A Stranger Threw My Son off the Balcony | Ep. 84

0:02Speaker 1:On the second floor of this side of the mall, you can see people running and screaming and running into stores. And in the distance, through the glass, I could see there was a small boy on the floor at the bottom level of the mall. And I turned to my friend Allie and I said, Allie, there's a child.

0:25Speaker 2:It's a child on the floor.

0:31Speaker 3:This is The Miracle Files. I'm Emily Jones.

0:35Speaker 4:And I'm Holly Worthington. We're two sisters who love a captivating true story, but we're also seeking more light in our lives.

0:43Speaker 3:So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable, uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us on this journey.

0:55Speaker 4:Welcome back to The Miracle Files. Boy, do we have a story for you today. I know.

1:00Speaker 3:This is another intense story, especially if you're a parent. Because I know for me as a mom, I would do anything for my children. And this is a story that is a reminder that we are not always in control of what happens to our children.

1:14Speaker 5:No.

1:14Speaker 3:Bad things happen.

1:16Speaker 4:God is in control. And when evil comes knocking in this story, you're going to be so impressed with this mother's strength to stand against it.

1:24Speaker 5:I know.

1:25Speaker 3:She is incredible. She's like the type of person. Have you heard that quote that says, be the kind of person when you wake in the morning and your feet hit the ground, the devil's like, oh crap, she's up. Yes, that describes Carrie perfectly. She's incredible.

1:40Speaker 4:She is.

1:41Speaker 3:Okay, well, let's get started. All right, let's go. Carrie was just 11 years old when a stranger's voice woke her in the middle of the night. Get up. Don't scream. A man in his 20s had broken into her family's home. He carried a loaded gun and had wrapped a tablecloth around his face, concealing himself from head to toe. One by one, he woke the family, Carrie's brother, her sister, and finally her parents. Then the intruder marched them all downstairs.

2:21Speaker 3:While everyone stood frozen in fear, Carrie's father did something she would never forget.

2:27Speaker 2:And the whole time, my dad is praying out loud for God to be in this room. He was also praying in tongues just out loud to confuse the man. And he was saying, kids pray, everybody pray.

2:39Speaker 3:The stranger demanded the keys to the family car.

2:42Speaker 2:So he kept saying, where's the keys? Where's the keys? My mom kept saying, I need to go to the bathroom. Can I get glasses? I have to get clothes. You know, all these things just to try to confuse this guy while my dad's praying.

2:52Speaker 3:But young Carrie was terrified. She knew where the keys were, and all she wanted was to hand them over so the man wouldn't get angry.

3:01Speaker 2:So I said, they're in the car. And he said, okay, we're going to go out into the garage. So his plan was to tie us up in the trunk, and then have my mom take him to cash machines to get cash.

3:14Speaker 3:Carrie was first into the garage. She ran to the car, grabbed the keys, and held them up. It was at that exact moment that Carrie's father heard God say to him just one word, now.

3:28Speaker 2:Now. My dad grabbed the gun, punched the man, got him to the ground and just kept pinning him in the face, telling my sister to go call the police. He kept saying, I give up, I give up. My dad said, well, if you give up, let the gun go. And he would not let the gun go. And so my mom was prying his fingers off this gun while he bit her in the leg. And they finally got the gun. My mom ran and put the gun underneath the seat of the car. The police get there. And they said, good thing you didn't let him up because he had a knife in his back pocket.

3:58Speaker 3:It would be a long time before Carrie understood what God had shown her that night. But she would understand. She would know what to do when evil came again. Years later, as an adult, Carrie was living the ordinary life of a busy mother of three. Her twins were seven at the time, and her youngest son, Landon, was five. Landon was sweet and bright and ready for kindergarten. At his preschool conference, His teachers told Carrie he knew all his letters and numbers, he could write his name, and he would do well with any teacher. It was the most encouraging conference Carrie had ever had. That same day, Carrie's friend was also at the school for her own son's conference. And afterward, they decided to do something all together to celebrate the last day of preschool.

4:51Speaker 2:And so we decided, let's take the boys to go do something fun. They're moving on to kindergarten. This is a big step. We'll go do something fun.

4:58Speaker 3:The two mothers discussed it and chose a destination for their celebration, the Mall of America. This wasn't just any shopping mall. Spanning more than 120 acres, the Mall of America is truly massive. In fact, it's the largest mall in the United States. It was a really cold, snowy day in April. So we decided to just do the Crayola experience at the mall.

