GOD’s ECOSYSTEM 2015

I had never heard of IANDS, International Association for Near-Death Studies, until I read a recent article on The Atlantic.com by Gideon Lichfield (3/2015). I had my reservations but after reviewing IANDS professional research organization, I wanted to share my trauma - lifethreating occurrences.

According to Greyson & Bush studies, I experienced a distressing near-death experience NDE (07/2000) which integrated a portion of the fourth rarest of all NDEs, third and second NDE types. My second (02/2012) life-threating occurrence was not like the first. The balancing life and enjoying the love of family has been challenging and rewarding. Carol, my wife and I have been married 39 years. Our three kids are grown-up and married. My parents were from Mexico. We retired early so we live a simple lifestyle in Colorado, USA. Before I start to share my occurrences, I want to provide you a brief bio of myself. I was a versatile, results-oriented cost engineering professional with experience in architectural and engineering work related to aerospace, energy, and high-tech manufacturing industries.

Over time, my after effects have been positive with an increase in spiritual sensitivity. After my 2000 distressing NDE, I was moved to write a paper titled “Rite of Passage.” I didn’t know how to share this occurrence expect to record it at the U.S. Copyright Office (below original verb tense). I expressed myself in the only way I knew - the experience was so profound.

My faith in GOD allowed me to survive a near death experience. I rejoice knowing that GOD’s love is more powerful than evil’s power. Prayers by family, friends, and others demonstrated the power of prayer.

Before I get into my story, I first want to tell you about my wonderful family. My wife, Carol and I have been married for 24 years. We have had our bad times and lots of great times together. We have two girls, Raquel and Renee, in college and a son, Miguel, a junior in high school. Currently, Carol works for, Mission of Mercy, a nonprofit organization and I work with DOE. I’d like to think that we’re a typical family with normal growing pains. Trying to write down what happened to me has been difficult because I was scared of sharing what GOD allowed me to experience. Carol helped me fill in some of the details of my accident because I was unconscious or incoherent. While unconscious, I saw and felt a spiritual dimension that is real outside our human body. This revelation is not supposed to be kept a secret. It is to be shared with believers and non-believers. The love, faith, and hope that we have in GOD will make a difference in our eternal life. I want to express this in simple terms so that people will know my words are from GOD because he loves all his children. The following circumstance led up to my revelation.

When possible we try to do our own home improvements. Well this year, we decided to paint the outside of our house on Saturday, July 2, 2000. I had gone though the same old process of power washing, caulking, priming, and then painting. On this occasion Carol and Miguel were helping me. Their presence and help from our neighbors enabled me to receive emergency treatment when I fell 25 to 30 feet. I was up on a ladder priming the chimney. I don’t recall the fall but I know that I hit head first on a landscape timber. Carol and Miguel witnessed my fall.

Tears come to my eyes as I write this because of the horror they must have felt watching me bounce off the ground, hearing the sound of my body crunch, and seeing the endless stream of blood coming from my head. They did not know at the time whether I was dead or alive. I should have broken my neck upon impact and died. GOD interceded from the very beginning. Carol said that when the EMT’s moved certain parts of my body I jumped about a foot in the air. The spirit of GOD didn’t allow me to feel this extreme pain in my body. I arrived at the Hospital around 1:30 in the afternoon. I was immediately taken into the trauma room. The ER physicians recognized the serious head injury and stopped the bleeding. After examining me, they saw that I had broken the entire left eye orbit around my face. This meant that the bone structure above and below my eye was crushed and required reconstructive surgery. The eye itself was pushed back slightly. The fall injured my left shoulder severely but it wasn’t broken. Carol described the welt as a large softball on my shoulder. Next, came the fact that I had broken both wrists that required additional surgery.

After the initial examination, the doctors realized that my head injury was very critical because my brain was swelling. They decided to put off any surgery until they were able to determine if my brain was swelling internally or externally. Internal swelling would have brought on more complications even death. They prepared my wife for the worst case but held hope that external brain swelling would improve my chances. Throughout this, GOD was in control of me physically and spiritually. This was the second time that I faced death and given my last rights. On Sunday morning, the doctors observed that my brain was swelling externally. They immediately took me into surgery to repair my wounds. While they rolled me into the operating room, Carol whispered to me to stay focused on the Lord.

During this entire time, GOD was revealing to me a spiritual world that exists. What I am about to say scares me more than anything on this earth. I served as an Army paratrooper, volunteered for a tour in Vietnam, and was decorated as a combat infantryman. I have felt the fear of war. I have done things that I’m not proud of and experienced life’s pleasure along the way. I realize the situations we face in life can be very disturbing and painful but it does not even compare to what lies ahead of us. I know that a lot of you have heard or may have already endured “the light at the end of the tunnel near death experience.”

