come crashing down on him. 75 00:04:32.279 --> 00:04:35.600 Eric left the garbage in a pile and started running 76 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:38.839 as all of the anger and hurt he'd stored up 77 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:42.079 broke through the wall he'd built around his heart. 78 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:44.360 Every emotion. 79 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:47.800 Really, but I was so angry, you said, I just 80 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:48.879 took off running. 81 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:53.600 I was mad at the world. I was even mad 82 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:54.160 at God. 83 00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:58.439 I didn't express my feelings to God, even though he 84 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:02.399 knew that I russ him out loud, and I was 85 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:05.360 afraid to argue with God and tell him out loud 86 00:05:05.399 --> 00:05:07.079 that I was mad at him. 87 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:10.560 He started running with no idea where he was going 88 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:13.680 to end up. The anger was pouring out of him. 89 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:19.560 The memories, the pain his world falling apart. He'd made 90 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:22.959 sure the kids ate, but he neglected eating much himself. 91 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:27.639 He remembered his little daughter Amelia, telling him she wouldn't 92 00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:32.199 eat unless he did. It broke his heart. His ex 93 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:35.399 had already moved on. Jealousy whiled in. 94 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:36.439 Sight of him. 95 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:39.519 It felt like a black hole that would eat him alive. 96 00:05:40.920 --> 00:05:44.240 The deeper Eric wandered into the swampy woods, the more 97 00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:48.839 his thoughts spiraled into darkness. He didn't notice how far 98 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:52.519 into the wilderness he'd gone until the plant life grew thicker, 99 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:57.839 the trees pressing in on all sides. He'd been walking 100 00:05:57.879 --> 00:06:01.399 for several hours and was my away from any trail 101 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:06.040 or road. As the sun began to set, Eric realized 102 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:08.839 that he wasn't just trying to escape his thoughts anymore. 103 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:12.000 He was also trying to make his way back to 104 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:16.240 his van before dark. His body became cut and bruised 105 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:19.879 from fighting his way through the foliage. As the sun 106 00:06:19.959 --> 00:06:24.120 faded behind the thick forest, a chilling thought washed over him. 107 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:26.399 He was lost. 108 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:30.879 He continued to wander through the darkening woods until he 109 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:35.920 finally reached a break in the trees swampy ground transitioned 110 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:39.279 to a vast lake in front of him. There it 111 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:44.560 was far across the lake. He could see it his van. 112 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:48.959 It felt so close and yet so out of reach. 113 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:53.439 Eric decided his only hope of getting home before nightfall 114 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:56.839 would be to swim across the lake rather than wander 115 00:06:56.920 --> 00:07:00.000 through the woods again. He was so excited to see 116 00:07:00.040 --> 00:07:03.279 see his van that he forgot about the fact the 117 00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:09.240 Florida's waterways are thick with dangerous wildlife, including water mookkers 118 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:15.680 and snakes, burmese, pythons, and alligators. Eric's desire to get 119 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:19.319 back to his van outweighed any fears of what lay 120 00:07:19.399 --> 00:07:21.040 beneath the surface of the water. 121 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:25.519 By the time I found the water again, the sun 122 00:07:25.639 --> 00:07:27.720 was setting, So it was about eight thirty at night. 123 00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:29.360 I mean, the sun was pretty. 124 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:31.959 Low, and I'm like, dude, you got like a half 125 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:34.839 of that hour, And I'm thinking, yeah, I could swim 126 00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:38.439 less than a half an hour, So I went for it. 127 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:41.800 Eric had already taken off his shirt in the woods, 128 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:45.000 but he still had on heavy work pants and boots. 129 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:48.759 He removed his boots and waded into the dark, murky water. 130 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:52.639 As he swam, it began to dawn on him. That 131 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:56.519 he had severely underestimated the size of the lake, and 132 00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:59.000 it took a great deal of energy to hold his 133 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:00.439 work boots above the water. 134 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:02.959 He hadn't expected. 135 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:05.199 There to be a current, but there was, and it 136 00:08:05.240 --> 00:08:08.879 made it difficult for Eric to make any progress. He 137 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:12.480 started sinking, but he refused to let go of his boots, 138 00:08:13.399 --> 00:08:15.000 and then he heard a voice. 