THE POPKOV CHILDREN LOVE TO

PLAY IN THE STREETS WHEN IT

RAINED.

THAT IS, UNTIL A FLASH FLOOD

SWEPT ELENA INTO A DRAIN PIPE

AND OUT OF THEIR SIGHT.

I WAS ON A SWIMMING TUBE.

THE WATER KEPT CARRYING ME UNTIL

I GOT TO THE DRAIN PIPE.

LIKE SHE CAN'T -- SHE HAD NO

CHANCES OF BREATHING OR

ANYTHING.

WHILE THE CURRENT PUSHED

ELENA FARTHER AND FARTHER DOWN

THE SEWER LINE, ONE OF THE OTHER

CHILDREN RAN TO THE HOUSE TO GET

MOM.

I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT AT

FIRST.

I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.

AND I STARTED PRAYING RIGHT

AWAY.

GOD, PLEASE KEEP HER ALIVE,

PLEASE KEEP HER ALIVE.

WHILE STRUGGLING TO SURFACE,

11-YEAR-OLD ELENA REMEMBERED

WHAT HER MOTHER HAD TAUGHT HER?

I SAID IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING,

YOU CAN'T FIND A WAY OUT, JUST

PRAY GOD.

HE'S THERE FOR YOU.

HE'S THERE LISTENING TO ME.

JESUS, HELP ME.

THAT'S ALL I SAID IN MY HEAD.

SECONDS LATER THERE WAS SORT OF

BRIGHT LIGHT AND SOMEBODY -- IT

WAS LIKE SOME SORT OF POWER WAS

LIKE JUST DRAGGING ME OUT OF

THERE BY MY ARMS.

BUT I DIDN'T FEEL ANY PAIN OR

ANYTHING.

IT WAS LIKE MY BODY WAS ALREADY

ON SHORE AND SOMEBODY WAS JUST

DRAGGING MY SOUL FROM THERE.

ELENA SURFACED AT A SPLIT IN

THE PIPE TWO BLOCKS FROM HER

BACKYARD.

I DON'T KNOW HOW I GOT OUT,

BUT I'M PRETTY SURE IT WAS GOD.

NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS HELPED

ELENA TO AN AMBULANCE.

SHE HAD MINOR SCRATCHES AND

BRUISES, BUT DOCTORS FOUND NO

WATER IN HER LUNGS.

IT WAS LIKE IT WAS A MIRACLE

THAT SHE GOT OUT AND SHE LIVED

THROUGH IT AND GOD WAS THERE THE

WHOLE TIME.

THE ENTIRE FAMILY CREDITS GOD

FOR ELENA'S MIRACULOUS SURVIVAL.

IF YOU LIVE FOR JESUS, YOUR

LIFE IS FULL OF MIRACLES.

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, EVEN THE

IMPOSSIBLE.

SOME PEOPLE THINK THERE'S NO

GOD, NO HOPE, NO NOTHING.

BUT I KNOW THAT THERE IS A GOD

AND THERE IS HOPE.