WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.480 --> 00:00:05.599 Chris's father and uncle suspected a man named David McAllister. 2 00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:08.839 His alcoholism had gotten in the way in the work 3 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:11.800 he was performing, and so my father was the one 4 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:13.560 who had terminated him. 5 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:17.920 They informed the police and officers went to David McAllister's 6 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:19.079 home to investigate. 7 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:23.679 There was no fingerprint evidence, no blood samples, hair samples, 8 00:00:23.719 --> 00:00:27.679 no evidence he'd had a full week effectively to clean 9 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:28.399 his vehicle. 10 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:37.880 This is the Miracle Files. I'm Emily Jones. 11 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:41.000 And I'm Holly Worthington. We're two sisters who love a 12 00:00:41.119 --> 00:00:44.560 captivating true story, but we're also seeking more light in 13 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:45.159 our lives. 14 00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:48.840 So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable, 15 00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:53.560 uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us 16 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:58.520 on this journey. Welcome back to the Miracle Files. 17 00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:00.600 We know we made you way a whole to hear 18 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:02.880 the second part of Chris Carrier's story, so we won't 19 00:01:02.920 --> 00:01:05.439 make you wait any longer. But here's a quick recap 20 00:01:05.519 --> 00:01:09.280 of last week's episode. 21 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:13.840 And I remember saying, look, if you'll just let me go, 22 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:15.560 I won't tell anybody. 23 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:18.200 The man ordered Chris to the back of the RV 24 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:21.159 and told him to sit on the floor and stay still. 25 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:24.000 And he gave me a stern warning and saying, look, 26 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:27.079 you can't try to get anybody's attention. If you do 27 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:29.200 anything like that, I'm just going to come back there 28 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:29.719 and shoot you. 29 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:33.760 Chris looked down at his dark green polo shirt, now 30 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:37.840 speckled with blood. Gravel crunched under the tires as they 31 00:01:37.920 --> 00:01:41.959 moved farther away from civilization, and we walked. 32 00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:44.000 Out to the edge where a few trees were, and 33 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:45.799 he said, why don't you just sit down right here? 34 00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:50.200 That gentleman pulled a small pistol from his pocket right 35 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:52.319 up to the temple of my head and pulled the trigger. 36 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:00.519 Young Chris lay unconscious in the thick, swampy wilderness. Than 37 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:01.680 Chris stirred. 38 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:06.359 In my mind. It was still Friday, December twentieth, and 39 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:08.520 so I sat down on the edge of that dusty 40 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:13.120 country road, figuring out wait for dead. And of course 41 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:15.800 my father had no clue where I had been for 42 00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:19.120 the last six days. 43 00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:26.840 We have so much to talk about after Chris's story 44 00:02:26.919 --> 00:02:37.120 is finished, but for now Part two. In Coral Gables, Florida, 45 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:40.120 his family had become frantic with worry when ten year 46 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:45.680 old Chris hadn't come home from school. What followed were horrible, haunting, 47 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:50.879 sleepless nights without any news of his whereabouts. Since Chris 48 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:55.199 had gone missing on December twentieth, the police, the FBI, 49 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:59.479 friends and family gathered daily at Chris's parents' home to 50 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:03.000 continue with the search. The FBI had set up a 51 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:07.639 phone station to monitor every incoming call, hoping for even 52 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:12.159 the smallest lead, But with each passing day, the crowd 53 00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:17.840 seemed to lose more hope. Christmas came and went an 54 00:03:17.879 --> 00:03:23.360 excruciating day for Chris's parents. By December twenty sixth, the 55 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:26.919 police had to speak with them. Honestly, the odds of 56 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:35.759 finding Chris alive were getting slimmer and slimmer. Out in 57 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:39.080 the Florida Everglades, a little boy sat alone at the 58 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:42.520 edge of a lonely dirt road. Ten year old Chris 59 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:46.360 hugged his knees, watching the empty road stretch before him. 60 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:49.439 He had been told to wait there for his father, 61 00:03:50.039 --> 00:03:53.520 so he waited. At first, he was sure his dad 62 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:57.599 would appear at any moment. Every distant sound made him 63 00:03:57.639 --> 00:04:00.400 look up, hoping to see headlights in the disk distance. 