Guardian Angels Of The Betweenlife

Disclaimer: The story of Bruce Van Natta’s accident is candid and may not be for the squeamish. To skip past the gory bits, start the video at 1:49.

Bruce Van Natta is a family man of religious faith and a deep interest in power trucking. Working as an independent diesel mechanic allowed him to provide for his family while working his dream job. On the evening of November 16, 2006, Van Natta agreed to diagnose one last truck leak before calling it a day. Little did he realize that he should have quit while he was still ahead.

What began as a routine inspection escalated quickly to a life threatening situation. The jack supporting the 18-wheeler’s front passenger side gave out, landing on Van Natta, causing him to become trapped beneath the ten thousand pound vehicle. The impact was powerful, causing immediate internal bleeding, and what Van Natta described as “the most incredible pain you can think of.” Desperate for relief, Van Natta called to the lord for help, and almost instantly, all of the pain left his body.

Unconscious at this point, Van Natta experienced the strange sensation of his spirit leaving his body, becoming a top-down observer of his own lifeless self. Van Natta observed his coworker comforting him by his side, but that’s not all. He saw two large angels, kneeled down on both sides of him, like “matching bookends.”

“They would have been 8 feet tall. They did not have wings. There was a bright light shining on each one of them. They looked identical.”

Van Natta watched the two guardian angels brace his body, easing his pain with every passing moment, engulfing his entire body with an overwhelming sense of peace. A stark contrast to the unbearable pain that he felt just moments before. The man’s visit to the betweenlife would soon come to an end, but not before making one last decision. To live, or to die.

The predominant voice in Van Natta’s consciousness told him, “Shut your eyes, give up and die.” But he managed to make out the faint whisper of a much softer voice offering him a second chance at life. Determined to persevere, Van Natta felt his spirit collapse back down into its body. He was air lifted to the hospital by helicopter in critical condition.

With broken bones, crushed organs and five severed arteries, doctors didn’t expect Van Natta to survive his emergency room visit. But he already defied greater odds, and so began his long, slow road back to recovery, with another unexpected miracle along the way. A one time acquaintance of Van Natta stopped by for an unexpected hospital visit, offering a prayer and a direct order for the man’s ailing body: to heal Van Natta’s internal organs. Several months later, doctors were astounded to find the man’s pancreas and spleen completely regenerated and his small intestine growing in length. Today, Van Natta is grateful to have his health, and is eager to spread the word about the guardian angels which lead to his miraculous recovery.

Bruce Van Natta’s accident, enlightenment and journey back to health is a story he will not soon forget. Not only was he able to see himself from an external perspective, but appearing in a variety of forms, he was given a close encounter with his own personal guardian angels. It’s an emotional story that reminds us in the moments we need them most, hopefully we’ll find a couple guardian angels of our own.