“I don’t even know how I did it other than the grace of God”: Hero Pastor saves lives amid deadly snowstorm

“I don’t even know how I did it other than the grace of God.” This is how Pastor Al Robinson described his recent rescue of a woman stranded in deadly snowstorms in Buffalo, New York.

Al and Vivian Robinson, who lead Spirit of Truth Urban Ministry in Buffalo, told CBN’s Faithwire their now-viral story of love and compassion for those around them, as they went to work to feed, house and protect the most vulnerable amid this difficult time in their country. 

But it’s the story of the woman’s rescue that really draws attention.

In addition to feeding and housing people, the Robinsons sent heroes to seek vulnerable people who might have been struggling with the weather conditions. While a friend used a snowmobile to bring people to the house of worship, Al personally rescued at least one individual.

That young woman, about two blocks away, called out to the pastor as 79-mile-per-hour winds raged and snow swirled all around.

“She called me and she said, ‘Pastor, please don’t let me die. Please don’t let me die. Don’t let me die here. Don’t let me die like this,’” Al recounted. “And I looked at Vivian. I said, ‘We have no choice.’ I suited up, I walked down the street to get her, and somehow I carried that woman through all that snow.”

Al says these actions were especially miraculous, considering that an accident in 2015 left him with significant back problems. Somehow, though, he was able to persist and save the day – and he’s crediting it all to God.

The couple also told Faithwire how and why they decided to open their church doors, noting how their house of worship surprisingly never lost power despite blackouts for most of the community around it.

“My wife and I, we were just having a regular day, and we get reports on our Facebook group that people are losing power,” Al said. “And I look at my wife, and I say to her, ‘I wonder why we’re not losing power?’”

After a few hours, he said he fully understood why God had saved his church property: so that he and Vivian could open the church doors to the public. “That’s how God works,” he said.

Vivian said the couple had planned to welcome their nine children home for the holidays before the storm, but the food they bought ended up feeding well over 100 people who sought refuge inside their church.

“When I told my husband, ‘We have to open up our church doors,’ we never imagined that it was going to just open up so big for the lives of all these people,” she said.

The couple lost count of how many people came through the doors, around 127 or 128, and said Christmas Day was the busiest for the church.

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“I’m a fervent believer that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called,” Al said. “We ran for like four days straight.”

The kind acts of these pastors have made national headlines in recent days, and with good reason. Their altruism, kindness and love went beyond the call of duty.