139 00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:18.319 I got the work boots in my hand. 140 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:22.959 They were weighing me down, and the Lord told me 141 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:26.040 I'm going to drown you with those boots. And I 142 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:29.959 was like, I'm not letting go these boots. And he said, 143 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:32.000 I'm telling you you're gonna drown it if you don't 144 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:34.480 let go of the boots. I said, but that's my work. 145 00:08:34.559 --> 00:08:36.840 I know what you're doing. You're not taking my work 146 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:40.960 from and he said, we have to do something else. Yeah, 147 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:43.840 you don't work like that anymore. It's just say you 148 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:49.480 don't stops working. And I'm stubborn even when it comes 149 00:08:49.480 --> 00:08:53.159 to God. So he almost did drowing me over those boots. 150 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:56.960 Finally Eric let go of the boots as they sank 151 00:08:57.000 --> 00:09:00.480 into the dark abyss below him. Eric continued to struggle 152 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:01.480 against the current. 153 00:09:02.759 --> 00:09:04.840 The next thing weighing me down was my pants. 154 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:08.840 They were heavy, wet, arm I didn't want to let 155 00:09:08.919 --> 00:09:11.799 go them because I told him my wallet was in there, 156 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:17.440 and he said that you need no identification, and I 157 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:19.320 was like, I don't want any identification. 158 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:23.639 It's like your life's not going like it's should and 159 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:26.039 you need a new ID. Period. 160 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:29.879 Even though Eric only had two or three dollars in 161 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:33.279 his wallet, he wrestled with the idea of giving up 162 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:37.600 his ID. He felt like God was taking everything from him, 163 00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:41.159 but he was still struggling to stay afloat. He would 164 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:45.840 drown with these heavy pants. On surrendering, he removed his pants. 165 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:50.320 He let go physically and metaphorically. As the pants and 166 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:54.799 wallet sank to the bottom of the lake, Eric lost 167 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:58.720 all sense of time. He floated on his back, staring 168 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:02.720 up at the now star night sky. He noticed three 169 00:10:02.840 --> 00:10:06.399 stars in a triangular shape that reminded him of an 170 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:11.639 alligator head. They brought him back to reality. He realized 171 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:15.240 there were likely alligators near him at this very moment. 172 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:21.159 Was that something swimming under his feet. He wasn't even 173 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:25.200 halfway across the lake when he suddenly felt a tug 174 00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:29.320 on his arm, a quick, sharp pull that sent a 175 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:33.480 jolt of fear through him. Before he could react, the 176 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:37.919 water exploded in a violence flash, and he was yanked 177 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:42.960 under the surface. Panic surged through him as he realized 178 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:47.240 he was in the jaws of an alligator. It clamped 179 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:51.080 down hard on his arm and began dragging him deeper 180 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:51.840 into the water. 181 00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:57.120 It snapped my arm backwards and then kept dragging me under, 182 00:10:57.159 --> 00:10:58.039 trying to drown me. 183 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:03.000 Eric thrashed with all his strength, fighting against the crushing force. 184 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:07.919 The pressure was unbearable, like his bones were being squeezed 185 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:12.080 to the breaking point. The gaiter's grip was relentless, and 186 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:16.279 he could feel his skin tearing. His arm was being 187 00:11:16.360 --> 00:11:20.799 pulled apart tendon by tendon until the joint could no 188 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:24.840 longer hold. The alligator spun him in a death roll. 189 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:29.159 Eric screamed into the water as the gaiter's jaws finally 190 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:33.919 tore off his arm, flesh still hanging, twisted and mangled 191 00:11:34.440 --> 00:11:39.759 where his elbow once was. The pain was beyond anything 192 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:44.600 he had ever imagined, like a burning knife slicing through 193 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:48.919 his nerves. He struggled with every ounce of strength he 194 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:53.159 had left, desperately trying to swim upward to get away, 195 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:58.919 but his mind was reeling with shock and disbelief. He 196 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:03.559 had just lost an arm, and the creature that took 197 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:13.600 it was still somewhere in the water with him. Eric's surfaced, 198 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:19.320 gasping for air. Miraculously, the gator seemed satisfied with the 199 00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:24.720 severed limb and disappeared. But Eric's ordeal was far from over. 200 00:12:25.639 --> 00:12:27.879 There was no way he could make it across to 201 00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:32.399 his van now. His only option was to swim back 202 00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:35.799 to where he'd come from, but even that shoreline looked 203 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:40.519 impossibly far away, and with one arm missing, every stroke 204 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:43.840 felt like it drained the last reserves of his strength. 