At Heaven’s Edge: True Stories of Faith and Rescue

Have you ever had an experience that absolutely scared you out of your wits? Several years back, it happened to my son and me. After a routine visit to the eye doctor, our elevator crashed into a basement and filled with water. As the water rose higher and higher, I thought that we would surely drown. Then, in that incredibly dark moment, God answered my prayer and the elevator doors slowly opened! EMS and the fire department arrived, and the fire chief ordered the entire building to be evacuated due to the severe electrical hazard in the basement. I had thought that we were going to drown. It hadn’t even occurred to me that we were nearly electrocuted! By the grace of God we lived! The accident inspired me to write At Heaven’s Edge: True Stories of Faith and Rescue.

I’ve been a volunteer emergency medical technician with my first aid and emergency squad since high school. Over the past twenty-eight years, I’ve answered over 6,900 first aid and fire calls. At Heaven’s Edge: True Stories of Faith and Rescue includes a collection of true short stories based on my personal experiences with the squad. Some stories are what I would consider to be miracles, others are sad but faith-filled, and a few are humorous. The stories are all Christian in nature, including reflections at the end of each chapter.

911 emergencies catch us at our most vulnerable. In our darkest, most frightening moments, many of us turn to the Lord. In these times of crises, He hears our pleas for help. Sometimes, the assistance may be a direct intervention from God. Other times, He may help us indirectly through the efforts of first responders. During these times, the volunteer EMS community is blessed to be able to serve as instruments of Jesus.

As an emergency medical technician, I’ve been blessed to witness some truly amazing signs of God’s presence. For example, “Buried Alive!” describes the miraculous rescue of a young girl who was buried deep in sand at the beach. A patchwork team of volleyball players, lifeguards, bystanders, police, and EMS, with the divine intervention of the Lord, worked together to save the life of a little girl.

At Heaven’s Edge: True Stories of Faith and Rescue describes my first years with the rescue squad, from my school years when I spent summers working at the beach through my first years as a physical therapist. One of the nice things about being a physical therapist is that I’ve been able to follow some of our patients from their original 911 calls through their time in the hospital. My hope is that people will be inspired or comforted by my stories.

At Heaven’s Edge: True Stories of Faith and Rescue is available through online retailers such as Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Christian retailers. You can read more about the book at my website: andreajorodgers.com.

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