In sharing an experience that happened to her three years ago, YouTube blogger Mara Ophelia has shown the power of a praying mother, and having faith in God.
The event that changed her life all started on a morning when she was heading to work. She was a bit late for the 6:30 shift she was on. Living close to work, she normally left at 6:00 a.m., but that particular morning, the usual commuters, who would be gathered at the bus stop, were missing. She remembered a ‘white plate’ taxi pulling up, and, not wanting to be late, she took it.
“As soon as the car moved off, the back windows went up. So, I was looking at the doors, and I realised that there was no handle; the door handle was broken. By the time I looked over to the other side, that was also broken,” she shared.
A young man, who was seated beside the driver when she entered the taxi, jumped to the back where she was sitting in the middle. She shifted away, but he grabbed her neck, pulling her towards him.
She instinctively started to resist and struggled to escape, all while attempting to find some way to open the door. It was then that he took out a pepper spray bottle, spraying the contents in her eyes, while uttering expletives and hitting her all over her face.
When she realised that escape was cut off from her, Mara said she started to pray.
“I was like, ‘God; let this not be my story. God, I don’t want this to be the way I die, I don’t want my parents or my family to hear that I go missing and find my body somewhere. Lord, this is not my story,’” she beseeched.
While praying, she said a sense of calm invaded her spirit, and she started pleading with her attacker not to kill her; she would give him whatever he wanted. His response was to burst into laughter, then turn to the driver with the comment, ‘She thinks I am going to kill her.’
Mara said she placed her handbag and phone on the front seat, and she also went into the top pocket of her blouse where her ID and $500 were. This was the only money she had on her to give him.
He started to search her pocket, but she assured him it was the only cash she had. He eventually left her pocket alone.
“By this time, guys, I had wet myself about two or three times already, sweating profusely and making myself a mess. The Spirit kept telling me to remain calm and cooperate, and give them anything they wanted.
“He started to say, ‘I’m not going to kill you.’ I realised by this that I was out of the area where I was living and working at the time. I was on another main road heading to God-knows-where. He started to ask the driver to turn off.”
She began to pray earnestly again, stating, “Lord, this is not it; this is not how I am going to die.”
“I’m not going to be another statistic, Lord,” she stressed, remarking that at the time, there were a lot of incidents involving persons being kidnapped on taxis, people going missing, and some returning with stories of being raped.
When the driver turned off, she heard her captor instruct the driver to let her out. The driver slowed down, opened the door, and she was pushed from the vehicle. The entire drive was a little over five minutes, but for Mara, it seemed like a lifetime.
Scratched, face swollen, lips cut from the blows, and unable to see properly, she was thankful she met a lady, who was sweeping the front of her business place.
After telling her story, the lady called the police for assistance.
“During all of this, I did not know that for that month, my mother was doing a 30-day prayer for her daughters. I didn’t know this; all of this just taught me that in life, we all have our purpose, and there is still something for me to do. This might be part of sharing my story. My faith in that situation allowed me to trust God. My story is still being written daily, and my purpose is being fulfilled or is to be fulfilled,” she said.
The following Sunday, Mara went to church and poured it all out to God, renewing her commitment to Him.