My Baby Was Totally Submerged in Water

On August 16, 2013, Joanerose “Joan” Ballon along with her one-year-old daughter Jodee Elizabeth were traveling home to Cebu City from Nasipit, Agusan del Norte aboard a passenger ferry ship. Both mother and child were excited because this would be Jodee’s first time to ride a boat.

That night, as the ship approached Cebu harbor, passengers suddenly heard a loud explosion which made the entire vessel shake. The boat had collided with a cargo ship and was starting to tilt and sink. Panic-stricken passengers grabbed life vests while others began jumping into the icy waters.

'Heavenly Father loves you Jodee”, Joan repeated to her bewildered daughter three times, as the ship went down. Sliding into the sea, Joan had clung to a rope on one hand and to Jodee on the other, but because of the immense pressure she lost her grip, while her life vest floated away.

“My baby was totally submerged in the water,” she helplessly realized. Struggling to keep afloat, the desperate mother tried to hold on to her daughter but to her horror, Jodee had lost consciousness.

“Jodee! Jodee!” Joan cried out, “Heavenly Father, please save my Jodee!” The baby remained silent.

Then, Joan spotted another woman with a life vest; with immense effort, she reached out to her. While clinging to this woman’s life vest, Joan singlehandedly lifted up Jodee above the water. Another woman, a crew member from the boat, swam to help them.

“Ma’am, please, please help my baby,” Joan cried out to the crew member. The lady helped carry the still-motionless Jodee and, along with other survivors, clung to a passing life raft.

Jodee was totally unresponsive; her stomach was bloated, and bubbles fizzed out of her open mouth. “Jodee must be gone,” the agonizing thought crossed Joan”s mind.

Fighting the hopelessness descending upon the cold, shivering group, a weak and exhausted Joan sang:

I am a child of God,

And He has sent me here…

Soon, a light from the distance shone…

At the port of Cebu, Joan’s husband Denver Ballon was in the midst of a chaotic crowd frantically searching for their loved ones. Amidst the crying, shouting, and running, Denver calmly went down on his knees and prayed.

“Heavenly Father, please, help me find my family,” the worried father pleaded. “Please protect my wife and our daughter.”

Priesthood brethren assisted Brother Ballon as he searched three different places for survivors. After all of them yielded no trace of Sister Ballon and their baby, Denver still did not lose hope and continued to pray for help.

Brother Ballon’s phone rang; a local Church leader was calling:

“Your family is safe and is recovering in a hospital.”

Tears of joy fell down Denver’s face as he got reunited with Joan and Jodee. The light Joan saw in the distance came from rescuers who were searching the waters for survivors. On the rescue boat, Jodee also regained consciousness.

Today, Jodee Elizabeth Ballon is a healthy 12-year-old and has been followed by another sister, Eve Jannah. “I know that the Lord saved Jodee,” Sister Ballon affirms. “It was a total miracle that we were alive. I know that Heavenly Father helped us, and that He loves us.”

Brother Ballon adds his testimony: “Miracles never stop when we trust our Heavenly Father and have faith in Him.”