205 00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:47.080 Would he even make it to the shore before he 206 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:52.679 bled out? Driven by sheer survival instinct, he kicked with 207 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:58.080 everything he had, ignoring the pain and focusing solely on 208 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:03.159 reaching land. When he finally dragged himself onto the muddy bank, 209 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:09.679 he collapsed, naked and exhausted. He wondered how he was 210 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:15.840 still alive and not bleeding out. He examined his wound. Amazingly, 211 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:19.919 the alligator's death roll had spun Eric's arm like a 212 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:25.039 twist tie, creating a natural tournique which limited the blood loss. 213 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:31.480 The world around him started to fade with his slipping consciousness. 214 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:35.480 Despite the pain and fear gnawing at him, his body 215 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:42.120 gave in, sinking into an uneasy sleep. The next morning, 216 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:45.240 Eric woke up as the sun rose in the sky. 217 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:50.120 He found himself covered in ants. They crawled into his wound, 218 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:54.879 creating more pain with his one arm. He sat up 219 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:59.000 and tried swiping them away, but they were relentless. He 220 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:02.639 also feared the alligator might return and doubted he'd have 221 00:14:02.679 --> 00:14:07.360 the strength to escape again. Defeated, he sank back down 222 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:11.159 onto the soggy ground, questioning if there was any reason 223 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:13.200 left to fight for survival. 224 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:24.559 Next morning, I wanted to just give up and die. 225 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:28.159 I just wanted to take an easy way out, because 226 00:14:28.200 --> 00:14:30.200 I said, I got no reason to live. The kids 227 00:14:30.200 --> 00:14:32.639 are gone, and my arm's gone. My business is gone. 228 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:34.679 I went my whole life to do that. 229 00:14:35.600 --> 00:14:39.039 Eric told God he was ready to give up, but 230 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:42.919 as he sat there, consumed by self pity and on 231 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:46.759 the verge of surrender, a faint humming sound in the 232 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:49.279 distance pierced through his despair. 233 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:54.039 I didn't sit there five minutes, I bet before I've 234 00:14:54.039 --> 00:14:56.679 seen a helicopter. I'm waving on screen that my old 235 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:01.159 school stranded on an island, and on the tree. It 236 00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:04.840 was a stump about seven eight foot taul and I 237 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:06.360 climbed up on that stump. 238 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:10.279 Eric did everything he could to get the helicopter's attention, 239 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:14.440 but the pilot couldn't see him. He was left alone again, 240 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:19.399 watching his only hope disappear into the distance. But even 241 00:15:19.480 --> 00:15:23.240 though the helicopter had flown away, a surge of renewed 242 00:15:23.399 --> 00:15:28.120 energy coursed through him as he realized he wanted to live. 243 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:33.480 It wasn't perfect, but his life was still worth fighting for. 244 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:37.519 Eric got down from the stump and tried to make 245 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:41.639 his way through the thick underbrush, but it was extremely painful. 246 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:45.879 I was guided back down to the water because I 247 00:15:45.879 --> 00:15:49.840 couldn't get through the woods arm My arm was down 248 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:53.120 here some my elbow at the time, basically, and the 249 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:55.320 stick poked into the raw flash. 250 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:56.799 And I just couldn't do it. 251 00:15:57.360 --> 00:16:00.919 I went back down to the water, and I was 252 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:03.240 told that as long as I stay as close to 253 00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:04.799 the sides as possible, I'll. 254 00:16:04.679 --> 00:16:05.159 Be all right. 255 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:09.399 So that's what Eric did. As he moved through the 256 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:12.279 swampy edges of the lake, he tried to hug the 257 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:15.600 shore as much as his body would let him. As 258 00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:19.399 he walked, he screamed with all his might. He screamed 259 00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:23.080 both out of sheer terror and pain, but also to 260 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:25.759 scare away any wildlife lurking nearby. 261 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:33.759 I was walking on a muddy shoulder, slipping in ripping grasses. 262 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:38.639 I mean, trying not to get to where I have 263 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:39.679 to swim. 264 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:41.960 But you can't walk through the middle of it either, 265 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:43.879 because I'm cut from head to toe. 266 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:48.360 I'm like wasteed, chest deep in water. The alligator popped 267 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:50.799 up a time or two behind me. Stay as close 268 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:52.519 to the soldier as possible and. 269 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:55.240 You'll be all right. That's all I know. 270 00:16:56.600 --> 00:17:00.960 Eric inched forward for hours, knowing alligator could be lurking 271 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:05.200 at any turn, until he finally found a large concrete block. 