After surviving a serious accident, a young man commits his life to Christ.

It was a quiet evening in Olanchito when the phone rang in the Martínez home. Mrs. Martínez picked it up. “Hello?”

“¡Hermana! Samir has been in an accident!” the relative on the other end cried, her voice frantic with worry.

Samir’s mother clutched the phone. “What happened? Where is he?”

“His motorcycle lost control and wrecked half a block from the church, by my house. The neighbors ran to help him. It’s very bad. I didn’t even recognize him at first because his face was so bruised! We found a vehicle to take him to the hospital, and he is on his way there now.”

Samir’s mother looked at the clock. It was 9:30 pm. “I’ll meet him at the hospital,” she said, holding back tears and praying silently for strength and peace.

When she arrived at the hospital, she gasped, as even she was unable to recognize Samir lying there on the stretcher. “Are you sure this is my son?” she asked in disbelief. The attending doctor informed her that Samir’s condition was critical and that he must be transferred to the larger hospital in San Pedro Sula immediately.

During the ambulance ride, the paramedics noticed that Samir’s breathing became labored and raspy—a sound known as the “death rattle.” They looked at each other with worried glances.

At the hospital, the emergency doctor examined him and shook his head. “I’m so sorry,” he told Samir’s mother. “Your son is brain-dead. He is unlikely to make it through the night.”

But Samir’s mother refused to give up hope. At Samir’s bedside, she whispered, “Lord, You are the God of life. Your purposes know no haste and no delay.* If it is Your will, save my son.”

Against all odds, Samir survived the night, and then the following day. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. A year later, he sat across from his doctor during a check-up.

“We don’t understand how you’re alive,” the doctor admitted. “With a brain injury that severe, you shouldn’t have woken up. You may never fully remember the accident or the month surrounding it, but you have exceeded all our expectations.”

Samir nodded, the words of Philippians 4:13 running through his mind: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

One night, while resting in his bed, a terrifying thought gripped Samir. What if I had died that night? What if I had never woken up?

He had heard about the two resurrections in the Bible—one for the righteous, and one for the wicked. And deep in his heart, he knew the truth. “If I had died that night,” he whispered to himself, “I wouldn’t have been in the first resurrection. I wasn’t living for God.”

Tears welled up in his eyes. “God, You saved me for a reason,” he prayed. “I won’t waste this second chance.”

Samir joined a Bible study group and began to learn about salvation through Christ. For the first time, he began to grasp the depth of Christ’s love and sacrifice. One Sabbath morning that he remembers with joy, he approached the pastor after the service and asked to be baptized.

Today, Samir attends church every Sabbath with his mother, his brother and his little daughter. He serves faithfully in the church, using his testimony to encourage others.

To the young people, he pleads: “Don’t wait for something tragic to happen before you turn to God. The world offers nothing lasting. Choose Jesus now.”

Samir’s story is a living reminder of the psalmist’s words: “If Jehovah did not help me, soon my soul would dwell in silence. When I said, ‘My foot slips,’ Your mercy, O Lord, sustained me” (Psalms 94:17–18).  

* See The Desire of Ages, page 32.

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Location
Honduras

Author
Told by Samir Martínez to Elmer Aguilar, a pastor in the Jacon district of Honduras.

How You Can Help
Pray for Samir’s new life in Christ, that it will have an impact on other young people living in this world.  

Pray for the radio and television programs in Honduras to continue reaching people who otherwise might never hear the truth!

Give to broadcast the Three Angels’ Messages in the Catholic country of Honduras by sending your donation marked “Honduras” to: 

Mission Projects International
PO Box 237
Kirksville, MO 63501

To give securely online, visit: 
www.missionspro.org/donate