5:25Speaker 2:And so we got in our cars and we started driving. And at the time, I just had this overwhelming peace inside of me that I want to call my husband and tell him what a good boy Landon is. And my husband travels for work and he's always on the phone and always taking calls. So I don't ever interrupt him. But I did that morning. And I just told him, you know, we should just be so thankful for Landon. This is amazing. And Landon was in the backseat coloring on his water bottle with some markers.

5:51Speaker 3:And so it was just a really peaceful morning. But when Carrie pulled into the mall parking ramp, another feeling came over her.

6:02Speaker 2:I just got a really overwhelming feeling that I should pray for protection.

6:07Speaker 3:It kind of caught her off guard. The Mall of America was close to their house. Carrie went there often. Black Friday was one of her favorite days to shop. Sure, it was also a huge tourist attraction, and she always had a small sense that something could happen in a place like that.

6:24Speaker 2:Still.

6:25Speaker 3:She had never prayed this way before walking in. This time was different. Without understanding why, Carrie said a prayer.

6:32Speaker 2:I just pleaded the blood of Jesus over us. I asked guardian angels to go before us to protect us in all our ways. And then I parked.

6:45Speaker 3:Without giving it another thought, Carrie went on with her morning. It was about 9.45 and most of the retail stores would not open until 10. Carrie, her friend, and the two boys took the escalator to the third floor. The corridors were mostly empty, except for a few mall walkers and workers. A cleaning woman pushed a cart nearby as the boys ran ahead, excited and laughing.

7:11Speaker 2:We get to the Rainforest Cafe, which is right outside where the Crayola factory is. And so it wasn't open yet, and so we were just sitting there talking. And the boys were super excited, and there's rocks there that says, please don't step on these rocks. but the boys were stepping on it because you can't see the alligator if you don't. And so they were looking over the edge, you know, at that alligator there, waiting for it to come. It usually goes back and forth and up and down and has steam coming in and out, and it wasn't on.

7:37Speaker 3:As the boys waited for the mechanical alligator to come to life, they didn't notice a man lingering nearby. Then, without a word, he walked over to them. The man wore jeans and a short-sleeved T-shirt. Strange clothing for a snowy April morning. Carrie assumed he worked there. Maybe he was maintenance. Maybe he was about to turn the alligator on. The man leaned on the rocks beside the boys and began to whisper. Landon's friend was closest to him. Landon leaned over from the other side, listening. The boys giggled.

8:13Speaker 3:His words were too quiet for Carrie to hear, so she stepped toward the man.

8:18Speaker 2:And so I said to him, excuse me, do you not want us to be here You know, I thought maybe he needed to work. And he smiled at me and he said, oh, no, no, you're fine. So I thought, okay.

8:30Speaker 3:Carrie took a few steps back. The man kept whispering and the boys kept laughing. Curious, Carrie moved closer again.

8:39Speaker 2:And so I thought, what is he saying? So I went over to him again and I said, should we get off the rock? And then he said, no, no, no, you're fine.

8:48Speaker 3:The stranger smiled casually at Carrie.

8:51Speaker 1:Then.

8:52Speaker 3:Without the slightest warning, the man lunged toward Landon. It happened so fast Carrie couldn't even react. The man picked Landon up under the arms, ran to the railing of the third floor balcony, and threw Landon over the edge. For one suspended second, Carrie's mind could not comprehend what her eyes had seen.

9:22Speaker 2:I was in complete shock. I mean, the rock to the balcony is not far at all. It's probably 10 feet.

9:28Speaker 3:And then she screamed. The man fell to the floor from the force of throwing Landon over the edge. Carrie remembers his shoes scrambling as he tried to get back up. But she wasn't focused on him. Her entire world had narrowed to one thing.

9:46Speaker 2:Landon.

9:48Speaker 3:She ran for her little boy.

9:49Speaker 2:And I was thinking, oh my gosh, somebody threw my baby. And I said, devil, take your hand off my son.

9:57Speaker 3:Carrie ran to the escalator, desperate to get to her son. Screams for help erupted out of her.