64 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:08.240 But minute after minute passed and still no cars. As 65 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:12.199 daylight faded back in Coral Gables, Chris's father said a 66 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:17.600 prayer in desperation. He surrendered everything to the Lord. He'd 67 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:21.360 contacted everyone he knew to contact, He'd looked everywhere he 68 00:04:21.399 --> 00:04:24.040 knew to look. He'd done all he knew to do. 69 00:04:24.800 --> 00:04:27.800 All this father could do now was plead with the Lord. 70 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:32.720 Miles away, a white pickup truck came barreling down a 71 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:36.199 dusty road. The driver was heading home from a hunting 72 00:04:36.240 --> 00:04:39.519 trip after a long day in the woods. As the 73 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:43.839 last bit of sunlight disappeared across the floorida countryside, something 74 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:47.360 caught the driver's eye. Up ahead, near the side of 75 00:04:47.360 --> 00:04:51.199 the road, a small shape came into view, barely visible 76 00:04:51.240 --> 00:04:55.399 in the dim light. The man pressed his brakes, squinting 77 00:04:55.399 --> 00:05:00.519 through his windshield. Was that a person? Was that a child? 78 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:06.639 The driver saw me sitting there, and he slowed down, 79 00:05:06.839 --> 00:05:09.800 rolled the window down, and he leaned over and he said, hey, son, 80 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:13.040 what are you doing out here? And I said, I'm 81 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:15.759 just waiting on my father, waiting on my daddy. 82 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:20.360 The driver of the pickup truck must have been absolutely shocked. 83 00:05:20.759 --> 00:05:23.800 And he could see what I couldn't. He could see 84 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:27.519 the two black eyes and the bloody mess that I 85 00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:31.920 apparently looked like. And so he reached over, opened up 86 00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:34.399 the side door, and passed the door and said, hop in. 87 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:37.759 He took me back to where he was staying with 88 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:41.560 his kids. He was out camping up hunting in the area, 89 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:45.199 gave me something to eat, and took me straight away 90 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:56.439 to the local Florida sheriff department. There near Naples, Florida. 91 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:56.879 In Coral Gables, the sunlight was also setting over a 92 00:05:56.879 --> 00:05:59.879 family and a father whose only hope was a mere 93 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:03.639 from God. As dinner was wrapping up, all of the 94 00:06:03.720 --> 00:06:06.920 men and officers walked outside to get some fresh air. 95 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:11.759 My aunt was in the kitchen washing the dishes while 96 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:14.240 my mom in her wheelchair, was with friends in the 97 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:17.439 dining room. And the phone rang and it was the 98 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:21.360 Sheriff's department over on the west side of Florida, and 99 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:24.879 so they said, can we talk to the officer, And 100 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:28.480 of course my aunt is just listening in and she 101 00:06:28.639 --> 00:06:31.519 went out and said, hey, Hugh, you need to come 102 00:06:31.560 --> 00:06:37.120 in and take this call. While my dad was praying 103 00:06:37.639 --> 00:06:41.879 surrendering it all to God. Unbeknownst to him, I had 104 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:45.160 been found and was being taken to the Sheriff's department 105 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:49.360 and within minutes would be able to talk to him 106 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:50.680 on the phone. 107 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:55.439 Chris's father gripped the phone in his hands desperately, hoping 108 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:58.879 for some kind of good news. But when he lifted 109 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:01.399 the phone to his ear, he heard more than excitement 110 00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:05.399 from the sheriff. He heard something even better. He heard 111 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:06.920 the voice of his son. 112 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:11.639 And so my dad got on the phone with me 113 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:16.040 there at the Sheriff's department. And of course they had 114 00:07:16.040 --> 00:07:21.319 fielded a handful of ransom calls and fake things, and 115 00:07:21.399 --> 00:07:23.800 so my dad knew I have to ask real questions 116 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:26.279 that only