The dam above Toccoa Falls, Georgia was an old earthen embankment built in 1887 to contain a 55-acre lake about ninety miles northeast of Atlanta. Below the dam, Toccoa Creek plunged 186 feet in an uninterrupted drop, to emerge from a canyon beside a Christian and Missionary Alliance College that sprawled across 100 beautiful acres. . When the dam was inspected on November 5th, all appeared normal. In the wee hours of the morning, on November 6, 1977, the dam broke. Within minutes, a wall of water, traveling at 120 miles an hour, smashed into the campus taking 39 lives. Survivors sang and prayed while sitting naked and muddy above the receding waters. Some thanked God in the moment of terror, remembering his command to give thanks in everything.

At the hospital, one survivor comforted others even after learning that her own three daughters had died. When asked how she could be so strong, she replied, “We gave our girls to God long ago, even before they were born. He’s just taken them now.” After the disaster, a reporter asked one of the professors how he would vindicate God to the students after the disaster. "The question has never even come up," replied the theologian. Most of the students believed that God was in charge of their lives--not themselves. Many who would not let a tragic disaster destroy the hope that was in them have seen the Bible college double in size and its student body nearly triple. God has blessed their unwavering faith and the college that honors Him.

American Vision P.O. Box 220, Powder Springs, GA 30127, 800-628-9460, www.americanvision.org . History Unwrapped by Gary DeMar.

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