10:03Speaker 2:Somebody threw my baby. Somebody threw my baby. Everybody come. Everybody pray. I mean, I'd probably got down that escalator and it was three escalator flights. And I was the first one down there. When I got to the bottom, I couldn't find him. There was one woman. And I said, where is he? And she just pointed with her finger. And I ran and picked him up. And I don't remember what he looked like. I don't remember anything. I don't remember what position he was in or nothing, but I picked him up.

10:31Speaker 3:The woman feared Carrie would make her son's injuries worse.

10:35Speaker 2:And she yelled, put him down. You can't pick him up. You need to put him down. And so I put him down.

10:43Speaker 3:Landon lay lifeless on the hard floor.

10:46Speaker 2:No movement. No breathing.

10:49Speaker 3:Carrie looked around, frantic for someone, anyone to help. And then she lifted her eyes heavenward, knowing she needed strength and power beyond her own. She pleaded with God to spare the life.

11:05Speaker 2:Of her child.

11:12Speaker 3:Just moments earlier, a woman named Jessica Isaac and her friend Allie had been walking around the second story of the mall, waiting for a jewelry store to open, when they heard Carrie's nightmarish scream.

11:26Speaker 1:On the second floor of this side of the mall, you can see through glass on the railings, and you could see people running and screaming and running into stores. And We didn't know what it was. There was just a lot of shuffling around. And in the distance, through the glass, I could see there was a small boy on the floor at the bottom level of the mall. And I turned to my friend Allie and I said, Allie, there's a child. It's a child on the floor.

12:00Speaker 3:For most people, the sight of young Landon broken and bleeding on the floor would have been horrifying. But to Jessica and Allie, It was more than that. It was a call to action. You see, Jessica and Allie were both pediatric nurses. So without a second thought, they ran to the first floor. A woman stood nearby, screaming at the top of her lungs. At her feet lay a young boy, crumpled on the ground. They couldn't tell if he was still alive, but there was no time to hesitate.

12:34Speaker 3:They fell to their knees next to Landon.

12:37Speaker 1:And he wasn't moving. There's already some blood on the floor around him. And we knelt down and we felt for a pulse in a couple of different locations and we couldn't find a pulse. And I started chest compressions on this little boy. I did not know what had happened to him. We just ran to him on the floor and it was obvious that he must have fallen but it didn't make any kind of sense because he was kind of in the middle of this very wide open area and next to him was the escalator, but I didn't know what happened.

13:18Speaker 3:Jessica had performed CPR before, but never on a child with injuries like Landon's. Still, she continued the compressions. After a few minutes, a mall security guard took over CPR for Jessica. the security guard had a ventilation bag mask that Allie placed over Landon's mouth and began to pump. Jessica stood up and put her arm around Carrie as Carrie continued to scream. But Carrie didn't just scream out of desperation. She screamed with purpose. Jessica remembers the moment vividly.

13:56Speaker 1:She was looking up to all of those levels above her and all of those people and And she was saying, you need to pray for my son right now. Like she made eye contact. She pointed at people. She said, you pray for my son right now. He is not going to die today. He's not going to die. And she said, the enemy will not take him today. You need to pray. Everybody pray. And then people were saying, I got you, like pointing back at her. And she did not stop. Like she would quiet down and let me put her arm around her. We got her some water and then she would just throw off my arm and just begin like walking around and saying, please pray, like pray for him right now. Like he cannot die.

14:39Speaker 1:He will not die. He will not die. Landon, you will not die today. She was talking to him. She was talking to everyone and she did not stop the whole time. It just was a chilling moment that you can never forget.

14:56Speaker 3:As the mall filled with prayer, Various people took turns doing CPR on Landon. When one person would tire, another would take over. Finally, Carrie heard the words she had been begging God to hear.

15:09Speaker 2:And I heard one of the nurses say, he took a breath. And I said, yes, he took a breath. And so I'm like, everybody pray. And at this time, crowds started coming. And I needed everybody around there to pray. I was not letting Landon die. I just refused. And then he has a heartbeat. Yes, I was just cheering him on. I wanted Landon to hear my voice. I wanted him to fight for his life.

15:32Speaker 3:At last, paramedics arrived and put Landon on a stretcher. They ran down the halls, rushing Landon toward the ambulance. Carrie ran alongside them.

15:42Speaker 2:There was people staring all the way in the hallway. And the whole way out, I remember yelling, please pray, please pray.

15:47Speaker 3:Carrie climbed into the ambulance, but the paramedics told her to get out. They needed room to work.