Chris would know, And so he asked me. 117 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:29.560 He said, what's the name of our dog? And I 118 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:34.240 said Killer. You could sense his part feet rising. And 119 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:36.519 he said, what's the number on your sailboat that you 120 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:39.319 learned to sail in? And I answered and I said 121 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:42.800 c R one seven. And my dad just let out 122 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:46.600 at Hooton Hower and knew that I was alive. And 123 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:50.480 so that was just a wonderful moment in which his 124 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:53.680 prayer was answered. The miracle that he had hoped for 125 00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:54.959 had been answered. 126 00:07:58.759 --> 00:08:02.480 And this is where our story could end. Except it didn't. 127 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:06.839 You might think Chris's captor would face charges for kidnapping 128 00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:10.759 and attempted murder, but that's not how this story goes. 129 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:16.079 Chris's father and uncle suspected a man named David McAllister. 130 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:20.160 From early on. He was a caregiver for Chris's great uncle, 131 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:25.000 and unfortunately, Chris's dad fired David McAllister when it wasn't 132 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:25.560 working out. 133 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:32.600 He was supposedly a recovering alcoholic, but his alcoholism had 134 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:35.279 gotten in the way in the work he was performing 135 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:38.120 and the safety of our uncle. And so my father 136 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:41.519 was the one who had terminated him and said, look, 137 00:08:41.559 --> 00:08:44.519 we just can't have that kind of behavior around his 138 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:49.039 elderly relative. And so my uncle and my dad had 139 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:51.639 figured out, hey, this could be David McAllister because we 140 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:54.159 fired him. He had the motive. He has an RV. 141 00:08:55.159 --> 00:08:59.039 They informed the police and officers went to David McAllister's 142 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:01.919 home to investigate eight and. 143 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:05.120 So he came to the door and basically said, I 144 00:09:05.159 --> 00:09:08.200 figured you'd have been here sooner. But it wasn't confessing 145 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:10.600 and he would even say I didn't do it. He 146 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:14.480 took the polygraphs. He came down to the station for questioning. 147 00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:19.279 The police had their man but back in the nineteen seventies, 148 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:24.320 forensic evidence only consisted of fingerprints, blood type matching, and 149 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:26.480 witness testimony he'd. 150 00:09:26.279 --> 00:09:29.639 Had a full week, effectively to clean his vehicle. 151 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:35.159 The investigators couldn't find any forensic evidence to convict David Mcowster, 152 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:39.879 so they relied heavily on Chris's testimony, which didn't go 153 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:40.720 according to plan. 154 00:09:41.919 --> 00:09:44.159 I missed him in the lineup. I couldn't be certain, 155 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:47.759 and of course I think I was more intimidated over 156 00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:50.840 the simple fact that if I point the finger at 157 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:55.519 this man and I'm not sure, and I'm wrong, then 158 00:09:55.559 --> 00:09:58.320 I've got somebody out there who clearly wanted to kill me. 159 00:09:58.360 --> 00:10:01.440 And now I've got somebody who I'm changing his life, 160 00:10:02.279 --> 00:10:04.919 and I may have two enemies. And the fact that 161 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:09.200 he was wearing sunglasses through my experience and not in 162 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:12.039 the lineup, I could not be certain. 163 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:16.080 With no way to tie David McAllister to the crime, 164 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:19.840 Chris had no choice but to move forward, trying not 165 00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:23.320 to let fear rule him. Knowing his captor was still 166 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:32.799 out there, Chris lived with a heightened awareness that the 167 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:37.039 world he had trusted without question required more caution than 168 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:43.759 he had once believed. Life resumed, school friendships routines, but 169 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:48.759 fear still surfaced at night. Still, he was drawn forward 170 00:10:49.120 --> 00:10:52.480 rather than held back, sustained by faith. 