272 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:09.319 He climbed up onto the block and rested there until nightfall. 273 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:13.640 The next day was a blur of walking through waste 274 00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:17.079 deep water and trying to find a way around the lake. 275 00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:22.000 The heat and his thirst were unbearable. He tried drinking 276 00:17:22.039 --> 00:17:25.559 the muddy water, tried filtering it through his one hand, 277 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:29.400 but it was too full of silt to quench his thirst. 278 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:34.640 Three days after his attack, Eric finally forced himself to 279 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:39.039 leave the lake and push through the dry foliage. Each 280 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:44.319 step was excruciating. He was quickly losing hope, knowing his 281 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:49.440 body couldn't continue like this much longer. Stumbling forward, he 282 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:53.400 faced the very real possibility that he would never make 283 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:56.720 it back to his van. He took a few more 284 00:17:56.759 --> 00:18:01.720 painful steps and collapsed, unable to go any further. He 285 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:05.160 lay there, staring up at the sky, and then he 286 00:18:05.240 --> 00:18:09.920 rolled onto his stomach. That's when he saw something shining 287 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:14.759 in the sunlight, a single piece of trash, a beer bottle, 288 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:17.440 lying on the ground. 289 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:21.480 Somebody threw that beer bottle over a fence into them woods, 290 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:25.000 so it did give me a nice little push. 291 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:29.160 As strange as it sounds, Eric found hope in that 292 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:32.759 piece of trash. It was garbage that had led him 293 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:36.480 into this place, and he hoped garbage would lead him out. 294 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:41.559 And then he saw something else. He saw someone else. 295 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:45.559 There was a parking lot off in the distance, and 296 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:49.519 a man was getting into his car. Eric screamed as 297 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:53.119 loud as he could, but for some reason, the man 298 00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:57.720 couldn't hear him. Eric kept screaming. The man turned to leave. 299 00:18:58.319 --> 00:18:59.680 He opened his car door. 300 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:03.400 Wait. Even though I was screamed at the top of 301 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:07.480 my lungs. He couldn't hear me. It was like, nobody. 302 00:19:07.000 --> 00:19:10.000 Can hear you, period, And I'm telling you, I was 303 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:12.319 like twenty feet away from this guy and. 304 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:17.480 Screaming at him nothing. And he went to get in his. 305 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:21.680 Car and I was like, oh, heck no, and I 306 00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:24.640 got up and I like ran through more bushes. 307 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:26.880 I was not losing that ride. 308 00:19:27.799 --> 00:19:30.839 But there was the barber wire fence again standing in 309 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:34.759 his way. Eric couldn't run any further. He was too 310 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:38.519 exhausted and beaten up to climb the fence again. His 311 00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:42.119 heart nearly beat out of his chest. Here was help 312 00:19:42.839 --> 00:19:45.680 so close by, and yet the man was leaving the 313 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:51.039 parking lot, unable to hear Eric again. Eric collapsed onto 314 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:58.799 the ground, hopeless and completely drained of energy. Eric screamed 315 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:05.119 out one final time. At last, Eric's desperate scream was heard. 316 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:09.319 The man stopped and got out of his car. He 317 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:12.640 walked to the barb wire fence. He looked over it 318 00:20:12.680 --> 00:20:15.720 to where Eric lay. It's hard to imagine what the 319 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:19.839 man must have thought seeing a one armed, mud covered, 320 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:22.079 screaming naked man lying there. 321 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:26.240 He's like, what are you doing back then? And I'm like, bro, 322 00:20:26.359 --> 00:20:28.640 I lost my arms for an alligator. He looked at 323 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:32.240 it and he's like, holy smokes. He's like, would you 324 00:20:32.519 --> 00:20:37.079 need anything? I was like clean water, water, So he 325 00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:38.319 brought me two waters. 326 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:43.319 As Eric gulped the water down, he couldn't believe how 327 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:47.880 such a simple thing brought him so much relief. The 328 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:51.440 man called nine one one, and soon an emergency crew 329 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:53.559 arrived on scene. 