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'I Cried Out': FL Teens Stranded at Sea Pray for Help, Get Rescued by Boat Named 'Amen'

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Two Florida teens are celebrating the power of prayer after a fun beach day turned into a nightmare. 

Tyler Smith and Heather Brown, who've been friends since fourth grade, were swimming off the coast of Vilano Beach when they suddenly became stranded in the open water. 

They drifted two miles away from shore and quickly realized how much danger they were in. 

The pair desperately fought the waves for two hours and held on to each other to stay above water. 

That's when they turned to God for help. 

"I cried out, 'if you really do have a plan for us, like, come on. Just bring something.'" Smith told Fox 30

Before long, a boat captain sailing from South Florida to New Jersey happened to spot the teens on the verge of drowning. 

"I started swimming towards it. I was like, 'I'm going to get this boat. Just stay here. I'm going to get this boat. We are going to live.'" Brown said. 

Captain Eric Wagner and his crew pulled the teens out of the water and saved their lives. 

"Over all the wind, waves, and engines, we thought we heard a desperate scream," Wagner told Fox 30. "Exhausted and near the end, the boy told me he called out for God's help. Then we showed up."

Ironically, the boat that rescued them is named "The Amen."

"I told them the name of the vessel, that's when they started to cry," Wagner said. "The young couple was gracious and grateful to us and to God. It was the latter all along."

Everyone involved believes God had truly answered their desperate prayers. 

The teens are seniors at Christ Church Academy and graduate from the high school on May 19. 

They are planning on going into the military and know that God is going with them. 

"From us crying out to God, for Him to send someone for us to keep living and a boat named 'Amen,' there's no way that it wasn't Him," Smith said. 
 

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About The Author

Emily
Jones

Emily Jones is a multi-media journalist for CBN News in Jerusalem. Before she moved to the Middle East in 2019, she spent years regularly traveling to the region to study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, meet with government officials, and raise awareness about Christian persecution. During her college years, Emily served as president of Regent University's Christians United for Israel chapter and spoke alongside world leaders at numerous conferences and events. She is an active member of the Philos Project, an organization that seeks to promote positive Christian engagement with the Middle