171 00:10:53.159 --> 00:10:56.759 And those friends in that church, the Sunday school teachers, 172 00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:01.240 the pastors, the youth ministers, the parents just were so 173 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:05.440 grace filled and loving around me that I remember just 174 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:08.679 my affection for Christ grew to the point that, at 175 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:12.519 age thirteen, at a campus life meeting, I remember just 176 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:15.879 getting down on my knees and I remember praying and 177 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:18.000 asking Christ to be a part of my life, to 178 00:11:18.039 --> 00:11:20.799 be the one who could save me from all of 179 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:23.919 this anxiety and all of this fear. And he did, 180 00:11:24.759 --> 00:11:28.360 and he did, And so I went through high school 181 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:32.320 and began to grow and regain some confidence in public 182 00:11:32.399 --> 00:11:35.840 of not wondering where is this guy and what's he 183 00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:38.120 looked like? And does he still want me dead? And 184 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:39.200 why did he want me dead? 185 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:43.720 Chris soon realized his story was not his own. A 186 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:46.960 close friend in that church youth group challenged Chris to 187 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:50.200 tell his story, and he began sharing it with others, 188 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:56.200 helping them to increase their faith as well. For more 189 00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:59.679 than two decades, the man responsible for the crime against 190 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:02.039 Christ was never convicted. 191 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:05.840 And so through the years, people would ask as I 192 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:08.320 would share, whether it was in a small group or 193 00:12:08.360 --> 00:12:12.639 a church or school, people would ask me, what would 194 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:15.559 you do if you came face to face with that man? 195 00:12:15.639 --> 00:12:18.639 Today it came around a corner and there he was 196 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:22.919 stopped in the tracks. You're an adult, he's an older adult. 197 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:24.679 What would you do? What would you say? 198 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:29.639 Chris had convinced himself that David McAllister was long gone. 199 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:33.679 He'd probably moved somewhere far away and was unlikely to 200 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:38.320 ever return. The possibility of running into David McAllister again 201 00:12:38.559 --> 00:12:42.240 felt nonexistent, so it was easy to say he would 202 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:47.039 forgive him. Then, in nineteen ninety six, Chris received a 203 00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:50.039 call from the Chief of Detectives at the Coral Gables 204 00:12:50.039 --> 00:12:55.879 Police Department. He told Chris that David McAllister had been 205 00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:59.200 living in a nursing home in North Miami. He was 206 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:02.720 now seventy seven years old, blind and nearing the end 207 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:06.960 of his life. The chief explained that after many conversations 208 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:11.799 with investigators, David McAllister had finally confessed to the kidnapping. 209 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:17.360 The chief paused, then asked Chris a question, would he 210 00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:23.080 like to meet David McAllister, Chris felt his chest tightening. 211 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:26.840 Now Here was the question that I thought would never happen, 212 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:30.559 the opportunity that I thought could never be a possibility. 213 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:33.960 And I couldn't recall how many times I was on 214 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:38.000 the hook for saying, well loud, forgive him. It's almost 215 00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:40.559 a moment in which you step back and in prayer 216 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:43.080 you look up to the heavens and say, Lord, did 217 00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:44.279 you set me up for this? 218 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:50.120 After weighing the decision carefully, Chris agreed to see the 219 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:54.039 man the subject of his nightmares in person. 220 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:01.759 I went with my very first youth pastor from when 221 00:14:01.799 --> 00:14:05.799 I was just an eleven twelve year old, and Danny 222 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:08.679 went with me to this North Miami nursing home. 223 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:13.200 And of course, from the car to that room was 224 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:16.559 just nerve wracking. You know, what's he going to look like? 225 00:14:17.159 --> 00:14:19.559 Is he still bigger than me? Is this going to 226 00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:24.720 be intimidating? Will it bring back a flood of emotions 227 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:30.679 and fears and memories? And I walked into that room 228 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:34.360 and all I could see was a seventy seven year 229 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:39.360 