When one thinks of Mardi Gras at New Orleans, one rarely thinks of life and death situations. But that’s exactly where Gerry Ponson and a friend of his found themselves a few years ago. At the time, Ponson was not a man of faith, though his sister, Penny, tried to encourage faith in him. “I told him, ‘Even if you reject Him, God loves you, and you can’t do a thing about it!’” she’s said. Gerry’s response was to tell Penny to “get out of the house.” That year, Gerry and his friend Mac had their annual duck hunting outing, along with Mac’s dog, Booga. This year was especially important to the duo as Mac had just lost his wife of 45 years.

They set out on their trip on a chilly 30-degree day. While the day started off promising, Ponson soon grew concerned over the rising wind, which brought with it rising waves. The Gulf is notorious for fast-forming storms, and pretty soon the three occupants found their ship flipped over and were thrown into the freezing cold water, with hypothermia a very real risk. They managed to thrust the ship’s 10-ft push pole into the water, leaving them with something to hold onto. Gerry struggled to keep both Mac and Booga afloat, so he shooed Booga towards shore, hoping the dog would somehow make it.

After over an hour of waiting to be found with no help in sight in the growing fog, Gerry soon began to lose hope. Mac was tired and didn’t feel he could hold on much longer. Gerry then remember what his sister had said to him. He decided to pray. “If you’re there — please send us a boat. Please, give me a second chance,” he begged. Less than a minute later, a hole appeared in the fog and a boat appeared. Mac waved his shirt in desperation. Soon, the ship sent a smaller boat over to rescue the two men. As Gerry arrived aboard, he saw the boat’s name: Second Chance.

As if that wasn’t a miracle enough, Booga was waiting for them on the pier, alive and well. Gerry’s girlfriend Shannon was also waiting for him and he didn’t waste any time on his second chance. He asked Shannon to marry him. The couple were married on Easter Sunday that spring. The changes didn’t stop there. Gerry had a new-found faith, leading him into ministry. Today he continues to share his amazing story as a street preacher.