Maria Avellaneda and Denise Fouts were invited to the annual Kairos three-day weekend outreach at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River, Alaska, joining 21 Christian women of varying denominations to witness to inmates for Christ. Early one November Sabbath morning, both headed to the facility. It had snowed the night before, and the roads were slippery. The women traveled a little more than a mile when the vehicle swung 180 degrees and slid toward a ditch.
The truck flipped and landed on its top, leaving both hanging by their seatbelts. After checking to make sure they were both okay, they released their seatbelts and dropped to the roof of the vehicle. They crawled out of the car and climbed up to the road praying and thanking God for safety.
Fouts' husband and a police officer arrived minutes later. Despite their accident they were still faithful to witness for Christ that Sabbath and went to the facility.
When they arrived at the correctional facility, Nan Peters, an Adventist and Kairos' leader, greeted them with tears of joy. Peters asked the congregation to form a circle praising the Lord for keeping the two "Sabbath keepers," alive. It was a time of testimony for Adventists as Peters presented Sabbath as the day Jesus kept while on this earth doing His Father's will. There were questions of faith as leaders and guests alike asked about the Sabbath. Because of this brave and unusual witness some inmates have begun attending the Adventist Bible study on Thursday nights. God used an accident to reveal His truth in a place where otherwise no doctrine would be allowed.
Pictured here are: Maria Avellaneda and Denise Fouts.
Pictured here are: Maria Avellaneda and Denise Fouts.
Maria Avellaneda and Denise Fouts survive an accident, climb out of the car and witness as Sabbath-keepers about the event moments later.