15:54Speaker 2:As soon as I got out, I said, Landon, I'm here. Jesus has you.

15:58Speaker 3:For one second, Landon opened his eyes and looked at her. Then the EMTs closed the doors. Could this be the last time Carrie would ever see those precious eyes? No, Carrie pushed away any thoughts of doubt or fear. Instead, she chose faith. She knew God. She trusted Him. And she knew, even if she couldn't be with Landon, God would be. On Friday, April 12, 2019, just before 10 a.m., Emmanuel Aranda walked into the Mall of America. The day before, he had spent hours in the mall approaching women. After repeated rejection, he returned the next morning angry and determined to hurt someone. As he wandered through the nearly empty mall, he noticed two young boys innocently climbing on a display of rocks. He whispered to them, if you don't get off this rock... I'm going to throw you over the edge.

17:13Speaker 3:The boys laughed, thinking he was joking.

17:17Speaker 2:He wasn't.

17:18Speaker 3:Moments later, he grabbed five-year-old Landon, carried him to the edge of a third-story balcony, and threw him over. Then he ran. He sprinted past Stunt's shoppers, down the escalators, and toward the blue line train. Freedom was only a few steps away. Yet as he rushed toward its doors, he was suddenly knocked over.

17:41Speaker 2:Out of nowhere, this old man came and just like body checked him. And he went flying to the ground. This man just thought running that fast there must have been something he did.

17:52Speaker 3:Without knowing what had happened inside the mall, the older man instinctively held Emmanuel down until police arrived. Just as officers reached them, the train pulled away. But this is not Emmanuel Aranda's story. This is five-year-old Landon's story. This is Carrie's story. This is a story about a mother who had learned at an early age to pray in life's darkest moments. And she was yielding that power of prayer now like a mighty sword and shield. As the ambulance raced toward the hospital, carrying young Landon inside of it, Carrie rode behind in a police car, willing herself to focus on God. Officers asked Carrie questions. Her name, her address, details they needed. But Carrie could hardly bear to answer.

18:50Speaker 2:I just needed my mind to be with God. I just needed Landon to live. And God was the only one who could help him. And so as soon as we get to the hospital, we pull into this garage. And at this time, there's all kinds of news media and cameras and things there. So they were really nice to get me into this garage and shut the door really fast.

19:11Speaker 3:In an emergency like Landon's, specialists normally had to be called in, but that morning, unbelievably, an entire team was already in the hospital. The medical team wheeled Landon into a large trauma room, and Carrie climbed onto a chair, standing so she could see him. His body was bruised, torn apart, broken. Doctors worked quickly to stabilize his blood pressure, assess his eyes, repair his body, and save his life. Carrie was not someone who normally prayed loudly in front of people, but she had learned years before, when a stranger had entered their family home, meaning them harm, when evil had come calling, her father didn't just pray silently.

19:57Speaker 3:He prayed out loud. And on this day, Carrie did the same. Standing there on a chair in the corner of the room, as doctors worked, the words poured out of her.

20:10Speaker 2:And I just yelled, God be in this room. We need you, Jesus, to save him. Help the doctor's hands to save his life, to put him back together. I said, devil, you're taking nothing from us, nothing. I just knew it was an attack from him. I felt it in my spirit. And so I was doing anything that I could out loud to just resist him and tell him he has no place here. We are children of God and we are asking to be saved and put back together. And I'm not letting the enemy take one thing, nothing. And all the doctors were working on him. And one nurse yelled, if you don't need to be speaking, don't be speaking.

20:44Speaker 2:I need to know what his blood pressure is. And it was completely silent. And I yelled out, it's perfect. Because it just came out of me that I was claiming his body perfect in that moment. He is perfect. The devil's taking nothing. And that is what we are standing on. These doctors were so nice. They knew Lana needed to hear my voice.

21:10Speaker 3:Soon, doctors needed to take Landon for an MRI to see the extent of his brain injury.

21:15Speaker 2:And when they did that, I said, stop. I need to give him kisses. And they all stopped. They said, mom, kisses are very important. And so they stopped there, all broken, and I got to just kiss him everywhere. And then he went into the MRI, and then I fell to the ground.

21:33Speaker 3:Carrie's parents and brother arrived at the hospital and came running down the hallway. Together they fell to their knees, there on the hospital room floor with Carrie. That was when Carrie said something almost impossible to believe.

