My name is Scotty and I live near Newton, Illinois. I am a Christian who has been struggling with depression for some time now.

I was put on new medication and things were good for a while. God had answered a lot of my prayers. Then a disturbance in my life arose that was so devastating that I took a gun to a nearby field and proceeded to write a suicide note.
My family found out where I was, and they came there and talked me out of it. That night I admitted myself to a mental health facility. Upon receiving counseling for a week, I was released. Returning home, I felt positive about my life and I wanted to continue receiving God’s blessings as before. I struggled, but I felt that I had to be strong and move on.

Some time later I again became upset and decided to go back to the place where I had gone to end my life , this time just to talk to God. On the way there, I asked God to give me a sign of reassurance that I could make it through this and that everything would turn out alright. I asked God in detail to send me a sign from above.

As I came to the spot where I had previously intended to end my life I found a big, bright yellow balloon lying on the ground. Attached to the balloon was a card that carried the message of Jesus.

I picked up this “sign from above” and cried so hard. I could not wait to get home to share this with my family. I left the balloon in my car, went in to my wife, hugged her and sobbed. She asked why I was crying and I told her that I had received a message from God. I showed her the balloon and the card and she cried too.

I believe that God works in mysterious ways and that He works through people. It is truly a blessing for me to have found this balloon. God does answer prayers. Miracles do happen and this is truly a miracle that I will never forget.

How it happened: The balloon Scotty found was part of a balloon launch by the Salvation Army on Rally Day in Mattoon, Illinois. “We pray over the balloons before launching them,” says Captain Heather Holman, corps officer in Mattoon. “We use Salvation Army red, yellow and blue balloons, and on the card attached give contact information including the corps address and phone number. We ask if the person knows who Jesus is and encourage them to contact us to learn more.”

Reprinted with permission by The War Cry, US