"Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear you, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You.  In the presence of the sons of men!” (Psalms 31:19)

 God indeed works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His Purpose. (Romans 8:28) Last month I had an accident on a tractor while mowing with a brush-hog at my parents place. The lot I was mowing is part of  their 30 acres.  It was left un-attended after Hurricane Ike.  Since the hurricane, it really has been quite busy  for all of us.  Never the less, I felt in my heart I had neglected my responsibility to clean up this section. Therefore I had made it a priority to get this lot mowed, and made the time on Saturday, May 30th. I remember the 45-minute drive to my parent’s house as a worship filled time. As I drove I listened to a favorite worship CD and I was praising God for His goodness. When I arrived I observed what needed to be mowed & then asked God for wisdom & protection. This was not the first time for me to mow this field. I have been assisting in mowing the lot since 1985.  But little did I know I was about to encounter a serious interruption.  I have had experiences with potential dangers before, but nothing like what awaited me an hour into my work.  I was making a pass between two trees when suddenly a two inch branch wrapped it self around the left rear tire. This branch then proceeded by whopping me in the head. Yet not finished, it then worked itself down &  up under the tractor.  It  forcefully plunged into my left leg, ripping my flesh to the bone & twisting my ankle at the same time. This event was happening while the brush-hog on back of the tractor was mulching everything in its path. It was a perfect scenario by the enemy to bring about my demise. This branch, I truly believe was meant to knock me off the tractor & under the brush-hog. But God had sent Heavenly Host accompanying me to keep me on the tractor & safe. After the branch finished its trauma to my leg, I had the instinct to shut the mower down & turn off the ignition to the tractor. I examined my left leg & there was blood rapidly pulsating through my pant leg. I knew it was serious and  thought an artery had been severed. I was about 100 yards from my parents house. I remember being told when you have a serious wound & bleeding not to panic, to remain calm.  This proved to be challenging. After seeing the extent of the injury, I was greatly concerned that no one would hear me if I sat down & shouted for help. I sensed urgency & took off running,  bleeding profusely, and yelling . Praise to God, my sister was outside in her garden (next to my parents house) and she heard my cries for help & came running. My sister & mom became extremely overwhelmed  after seeing my injured leg and the amount of  blood loss, as my shoe had fast filled with blood. My brother in law applied pressure to my wound until Paramedics arrived and I was taken by air ambulance to a hospital in Beaumont TX. This was just the beginning of my encounter with a serious injury & experiencing “God’s goodness”. As soon as my wife heard about my injury she immediately began praying and alerted others to intercede on my behalf.  While in the ER, I was treated with pain medicine (morphine). I was thankful for the medicine that was relieving my pain, but at the same time I was being entertained with thoughts of old feelings toward my heroin addiction of the past. I quickly took those thoughts captive & into the obedience of Christ” (2 Corn. 10:3-5). I gave God praise! I thanked Him for His goodness & simply acknowledged His presence. My thoughts were then directed towards  Philippians 4:8 “Whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things”. The doctor then began to give us his healing assessment (two months minimal). My wound was irrigated, sutured, and also a drainage tube inserted. I was referred to an orthopedic surgeon, due to the depth and severity of the wound. One week later I had surgery & was given special instructions on the care of the leg & foot.  What was initiated to bring harm has become a testimony of God’s intervention. The prognosis was turned around as my recovery has been speedily and divinely enhanced.  What have I gleaned through all of this? There is not enough page to share all, but a few things I will mention. I have observed first hand Romans 8:28 springing into manifestation before my eyes. I have witnessed again the power of  Intercession and might of agreement.  I have experienced that the keeping of focus is truly spiritual warfare.  Our adversary has plots to kill us at best, and if not wipe us out completely, to distract us in such a manner to render us ineffective from our destiny. God gave Deb and I  opportunities to minister to other patients,  & medical professionals.  We decided to make it count. The branch that was sent to destroy me has become a branch of goodness. I want to  thank everyone for your love, prayers & words of encouragement to Deb & I.
We love you!        
Rocky Fondren