21:50Speaker 2:And I said, I forgive the man who threw Landon because I grew up in a church where I knew if I held on to anything from that man, that evil in my heart, that guy couldn't use me to heal Landon and I needed Landon to live. And so I just wanted to remove him. I knew he didn't know us. I know he didn't know Landon. He didn't want to hurt us. Something must be wrong with him. And so I wanted to remove him in that moment. And so I said, I forgive the man who threw this. God, please take him. And I didn't think about him again.

22:23Speaker 2:I really released him there so that I could totally have full coverage to God to save Landon.

22:32Speaker 3:For the rest of the day, doctors came one by one with reports. Landon's face had been shattered, but it could be repaired. His femur was broken, but bones could heal. His spleen had been removed, but he could live without it. His brain was the biggest question. The MRI report sounded optimistic, but the neurosurgeon was cautious. He did not want to give false hope.

23:00Speaker 2:He placed a brain drain in his head. and the spinal fluid had to get drained off for 10 days, and then after 10 days, they would test again.

23:08Speaker 3:Nothing was certain, but Carrie held on to hope. That first night in the hospital, after hours of surgery, Landon was moved upstairs. He was wrapped from head to toe. His eyes were closed. Tubes and machines surrounded him. Carrie's mother made a bed for her on the hospital room couch. The monitors beeped steadily through the night. To someone else, they might have sounded unnerving. To Carrie, they sounded like life. Ten days had passed since Landon had been thrown headfirst from a third-story balcony. Day and night, Carrie stayed by Landon's side, praying constantly and refusing to give up hope.

24:04Speaker 3:Her husband kept life steady at home for the twins. He came to the hospital every day, walked the halls, spoke with doctors, and protected Carrie from media and questions. But he could not bring himself to see Landon. It was just too painful. A cousin flew in from Washington, wrote scriptures on poster boards, taped them to the walls, fasted, and prayed by Landon's bed whenever Carrie slept. On Monday, April 22nd, Carrie woke up in her son's hospital room.

24:37Speaker 3:After 10 days of waiting, praying, and trusting God, the moment they had been waiting for arrived. It was time for the MRI.

24:47Speaker 2:I have a church I grew up in, and in the church I go to now, both the pastors came and prayed before that MRI. And my pastor that I grew up in came and anointed Landon with oil.

25:01Speaker 3:Carrie's family sat beside her, anxiously waiting for the news that would determine the next chapter of Landon's life. As soon as the brain doctor saw the results of the MRI, Carrie heard footsteps in the hallway.

25:16Speaker 2:And the brain doctor came running down the hallway. I'll never forget it. Smile, cheek to cheek, running down the hallway with his computer to show us. You know, I have no idea what his computer is showing me. And he said, you guys, from a brain standpoint, it looks like he fell off a bike. And we were just like, of course, we're going to get him back. And I didn't care anymore after that. Any other surgery we had to go through, any other fight we had to do to get his body back, it didn't matter anymore. After that day, when I knew we were going to get him back, that's all that mattered.

25:54Speaker 3:Carrie was going to get Landon back. The brain doctor explained that Landon might have some effects from the frontal lobe injury. He might be more impulsive or more outgoing someday, but Carrie didn't care. All she wanted was a walking, talking Landon. The next day, Landon was extubated and woke up. His daddy finally dared to see his little boy. Carrie still remembers the look on her husband's face as he nervously walked into the room.

26:25Speaker 2:I mean, I can still see him barely holding his breath, you know, trying to be happy. Hi, bud! You know, but barely breathing.

26:35Speaker 3:It broke Landon's father's heart to see his little boy so broken. But he knew, Carrie knew, Landon would heal. And they were right. Over the next several months, Landon had some setbacks and faced a long road to recovery. But those mama prayers... Those prayers prayed out loud at the top of her voice were both heard and answered. At some point along the way, Carrie learned Landon's attacker's name, and at first it startled her, but then it settled into her heart. Emmanuel, a name that means God is with us. A man who had done an incredibly evil act, and yet even his name spoke of God.

27:23Speaker 2:But how amazing the name of the man who threw him was God is with us. You can't even make that up. God is in this story, no matter what way you want to write it.

27:35Speaker 3:Carrie had forgiven Emmanuel before she knew his name. She had released him before she knew what would happen in court. The day before his sentencing, Carrie was asked to give an impact statement.