330 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:59.519 The helicopter came there, landed over by the dumpster where 331 00:20:59.559 --> 00:21:01.559 my cock was illegally put. 332 00:21:02.839 --> 00:21:05.759 Eric had come full circle and his time in the 333 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:09.559 swamp had changed him somehow. As the emergency crew cut 334 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:13.039 the barbed wire fence open to Eric, it was as 335 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:16.000 if he were exiting the swamp reborn a new man. 336 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:22.119 There was the recreation now my baptism. Mother Earth herself 337 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:24.400 dumpkin me three. 338 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:26.519 Times, and. 339 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:31.400 That was the beginning of a new person. Even though 340 00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:34.559 I didn't die in the swamp, My rebirth was through 341 00:21:35.359 --> 00:21:38.200 a very unholy type baptism. 342 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:42.079 Before he went into the swamp, Eric's heart and life 343 00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:46.359 were full of garbage, full of jealousy, full of hate, 344 00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:51.759 full of anger and resentment. He had no idea that 345 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:55.000 picking up trash that fateful day would lead him to 346 00:21:55.079 --> 00:21:58.920 a place of redemption. But Eric says God was giving 347 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:03.359 him a chance a fresh start. After his experience in 348 00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:06.559 the swamp. He came out with a kinder heart and 349 00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:10.759 a new appreciation for life. He knows it's miraculous that 350 00:22:10.839 --> 00:22:14.559 he survived, and he recognizes that only through God was 351 00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:15.319 that possible. 352 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:17.359 Miraculous. 353 00:22:17.559 --> 00:22:22.000 I mean, it's an absolute miracle, like something called the 354 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:25.440 death row saved my life. You know, could you imagine 355 00:22:25.480 --> 00:22:28.319 had that alligator just let go of my arm, I'll 356 00:22:28.359 --> 00:22:31.799 be dragging that thing around with me and everything, Or 357 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:34.920 had it done the death roll before snapping it backwards, 358 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:36.079 ripped right out. 359 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:40.039 Of my socket. Everything had happen just right for me 360 00:22:40.119 --> 00:22:40.680 to survive. 361 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:44.319 And that's the miracle in it that that death row 362 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:45.759 saved my life. 363 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:47.960 It took my arm, but it's spared my life. 364 00:22:50.920 --> 00:22:53.759 Eric still has some struggles and life is far from 365 00:22:53.799 --> 00:22:56.720 perfect for him, but it's clear God has a plan 366 00:22:56.799 --> 00:23:00.319 for Eric's life. He hopes his experience will help and 367 00:23:00.359 --> 00:23:05.759 inspire others, and he is absolutely convinced that miracles are real. 368 00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:10.519 We're giving opportunity, and as long as we're taking those 369 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:14.160 opportunities and doing the best we can, no matter how 370 00:23:14.200 --> 00:23:18.359 imperfect we are, the Lord's got our bag, and you'll 371 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:22.559 take the most twisted, nasty situation. If you're doing your best, 372 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:26.279 he will turn us some really really cool into it. 373 00:23:27.400 --> 00:23:32.599 Eric has faced the unimaginable an alligator attack, days of 374 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:36.400 grueling pain and hunger, and the ever present fear of death. 375 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:39.720 But his story is a testament to the strength of 376 00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:43.359 the human spirit and a reminder that no matter how 377 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:47.000 lost we think we might be, we can always be found. 378 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:53.440 You know, the thing that touched me the most about 379 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:57.039 this story is that Eric went into the swamp as 380 00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:00.480 such an angry person. I mean, he was really hurting, 381 00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:05.519 and yet we don't have to be perfect people for 382 00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:08.440 God to love us and to help us change. 383 00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:10.519 Well, yeah, I mean this is a man who has 384 00:24:10.839 --> 00:24:14.200 clearly made some mistakes in his life. Who hasn't But 385 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:17.039 I mean it's just a perfect example of you know, 386 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:21.000 miracles happen to anybody, and God was definitely looking out 387 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:23.599 for Eric. I think one of the parts of this 388 00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:26.799 miracle story that I think stood out to me is 389 00:24:26.839 --> 00:24:29.759 that when he was first telling us his story about 390 00:24:30.119 --> 00:24:32.240 you know, losing his boots and losing his pants and 391 00:24:32.279 --> 00:24:36.000 this was kind of a spiritual moment for him. I 392 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:39.920 was like, what's the purpose of this. But then after 393 00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:43.119 he gets attacked by an alligator, you think about if 394 00:24:43.160 --> 00:24:45.599 he hadn't taken his pants off, it would have been 395 00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:49.319 almost impossible to swim and then to try to remove 396 00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:53.039 him at that point with only one arm and stay afloat. 397 00:24:53.079 --> 00:24:54.279 I mean, there just was no way. 398 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:59.559 No, it was like he was going through this transformation internally. 399 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:03.319 But all so that saved his life. And his story 400 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:06.400 has been told by so many different people, so many 401 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:09.240