old man who looked decades older. He weighed about sixty pounds, 230 00:14:40.200 --> 00:14:44.840 He was blind from glaucoma, He was all alone in 231 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:50.279 a three bedroom. All of his possessions were in a 232 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:55.240 handful of drawers. He had, according to their records, two children, 233 00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:59.080 but nobody listed as next of ken. Nobody came to 234 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:02.159 see if nobody wanted to see him. He was just 235 00:15:02.200 --> 00:15:04.519 a very hard hearted, broken man. 236 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:10.879 What followed was pure discomfort for Chris, an awkward conversation 237 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:13.240 that Chris didn't even know how to begin. 238 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:18.440 I just remember saying, you know, mister McCallister, I heard 239 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:23.039 that you confessed, and he shot me down. He said, oh, 240 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:25.399 I didn't confess anything. You heard fairy tales. 241 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:29.519 Chris was taken aback. He thought he'd come to hear 242 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:33.799 a confession. What he found instead was a belligerent old man, 243 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:38.279 still full of anger and venom. But Chris's friend Danny 244 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:40.600 was not going to let David off that easy. 245 00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:45.799 Well. Danny began to ask him very pointed, very specific, 246 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:51.120 straightforward questions. Do you know the Carrier family? Yep? Do 247 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:55.279 you know mister Carryer's son? Chris? Yeah. Did you ever 248 00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:59.919 go anywhere just the two of you? Yep? Where'd you go? 249 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:04.600 He said? We went hunting? Different spin on it, I guess, 250 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:09.000 Danny asked him he said, when you were done, where 251 00:16:09.039 --> 00:16:11.879 did you take him? Did you take him home? Or 252 00:16:11.960 --> 00:16:16.519 did you leave him? And that old man began to 253 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:22.039 cry as he threw those tears, said I left him. 254 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:24.679 And Danny leaned in a little closer and he said, 255 00:16:24.679 --> 00:16:27.639 did you ever wish you could tell that boy you 256 00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:33.679 were sorry? And the tears just flowed. He began to 257 00:16:33.799 --> 00:16:37.759 cry and weep, and Danny told him, He said, well, 258 00:16:37.799 --> 00:16:39.720 that young boy is now the young man who was 259 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:41.919 on the other side of the bed that was just 260 00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:45.000 speaking with you. Isn't there something you want to tell him? 261 00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:47.720 And you'd have thought he could see me, because he 262 00:16:47.799 --> 00:16:49.679 found a way to roll over in the bed and 263 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:54.399 he grabbed my hand and through the tears, apologized to me. 264 00:16:55.879 --> 00:16:58.000 And it was just a surreal moment. 265 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:02.960 Words Chris never thought he'd hear filled his heart and soul. 266 00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:06.599 And I told him, I said, mister, McAllister, I want 267 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:12.319 you to know that that I forgive you, and that 268 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:17.480 from this moment forward, the only thing between yourself and 269 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:23.079 myself is a newfound friendship. And I read a scripture 270 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:29.440 from James that said mercy triumphs over judgment, and so 271 00:17:29.559 --> 00:17:34.519 I want you to know I forgive you and honestly, 272 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:36.680 as we left that day, I told him, I said, 273 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:40.079 I don't have a job at the moment. I've just resigned. 274 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:42.799 I'm getting ready to move to Texas. So my schedule 275 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:44.920 is open if it's okay with you. I'm going to 276 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:48.200 come back tomorrow so that we can continue to talk, 277 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:51.160 because I want to get to know the last twenty 278 00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:54.119 two years of your life and tell you about mine. 279 00:17:54.359 --> 00:17:57.640 And so as we left, I remember saying to him, 280 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:00.240 get some rest now, because I'll come back. I can 281 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:05.240 see you tomorrow, and he said, oh, I will now. 282 00:18:09.559 --> 00:18:13.599 In the days that followed, Chris returned, He and David talked, 283 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:17.640 They spent time together. Chris brought his wife, Leslie, and 284 00:18:17.720 --> 00:18:21.720 two daughters to meet David. At seventy seven years old. 285 00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:26.599 After a troubled and lonely life, David McAllister had made 286 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:30.920 