27:47Speaker 2:She declined.

27:49Speaker 3:But that night, as she lay in bed, She found herself thinking about the words she would say. Eventually, she got up, picked up one of Landon's little journals, and began to write. The next day, someone read her letter in court. Here's the actual courtroom recording of a portion of that moment.

28:12Speaker 6:On what was to be a normal day for us of fun and playing, a day meant for good, you chose to commit a horrific violent act. You chose evil over good and chose to take your hate and hurt out on my precious boy. I want you to know I forgive you. I don't get to judge you or hate you. Instead, I am full of God's love and I have overwhelming joy and peace in my body as I sit and watch my boy heal in miraculous ways right in front of my eyes.

28:44Speaker 3:Emmanuel had taken nothing from Carrie. This story was never his. This story belonged to God. Years later, Carrie still looks at Landon and feels wonder.

28:58Speaker 2:I mean, he couldn't be more perfect today. Loving life to the fullest. He loves fishing, so he cannot wait to go catch fish. And he doesn't care whose boat he's in. He just wants to go catch a fish. He plays hockey, baseball. There's nothing holding him back. Nobody would know. Every time he meets somebody new, he tells them the story. And he wants people to know what God did and who he is today. And he wants everybody to go to heaven. So he'll say, how can you look at me and then not believe that there's God?

29:27Speaker 3:Carrie had once watched her own father stand between evil and his family with nothing but courage, obedience, and a vocalized prayer. They had received a miracle back then. And years later, when darkness came again, she knew what to do. She prayed out loud with all her heart. And this time, the miracle she watched unfold was her son.

29:58Speaker 4:This story is such a great example of the power of faith and prayer. Yeah. And it is such a miracle that Landon survived falling from the third story.

30:08Speaker 2:Such a miracle.

30:09Speaker 3:I mean, you think these aren't just stories like in our houses that are like eight, nine feet tall.

30:14Speaker 2:No.

30:14Speaker 3:These are mall stories. So like I read an article that they estimate they're about 20 feet tall. So the fact that he survived that fall.

30:23Speaker 1:Yeah.

30:24Speaker 4:It's amazing.

30:24Speaker 5:But God.

30:25Speaker 2:That's all I can say.

30:26Speaker 3:And the fact that those nurses were there is also such a miracle. These are two nurses who actually worked at the hospital.

30:37Speaker 4:Pediatric nurses even.

30:38Speaker 3:Pediatric nurses. Jessica actually changed the name of Allie to protect her privacy.

30:44Speaker 4:Yeah, the other nurse.

30:45Speaker 3:Just so you guys know. But they were both absolutely heroes. And they weren't even supposed to be there that day. Here is what Jessica told us.

30:55Speaker 1:Allie and I were supposed to get together, and we were thinking of cross-country skiing, but what had happened the night before was a big snowstorm, and it was a really slushy snow, so it wasn't the kind that you could cross-country ski on. And so we resorted to something that we rarely do, and that was to go walk at a local mall. So we started walking, and we were on the second floor of the Mall of America, And unusually, my friend actually had a return to make at the mall. And we tried to get into this jewelry store. They still had their doors locked. And so the manager came to the door and she said, you can't come in because we're having our HVAC looked at.

31:41Speaker 1:So we kept walking. And that was pertinent because we just walked kind of around the corner and we started hearing screaming. This was the most miraculous thing that I've ever been a part of because we weren't really supposed to be walking there that day. It was a last minute decision. We almost went into the store and then within minutes, they put us right at the exact location to help this young man in a really low point of his life.

32:15Speaker 2:So awesome.

32:17Speaker 4:And Jessica said that if they had gone into the jewelry store, that they wouldn't have heard the commotion. And they probably wouldn't have arrived until like 15 minutes later.

32:26Speaker 3:Right. The Mall of America is huge. They would have not even been anywhere close to it.

32:31Speaker 4:And she said that she had just taken a CPR course. So it was fresh on her mind. And she said that made her feel way more comfortable helping Landon in that situation.

32:40Speaker 2:It's incredible.

32:40Speaker 3:I mean, this story was so amazing. It made national news. It was everywhere. And here's one of the clips that really stood out to me.

32:51Speaker 2:I believe that angels caught him because I prayed for angels coming in there. What did the doctors tell you?

