__________________________________

Bryan:

I was just visiting Oilfield church on roughneckcity.com and saw the testimonial page and wanted to share mine.  I did not find a link to use so I thought I would write you and ask how I could share my testimony with everyone and glorify God today.

I was working as a derrickman in the Parachute area of Colorado.  My crew (all but one floorhand) always traveled together to the rig.  We had just finished our days off and were returning to work morning tour.  My family never liked it when I worked morning tour so my wife was on the highway going to San Diego to visit her parents with our 3 young children. That morning, I said a prayer with them as they left asking God to get them there safely, did a few things around the house and then took a nap to prepare for changing to morning tour.  Around 3:00 in the afternoon, my driller arrived to pick me up.  We loaded up my gear and headed to my motorman's place.  While he was getting loaded up, I called my wife to see how far she had made it and let her know I loved her.  She was getting fuel in Barstow and was about 3 hrs. from her parents house.  We then began the trip towards Rig 414.  I was sitting in the back seat on the passenger side relaxing and getting my mind set for the night ahead.  As we pulled up to the train tracks, I noticed a train was parked on the tracks and had been broke apart so the intersection could still be used.  My driller stopped, looked down the tracks both ways and started to proceed forward.  At that moment, my floorhand yelled "train" and as I looked out the window I saw the front of the train hit our truck.  The next thing I remember was waking up when my motorman asked me for his phone.  I handed it to him and then blacked out again.  I remember thinking I should call my wife but figuring I should wait until I knew more about my injuries.  About 1/2 hour later I was pulled from the truck and put in an ambulance and taken to the local hospital. I found out there that we had lost 2 of our brothers in the accident (my driller and floorhand) and that myself and my motorhand had survived.  The train wreck occurred shortly after 4 o'clock mountain time. 

Here's where the awesome power of God begins to manifest in my life.  First, my wife after being told what had happened was surrounded by angels and able to make it to her parents house safely with our children.  Then, she immediately turned around and drove through the night with God's hand protecting her (it's a 12 hr drive and she had just drove 12 hrs) as she came back to me.  When she arrived, she told my how at 4:06 our time (3:06 pacific) she had just finished getting gas and was about to leave Barstow when she felt God touch her to Pray for me.  She turned off the radio and asked the kids to pray for dad's safety.  This would have been minutes before the accident.  Thanks to this, even though I was on the side that had been impacted, I walked away with only a broken ankle, a compacted vertebrae and some cuts. 

Since the accident, not a day goes by I don't think about my lost brothers and their families.  I pray constantly for the children left without fathers and the widows who have to face the pain of being left behind.  But I also praise the power of God for giving me this chance to be with my family.  I tried to return to work after 3 months but found the work to be more than my back could handle.  However, my company stood beside me and I was given a safety job assisting other brothers in our field with going home to their families every day.  God opened new doors for me so that I could continue in the career I love and that provides for my family so well.  I have been blessed beyond measure and hope that my story might help others out there realize that God's power will stop trains for them if the need arises.

Thanks for letting me share with you.  I pray your days are as blessed as mine and look forward to meeting you with our Lord Jesus Christ in the future.

David Snyder

Operations Safety Trainer