Anglers Capsize at Lake, Says 'God Flipped a Switch' to Rescue them After Praying
Three men fishing on Lake Erie who fell into the water when their boat capsized attribute their rescue to God.
Gary Sheets, pastor of Middlebury Church of the Nazarene, went fishing with his son and a friend near Wild Wings Marina in Oak Harbor their boat was hit by a big wave that toppled it over, WSBT reported. Sheets was trapped underneath the boat while the others were tossed out.
"The next thing I knew, I was trapped underwater in the boat," Sheets told the news outlet.
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"My knees were underneath the dasy, and with all my might and the power of God I pushed and popped up in Lake Erie with building waves and swam to the boat," he added.
Sheets said the three of them held on to each other, as he has always been taught. However, as the water temperature was only 43 degrees Fahrenheit (6.1 degrees Celsius) at the time, hypothermia began to set in. He added that his friend even passed out while they were holding each other.
"Our friend passed out along the way," Sheets said. "His body got so low, he fell back in the lake."
With Sheets holding on to his friend, his son Josh called 911 using a cellphone he had with him while his father prayed to God.
"I asked those two guys to be quiet for a minute," Sheets said, "and I prayed a prayer out of the Bible, 'Peace be still.'"
After praying, Sheets said something miraculous took place: wind suddenly blew and caused the waves to grow big, and pushed them slowly to shore.
"God flipped a switch for us, and the waves got bigger," Gary's son Josh told the news outlet. He said the wind changed its direction and blew them towards the shore.
Eight minutes after praying, while they were being pushed by the waves to the shore, responders to the 911 call arrived, the Port Clinton News Herald reported. Three other fishermen, who witnesses the accident, also assisted in their rescue.
"Three guys who were bringing their boat in for the night — setting up to go fishing this weekend — pulled them out of the water," Carroll Township Police Chief Jody Hatfield told the News Herald.
According to doctors speaking with Gary, if they stayed in the water for another 15 minutes, they would have died. Thankfully, they were rescued.
For Josh, their rescue was a miracle.
"[I]t was definitely a miracle by God that we're even standing here today," he said.
