{"id":22350,"date":"2026-04-08T16:54:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T20:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=22350"},"modified":"2026-04-08T16:54:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T20:54:35","slug":"skeptic-comes-to-faith-after-hunting-trip-that-nearly-killed-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2026\/04\/skeptic-comes-to-faith-after-hunting-trip-that-nearly-killed-him.html","title":{"rendered":"Skeptic Comes to Faith After Hunting Trip That Nearly Killed Him"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Adobe Stock | Inset: Gerry Ponson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When one thinks of Mardi Gras at New Orleans, one rarely thinks of life and death situations. But that\u2019s 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. \u201cI told him, \u2018Even if you reject Him, God loves you, and you can\u2019t do a thing about it!\u2019\u201d she\u2019s said. Gerry\u2019s response was to tell Penny to \u201cget out of the house.\u201d That year, Gerry and his friend Mac had their annual duck hunting outing, along with Mac\u2019s dog, Booga. This year was especially important to the duo as Mac had just lost his wife of 45 years.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t feel he could hold on much longer. Gerry then remember what his sister had said to him. He decided to pray. \u201cIf you\u2019re there \u2014 please send us a boat. Please, give me a second chance,\u201d 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\u2019s name: Second Chance.<\/p>\n

As if that wasn\u2019t a miracle enough, Booga was waiting for them on the pier, alive and well. Gerry\u2019s girlfriend Shannon was also waiting for him and he didn\u2019t 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\u2019t stop there. Gerry had a new-found faith, leading him into ministry. Today he continues to share his amazing story as a street preacher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When one thinks of Mardi Gras at New Orleans, one rarely thinks of life and death situations. But that\u2019s 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. \u201cI…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":22353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages"],"yoast_head":"\nSkeptic Comes to Faith After Hunting Trip That Nearly Killed Him<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Saved from icy Gulf waters, Gerry Ponson\u2019s desperate prayer is answered by a boat named Second Chance, leading him to faith, love.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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