Woman Whose Face Was Nearly Torn Off in Mountain Lion Attack Publicly Shares How Her Faith Has Refined Her Identity

Teresa Neumann : May 16, 2008
William Lobdell - Los Angeles Times

"The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength ... And I was delivered from the lion's mouth."

(Orange County, California)—Beautiful Anne Hjelle was many things in life; a Marine helicopter mechanic and a personal trainer among other things. But it was her competitive mountain biking that put her in the forefront of the news in 2004 when she was mauled (her face was nearly torn off) by a mountain lion while biking in the Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, and, it is her profound Christian faith that today has her publicly testifying to God's great power and love. (Photo by: Marc Martin)

A report posted by the L.A. Times details the incredible sequence of events that Hjelle still remembers: "The silence of the attack. The color of the lion's fur. Her prayer for Jesus' protection as the amazingly strong cat dragged her toward a ravine."

"It was like watching a horror movie," she said. "Except it really happened to me." (To see a video clip of a CBS interview with Hjelle CLICK HERE.)

"I've had to learn the hard way that beauty comes from within," adds Hjelle, referring to her now permanently scarred face. "I could have curled up into a ball or gotten on with my life. It's not easy, but I wanted to conquer my fears." (Photo: Provided by Anne Hjelle)

The report also notes that her pastor, Phil Munsey of Life Church of Mission Viejo, seeing Hjelle the next morning after the attack, gave her 2 Timothy 4:17 to inspire her ("...the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength ... And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.")

"As a pastor," said Munsey, "I prayed for a miracle and received one."

Although Hjelle is an introvert, writes reporter William Lobdell, she "believes God wants her to share her story. Depending on the audience, she can weave the themes of courage, faith, friendship, overcoming fear and the importance of self-esteem and inner beauty into her story of the attack."