Sometimes the Spirit Shouts

I have a story to tell you.  This is a true story that happened to me (and my sister) when I was 12 years old. I am the eldest of 10 kids.  My sister Stacy was a baby then.  One day my family and I were at church.  After, my parents were staying for choir practice.  As the big sister, it was always my job to babysit.  I was told to take care of my baby sister Stacy while my parents were in choir practice.  Stacy was really little, and barely crawling.  It was a pretty spring day, so I spread a blanket out under a tree and Stacy and I hung out there while my other brothers and sisters ran around and played outside.  After a while I was bored, and I was feeling a little conspicuous with cute boys walking by.  So I went to get in our van and listen to music.  I was only going to stay there for a little while, and Stacy was "fine" under the tree on a blanket.  She didn't really crawl much then and I figured she would be fine and just stay on the blanket, especially since she didn't like to crawl on the grass.  I know, not the best plan.  But I was 12.

After a little while, I forgot about my sister.  (Sorry Stacy.)  I was just relaxing listening to music.  All of a sudden, I was told, in a loud urgent voice to GO GET STACY!  So I quickly jumped out of the van.  As soon as I stepped out of the van, I saw a car had just backed up out of a parking stall, and was just barely starting to go forward.   I could see under the car, on the other side, and there was Stacy in between the front tire and the back tire!  She was crying, and sitting on the asphalt, and trying to get away from the car.  I have that image burned in my head to this day.  The way she was sitting facing me, in her little dress, and how she was holding her tiny little hands and shaking them, trying to get away from the car.  I screamed for the lady driving to STOP, and I ran as fast as I could to the car.    The lady did stop, but with reaction time she still went forward about a foot more.  By the time she had completely stopped, I had run around the other side of the car to where Stacy was.  She was laying down on the asphalt crying.  Her head was less than an inch away from the base of the back tire.  If the lady had continued to go forward, Stacy’s head would have gone under the tire, and the car would have gone over her entire body. 

Stacy was hurt.  But she was fine.  She had broken ribs, and scraps and deep abrasions on her head, cheek, and on her side.  She also had gravel embedded in her skin.  We all jumped into the van, and took her to the hospital.  Of course I felt terrible that I had let my sister get hurt when I should have been watching her.

I knew a miracle had happened with that voice that shouted into my soul.  We hear that the Holy Ghost is a still small voice.  But sometimes the Holy Ghost is a loud urgent voice that moves you to action immediately!  I have a testimony of God, and the gospel, and so much more.  But this one story is positive proof for me that there is more than just what we can see here on Earth.  Someone spoke to me, very strongly and forcefully.  And they instilled an extreme sense of urgency into me to make me jump up and respond so quickly! 

Sometime soon I will tell you the story of when the spirit spoke to me in a whisper.  And it was a whisper that I figured could wait for later.  Sadly, later was too late.