Snatched From The Wreckage - Nick Mountz’s Story

Nicholas Mountz’s Story

My life shattered when our car was hit by that 18-wheeler. Everything I had planned was completely gone.

My best friend, Drake, and I and were on our way to Edisto Beach with friends for an end-of-summer trip when the wreck happened.

The more I went to church and the more I'd hear I was here for a reason, the more I knew I wasn’t really living.

He died instantly. Four hours later, I walked out of the hospital with only a few stitches and no idea why I was still here. I was in shock. I survived the wreck and he didn’t. What if it had been the other way around?

I was lost. Drake and I had planned to get an apartment together and attend Tri-County Technical College in the fall. With out him, I couldn’t go, so I started looking for other options. Somehow I got into Lander University and received grants I hadn’t even applied for, covering my room and board.

Living It Up

At college, escaping death became an excuse to have fun. “I’m only here one time," I said to myself. "I almost died, so why not live life to the fullest?”

I blew all $25,000 I got from the accident on partying every night and reckless spending. I was on probation for my grades and contemplated quitting school.

My life was only about me. I didn’t even care about seeing my family, and I was upsetting my girlfriend almost daily but she stuck with me because she wanted me to know Jesus.

Dead Inside

One of my high school coaches would tell me all the time that I was blessed to have survived, and one day I would find God’s purpose for keeping me alive.

He kept inviting me to church, and with my girlfriend’s encouragement, I went.  The more I went to church and the more I'd hear I was here for a reason, the more I knew I wasn’t really living.

I thought I could manage my sin, the anger, the drinking, the sex.  I told myself that when I reached a certain age I would let those things go, but as I got older, I didn’t change.

More Than A Prayer

I thought I was already a Christian because I’d prayed a prayer at a Christian camp my freshman year of high school, but I never really understood what it meant. I just prayed because everyone else was doing it.

My understanding changed when I started watching NewSpring online around this time -- something my girlfriend already had been doing for a while. I remember Perry talking about the meaning of salvation and baptism, and about how it's impossible to meet Jesus and not change.

At that moment I realized that "praying a prayer" freshman year hadn’t saved me. I needed to give total control of my life to Jesus.

The Reason I’m Alive

I surrendered my life to Jesus and a couple of months later and got baptized. Since then, God has been freeing me of the sin in my life and showing me His purpose for me. I don’t know the entire plan, but the more of my old life I let go of, the more I get to see of the new life God has for me.

So far, God's shown me that He let me walk away from the accident so I could teach and coach and pour into my students, and maybe, help them avoid some of my regrets.

Now I'm an owner at the NewSpring campus in Greenwood where I get to help make a difference in KidSpring. Each week I see these kids learning about Jesus in a way I never did, and it’s just awesome.

Before giving my life to Jesus, I felt empty and had no direction. I was on the path to nowhere. Now that I’m living His plan, I'm finally truly alive.