I was allowed to see and feel numerous things in this spiritual journey. Without the faith, hope, and love in GOD, evil’s power will confuse and overwhelm you in this spiritual transition from our human body after death. Special people are given that rite of passage through this spiritual transformation into GOD’s kingdom. I can’t honestly tell you the order of things as they happened but I know the Holy Spirit was protecting me. Our human senses allow us to feel, hear, see, and touch. We all have certain characteristics such as kindness, anger, revenge, love, greed, giving, sexual desires, the list is endless. These are unique feelings and spiritualities that we all have or undergo at some stage of our life. At some point in my spiritual journey, my human nature and free will was brought forward and I felt my immoral acts that occurred in my life.

I had to decide between those satisfactions or GOD’s love. It felt like I was in hurricane force winds, crawling toward what GOD was offering or being pulled by evil’s temptations. Those who give in to those temptation are lost forever.

Then I saw what looked like oceans and oceans of souls in hell. There were hundreds of millions of lost loved ones. I felt their horror, pain, and torture. The wailing and hurt they were projecting at me was so intense, I couldn’t stop it. I could not tell the depth of the oceans but I know that it is real. When I first shared this with my wife and children, I couldn’t stop crying.

Along this passage, I was being attacked by spiritualities that wanted to penetrate my soul and spirit. They were unmerciful and all I could do was yell. But the spirit of GOD protected and shielded me from these acts of violence. I had no control of the situation but GOD did. Then I saw the entryway into heaven and I stood before it. I felt GOD’s incredible love and peace. There was a gentle radiance coming from his presence. In my journey, I did not see any denominational signs because GOD loves all his children. GOD knew that I could only handle so much but one thing for sure GOD’s love is more powerful than evil’s power. After three days, I came out of my unconsciousness. Carol said that I awoke with a spirit of gentleness, humbleness, kindness, and patience. These are GOD’s gifts for me and I want to share them with you because I’m alive. I still have my faults and feelings. I hope that you, your loved ones, and my family will be granted the rite of passage through this spiritual world.

It is our human nature to be scared. One evening while I was recovering in the hospital, I had a troubled night and when I awoke my oldest daughter, Raquel, was sitting next to me praying. I asked how she was doing and if she had a restful night. She told me that she felt the presence of evil all around. I shared with her that evil paid us a visit last night. Just because I survived this accident it doesn’t mean that evil will stop stalking any of us. I want to thank the EMT’s from the Woodmoor Fire Station, the ER staff at Penrose for the 30 stitches in my head and their professional care. Thanks to the plastic surgeon that placed all that titanium around my eye, thanks to Dr. Robert Schutt who performed the surgery on my two broken wrists. A special thanks to my loving and beautiful wife, Carol, who cared for me as if I was a baby again. And I want to thank my children for their caring hearts and prayers. Miguel is 16 years old, the same age I was when I saw my father fall and die. I want to close by saying, “Thy kingdom come, GOD’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

End of my 2000 distressing NDE.

Looking back, the ensuing years were interesting. I felt the wonderment of life and the corporate stress of complex interactions within advanced industries. I felt grateful and humbled as I opened up to the spirituality of life.

My second (2012) life-threating occurrence was not like the first. On February 23, 2012, I underwent what should have been outpatient surgery at St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. I had sleep apnea. My surgery included Septoplasty, Inferior Turbinoplasty, UPPP (Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty). Based on what Carol understood the anesthesiologist, did not properly close my surgery. I suffered a “negative pressure pulmonary edema” in both of my lungs filled up with blood and fluids. Almost simultaneously, I incurred an “acute respiratory distress” my throat airway passage swelled and nearly closed. I survived! While I was in the intensive care unit for three days I remember telling my wife that I was sorry I came back. My physical recovery was the most grueling experience that I have ever been through. My surgery was bitter sweet because it was a painful failure - given that my sleep apnea was minimized. Again, I was humbled and given another message to share. The first message I received from God “take care of your family”. This has been very personal to me and I have honored and continue to honor His message. The second message was “God is ageless. He created all the cosmos. His absolute love for His creations is eternal. His love, faith, and hope were His gifts to us since our conscious beginning, share them. Evilness continues to grow.” I respect the humanistic eed or desire for religion but I truly realize that God is bigger than one religion.

I hope IANDS has an open mind concerning my experiences and takes into account a spiritual dimension and extraterrestrial life may have in common with human affairs.