a friend, a true friend, in the most unlikely of people, 287 00:18:31.880 --> 00:18:34.920 and now Chris wanted to introduce David to someone else. 288 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:38.640 So one day Chris woke up and told his wife 289 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:51.079 there was something he needed to do. One day, Chris 290 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:53.599 woke up and told his wife there was something he 291 00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:54.599 needed to do. 292 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:56.960 And I said, I just have to make sure I 293 00:18:57.039 --> 00:19:01.359 tell him about the hope that I've experienced think and 294 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:04.319 so I went there that Sunday morning. He allowed me 295 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:07.559 to share the Gospel with him, and then I asked him, 296 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:10.200 I said, would you like to pray and receive Christ 297 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:14.039 so that our friendship can be an eternal one? And 298 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:17.119 he said I would, but I've never done this before. 299 00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:19.039 She's going to have to help me, and of course 300 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:22.359 I'm shaken in my boots. I've never done it this way. 301 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:25.480 I said, don't worry, God'll be with us, and we 302 00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:26.440 prayed that prayer. 303 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:31.319 Just three weeks after Chris had first walked into the 304 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:37.359 hospital room, David McAllister passed away. When Chris got the call, 305 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:41.359 he felt deep sadness, but mingled with that sorrow was 306 00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:46.160 an overwhelming sense of gratitude. If Chris had waited, he 307 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:48.839 never would have met David, never would have had the 308 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:52.519 chance to forgive him in person or tell him about Jesus. 309 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:56.480 But it wasn't until weeks later that Chris began to 310 00:19:56.599 --> 00:20:00.519 understand just how much those visits had meant to David. 311 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:04.359 About a month later, we got a call to go 312 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:07.720 up and do the Oprah Winfrey Show, And so I'm 313 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:11.200 on the stage with Oprah, and she pulls up a 314 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:15.680 clip from CNN. One of the reporters, Susan CANDIOTTI had 315 00:20:15.720 --> 00:20:19.240 gone into that nursing home, and of course I hadn't 316 00:20:19.279 --> 00:20:22.440 seen this clip, had no clue, But this, just to 317 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:25.720 me tells you the nature of what God can do. 318 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:29.839 The clip was Susan candy I leaning in and asking him. 319 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:32.440 She said, mister, McAllister, what do you make of this 320 00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:37.920 carrier guy to come in and to forgive? And his 321 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:40.599 response to her was He's the best friend I've ever had. 322 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:48.920 Chris's story David's story is a complicated one. It stretches 323 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:52.960 across years, connecting two men together from the most horrific 324 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:57.359 of circumstances that resulted in the most beautiful of miracles. 325 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:01.640 A child taken in the middle of an ordinary afternoon, 326 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:04.960 left to die in a place where survival should have 327 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:11.160 never been possible, found alive after six days. Decades later, 328 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:15.640 the perpetrator and survivor sitting together in one room, not 329 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:18.720 to revisit what had happened, but to respond to it 330 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:22.680 in a way that changed the ending. Once Chris had 331 00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:25.720 been a child who'd said the simplest of prayers with 332 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:31.200 all the faith he could muster. Father, Well, you know, 333 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:35.079 words that seemed to stop at the ceiling of an 334 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:40.119 old RV, but words that instead extended beyond time and space. 335 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:45.440 And yes, God had known, he'd known David, and he'd 336 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:49.880 known Chris, and he'd known the power of both faith 337 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:52.319 and forgiveness. 