32:55Speaker 5:All of them.

32:56Speaker 2:This is a miracle. He should not be here.

32:58Speaker 3:While being in the hospital was difficult, Landon also has many happy memories there.

33:04Speaker 2:What about the hospital do you remember?

33:05Speaker 5:Eating the popsicles.

33:10Speaker 4:I like popsicles too, Landon.

33:12Speaker 3:He is so cute. And it's just a reminder how young he is hearing.

33:16Speaker 2:His little voice. He's so little.

33:19Speaker 1:Yeah, I.

33:20Speaker 4:love how his mom said that she prayed for angels to be with them that day. And I fully believe that they did have angels with them.

33:30Speaker 3:Absolutely. I'm so grateful that there were angels there to help Landon. He's just the sweetest little boy. And actually, three years later, the news did another story about him. And here's that clip. When your friends ask you about what happened to you, what do you tell them?

33:45Speaker 5:I tell them that it was me. that got thrown. And they say, really? And then I show them everything on me. And then some people don't believe it, but I don't care if they do or not. I just care that lots of people do care about me and I care about them too.

34:08Speaker 4:He is such a great kid. And I'm so thankful that he survived this horrible experience.

34:13Speaker 3:I know he's so cute.

34:14Speaker 2:And It's amazing.

34:15Speaker 3:Carrie said that today you wouldn't even be able to tell anything happened, which is incredible.

34:20Speaker 2:So cool.

34:22Speaker 3:I can't fathom how anyone could do anything to hurt this precious little child.

34:28Speaker 4:I know.

34:29Speaker 3:He is so sweet.

34:30Speaker 4:Yeah. It's so hard to understand that. And I think we all have that question of why. Why would this man want to hurt.

34:37Speaker 3:This precious little boy?

34:38Speaker 4:And apparently Emmanuel had had several run-ins with the mall before he'd even been banned from the mall. At one point, I guess he'd thrown some water and tea at a woman who wouldn't buy him anything.

34:50Speaker 2:Yeah, he had a history there.

34:53Speaker 4:But Carrie says she really doesn't even want to focus on that. She doesn't want to focus on the evil act that was committed. She wants to focus on Forgiveness and moving forward and the miracle that took place that day.

35:06Speaker 2:Yeah.

35:07Speaker 4:But just so our listeners know, Emmanuel was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

35:12Speaker 5:Yeah.

35:13Speaker 3:For attempted first degree murder. And it's another example of forgiveness, like amazing people who can just forgive something like this. And it's just, you know, we can never understand why something like this happens. We will never understand why bad things happen to good people. But it does remind me of one of my favorite quotes that says, God can turn a mess into a message, a trial into a triumph, a test into a testimony, and a victim into a victory.

35:44Speaker 3:And obviously, what happened is incredibly tragic. But it's amazing to me to see the good that they have been able to find in this experience.

35:53Speaker 4:Yeah, so much good. And I know that Carrie's faith is inspirational to probably anyone who hears this story. I know it was to me. And what's cool to me is the generational effect of how her father's faith shaped Carrie's testimony. And then her faith has now shaped little Landon's testimony.

36:13Speaker 1:I know.

36:14Speaker 3:It's really cool to see that.

36:15Speaker 2:I know.

36:16Speaker 3:And Landon tells everyone that God saved him. It's so amazing that he now has that same faith passed on to him.

36:23Speaker 4:He does.

36:23Speaker 1:All right.

36:24Speaker 3:If you guys would like to learn more about Carrie's story, you can actually read her book. It's called Miracle at the Mall, The True Story of Landon Hoffman. And you can get it on Amazon. Definitely go check it out.

36:36Speaker 4:Go check it out. Well, thanks, Keri and Landon, for sharing your powerful story with us. It's one that I know will stay with me for a very long time.

36:46Speaker 2:Yeah.

36:47Speaker 4:And we appreciate everyone else for joining us today. If you haven't already, please subscribe and make sure to share this podcast with your friends and family. We'll see you next time. Thank you for joining us. If you have a miracle to share, contact us at themiraclefiles.com or find us on social media at We release new episodes each Monday.

37:08Speaker 3:Yeah, so don't forget Miracle Mondays. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for amazing video content as well.

37:17Speaker 2:Join us next.

37:17Speaker 4:Time as we discover more of God's miracles. And don't forget to look for His light in your own lives.