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On April 12, 2019, then 5-year-old Landen Hoffman was grabbed by a deranged stranger and hurled from the third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.
His mother, Kari Hoffman, recently told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that even though it was still difficult for her to talk about that fateful day, it was more important for her to share about her son’s miracle healing and God’s hand over her son.
The road to recovery was a long one for young Landen. As reported by Fox News, he suffered “two broken arms, a broken leg and fractures to his face and skull” after his attacker, Emmanuel Aranda, randomly targeted him for this act of violence.
Aranda, 24 at the time, was disgruntled and upset because he had been rejected by multiple women at the mall. That day in April, Aranda admitted to authorities he was “looking for someone to kill” and targeted 5-year-old Landen.
But Aranda’s nefarious plans were foiled that day, and Hoffman gives all the glory to God.
“Angels caught him, there’s no denying it,” Kari Hoffman said. “Yes, he had injuries, and we had to live through all of this pain to get to the end. But sometimes God allows us to go through things to teach us something.”
Hoffman still remembers the event well, as she and her son were standing outside of the Rainforest Café. They were at the mall to celebrate a good report after a parent-teacher conference for Landen.
“He snatched [Landen] and ran,” Hoffman said. “And I was just frozen … It happened so fast. I screamed, ‘No!’ after he was already thrown.”
Aranda would end up pleading guilty to attempted murder and receive a 19-year prison sentence.
But instead of hating Aranda, which few could blame her for, Hoffman chose to forgive him and that she “needed to remove him from my mind.”
“It’s a decision that you have to make so that God can do what He needs to do in your life … and that was to save Landen,” Hoffman explained.
Even with the severe trauma that Landen suffered and the months of recovery he has endured, his mother says he is still able to live his life as a normal kid and loves playing hockey.
Hoffman provides the world with a Christlike example of showing forgiveness to one’s enemies. Her actions fall right in line with what the apostle Paul writes in Romans 12:17-19, “Repay no one evil for evil. Commend what is honest in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘Vengeance is Mine. I will repay,’ says the Lord.” {eoa}
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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.
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