338 00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:59.240 This story, it just it really gets me choked up 339 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:02.759 every time I hear it, and that little boy's prayer, 340 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:06.839 the prayers of the community, Chris's parents, prayers like you 341 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:09.200 just feel the power of all of it. And in fact, 342 00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:11.079 we have a prayer chain letter that was sent out 343 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:13.359 citywide by his church that we've got to read to 344 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:16.079 you because if this doesn't give you chills, I don't 345 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:16.680 know what will. 346 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:20.680 Okay, So first they tell everyone what happened. Chris Carrier 347 00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:25.119 h ten, a Westminster Christian school student who, after departing 348 00:22:25.119 --> 00:22:29.400 from the school bus, disappeared. And the prayer request is Lord, 349 00:22:29.799 --> 00:22:32.720 keep him safe and return him home, that you may 350 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:35.920 get the glory as we pray in unity and one accord. 351 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:40.400 Then again, two days after Chris went missing, another prayer 352 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:43.200 request was sent out, thank you Lord for putting your 353 00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:46.359 angels around him to keep him safe until he is found. 354 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:48.680 And you know, there was only two prayer requests sent out, 355 00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:51.039 first on the twentieth, then on the twenty second. But 356 00:22:51.240 --> 00:22:54.200 there's a remark at the bottom that explains why. It says, 357 00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:57.920 after the first day of prayer, two separate groups felt 358 00:22:57.960 --> 00:23:01.119 assured that angels had been sent to protect and keep 359 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:04.079 him until he was found, and that we were to 360 00:23:04.119 --> 00:23:08.079 praise God and not ask anymore. Also, we were to 361 00:23:08.119 --> 00:23:10.599 pray for the soul of the man who abducted him. 362 00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:15.319 So interesting, there were multiple groups of people that felt 363 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:18.039 like there were angels looking over Chris, and that's what 364 00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:18.960 Chris said. 365 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:19.920 And there had to have been. 366 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:26.079 Absolutely, this is such an emotional journey, Like I am 367 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:29.000 so inspired by this story and the fact that Chris 368 00:23:29.079 --> 00:23:32.000 was able to forgive this man. Oh yeah, but I 369 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:35.200 got to be honest, like I found myself struggling with that. 370 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:38.160 I found myself struggling to forgive this man because I 371 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:42.079 disgusted with him and angry at him. Yet I didn't 372 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:42.759 even know him. 373 00:23:43.160 --> 00:23:45.119 I know when when Chris said he was going to 374 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:49.079 go and visit this man and try to talk to him, 375 00:23:49.079 --> 00:23:50.400 and I just thought, don't do it. 376 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:51.000 It's just going to. 377 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:53.119 Bring up more pain. You know, and then when he 378 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:55.119 said he was going to forgive him and he so 379 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:57.680 kind to him, there's part of me that was still 380 00:23:57.720 --> 00:24:00.359 angry about it, Like, how can you be so kind 381 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:02.079 to this man who tried to kill you? 382 00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:05.079 I know? And if you feel that, just hearing his story, 383 00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:07.480 imagine like it gives you a little glimpse of how 384 00:24:07.480 --> 00:24:10.759 hard it was for him to forgive. It's not like 385 00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:13.200 he said this came naturally for him. Yeah, he gave 386 00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:15.119 all the credit to God. He said God helped him 387 00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:17.839 get through that moment. Yeah, which would be so hard. 388 00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:20.960 Here's a man who committed this horrific crime, he never 389 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:23.400 served jail time. Kind of seems like he got away 390 00:24:23.400 --> 00:24:26.000 with it. Yeah, But here's what Chris said about that. 391 00:24:27.240 --> 00:24:31.519 While some would say how horrible and unfair that he 392 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:35.960 never spent a day in jail, I would tend to 393 00:24:36.079 --> 00:24:40.119 argue and think his jail was not one of concrete 394 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:42.400 walls and metal bars. 395 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:47.039 That is really profound, and I think Chris is right, Like, 396 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:50.000 I had someone committed a crime, a violent crime against 397 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:54.839 my husband and me in twenty thirteen, and I've had 398 00:24:54.880 --> 00:24:56.240 to work through forgiveness. 399 00:24:56.279 --> 00:24:59.400 It is not easy. And Chris is just so inspiring 400 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:02.319 to me. Yeah, I'm so grateful that God helped him 401 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:05.400