I was taking swimming lessons at the YMCA in the town I grew up in. On the day of my experience, our instructor was teaching us how to dive into the ten-foot side of the pool. I did not have a good feeling about diving. I stood back and watched all the other kids dive; they all came out of the pool just fine. But when it came to my turn, I told the teacher I wasn’t ready and I didn’t want to do it. Despite my foreboding, the teacher threatened me by saying, “you will do this dive or I will throw you in”. I walked to the side of the pool to do as I was told, but just couldn’t bring myself to dive into the water. I then felt the instructor’s big hands shove me into the pool. I immediately became scared, fought the water, began to sink and take a lot of water into my lungs. Finally, after what seemed like hours, I sank to the bottom of the pool. As I stopped fighting the water, my perception of events became very strange. I felt no pain or fear as I laid there on the bottom. Time seemed to stand still or became suspended. I don’t know how it was possible, but I could see clearly my mother standing on the balcony at the opposite end of the pool. She was screaming while watching me drown. I could see the terror and helplessness on her face. I also saw the face of a young woman lifeguard/teacher who was on the other end of the pool with the younger children. I could hear other people screaming. The young woman screamed at my teacher to dive in and get me but he was frozen with fright. I could see the top of the water rippling and moving in slow motion. The water sparkled against the glow of a brilliant light.
I saw a bright light right above me. It was moving slowly towards me and I felt so warm and safe. Such deep love poured from this light. The light did not hurt my eyes, although it was very bright and beautiful. It seemed to move faster and become bigger the closer it came to me. I felt no pain, fear or worries. In that moment, I felt such peace that I wanted to surrender to the Light. I was totally embraced by the enormous love radiating from the Light. This Light was about to touch me when, all of a sudden, I heard what sounded like a metal door slamming shut. Then I felt a sudden, excruciating pain in my chest. One of the other lifeguards had jumped into the water and was pulling me out of the pool. I was in agony, coughing, and throwing up all the water I had taken into my lungs. I was so frightened. I started to shake all over uncontrollably and I felt such pain in my chest and stomach. The lifeguard pulled me to the side of the pool and I feltother hands pulling me out of the water. I was still coughing up water and I felt so confused. After a few minutes of him working with me, I began to breathe normally again. I knew I was going to be just fine. Yet, I was still confused about all that I had seen and felt.
About 7 years ago I was living alone and very depressed. But I didn't want to die, not ever. I used to get chills just thinking of dying. I didn't really believe in God. I did go to church a couple of times as a child.
You see I have been in prison most of my life. I think it was about 32 or 33 years in all. Ever since I got out of the service I have been in prison or on Parole. I am now completely free as of 11/4/16.
I not sure why l am telling you all of this, but my wife died back in 1995. Of course I was in prison when she was murdered. I loved her very much and still do. I can't even be with another woman, even after all this time. But like I said I lived alone and was lonely, but didn't like people around me.
One night about 8:00 pm I set up off the couch I was laying on and for some reason I asked God "Look if you are real , I need help bad. I can't make it much longer and I can't figure out why." I said "If you are real please let me know what happens when I die. If you can just make a book jump off the table or turn the lights on and off a couple of times. Just let me know you are real please."
As you can guess nothing happened. I just laid back down and forgot it. But the next night at 8:00 pm, I was reminded to do it again and I repeated almost the same words and again nothing happened. But every single night I would tell God the same words or just about the same words. And this went on for maybe two months. Even if I were asleep, I would wake up and pray the same time the same words.
But after two months, one night before I prayed, I became hot - real hot. I couldn't cool off. The room I was in was cool, but not me. I started to get scared. I went over to the AC and turned the blades down towards the floor and I lay down on the carpet under the AC. As soon as my head touched the carpet, I was out.
I came to in a place that was perfect. Everything was beautiful. It was like earth, only perfect. The grass, just one small tree to my right not a stem out of place, it was very green. I can see everything without turning my head. I can also see myself and about 50 feet away on a rock wall about 3 feet high, sat my dead wife. She was beautiful. I was young again. I felt pure love and peace. I took a step towards her and zoom! I was standing right in front of her. We both had on the whitest gowns - the same kind you see in pictures of people in the Bible. I turned to sit next to my wife and I was floating in something that was thicker than air. I was kicking and punching and swinging my arms, I wanted to stay so badly. But I could feel myself coming back to my body. I knew it was over. I started to feel the little pains we don't realize we have. I got closer and then I jerked back into my body. But for the next few hours I was happy, to the point I was giddy. I wanted to tell the world about heaven and it was real. I didn't realize so many other people have experienced the same thing. I am no longer depressed and I sure don't fear death anymore. I am not lonely even if I am alone. That is my story.
It was midsummer 2005 I was sitting outside on the back steps of my house talking on the phone to a dear friend of mine who lived in Oregon. It was late in the day and my husband had just arrived home from work. He had just walked passed me as I was sitting on the concrete steps. It was just beginning to rain. I heard thunder in the distance so I asked him if I would be safe talking on a cordless phone during a storm. He said I would be fine, so my friend and I continued talking as he went into the house to change clothes.
About five minutes later I heard a loud crack from a lightning bolt snaking down from an angry sky. The entire sky lit up in a brilliant silvery-white. I felt the searing pain as the lightning entered into my right arm and pass through my body. I was knocked to the ground, leaving char marks on the concrete steps where I had been seated on the steps. After passing through me, the lightning-bolt traveled under the house and blew out the transformer standing directly in front of the house. It rendered the entire neighborhood powerless for about four hours.
I was shaking all over. I was sweating and sick at my stomach. The pain in both my arm and my chest was unbearable. I could not believe what had just happened to me. Suddenly there was a force pulling me right out of my body. It felt like I was being peeled like a banana. What came next is very hard to put into words. The best I can describe it, I was floating into my house from high above. I was able to look around and could feel movement. I was very confused at this moment because everything in my house looked so strange. First, everything had a burnt yellow color to it. Even the air had this color. Next, I noticed the furniture in the house was not my furniture. For instance, the lace curtains on the windows were not my curtains! I was beginning to feel very frightened.
No one was in this house. I wondered; where was my husband? Where did my children go? Then there was the issue of the electrical power. I knew the transformer was blown, yet I could hear what sounded like an old time radio program playing. Did I go back in time?
Suddenly I wasn't floating anymore. I was walking through the rooms looking for the radio, or whatever it was that was making the sound, but I never could find it. This must have only lasted for a couple of minutes, but time seemed to either stop or move in very slow motion.
Amazingly, I suddenly was transported into a totally new environment. I found myself enfolded within the most beautiful fluffy pink and gold clouds. They were so magnificent! I was in awe of such beauty and I felt such a deep sense of peace and complete love. The love was so big, so huge, so complete, and felt so deep. I felt like every pore of my body was open, and I was soaking all of it in. I was just basking in this deep beautiful love. I felt whole, complete and totally accepted. I had no idea what was happening. I was moving through these gorgeous clouds laterally without moving up or down. In this love I could feel this huge conscious presence all around me. There was such a loving presence pouring love onto me and into me that I felt I was part of this love. It was a love I have no words to explain other than it was so beautiful! It brings tears to my eyes, even now.
We would be very grateful if you would consider donating to the Bereavement Rescue Centre Appeal. We are now at a stage with the Bereavement Rescue Centre project where we must pay for various services relating to the Planning Permission process (Ecological Surveys, Architect drawings and Planning Application fees). We expect to have to raise at least £1200 in order to get through planning before we can apply for a grant to enable the building of the Centre.