SAFE IN HIS CARE
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. You know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:16–18
We were on our way from Yaoundé, Cameroon to a conference of Conservative Grace Brethren Churches in Chad. We entered the road which was known for having a great number of highway robbers. Coming off that road was a caravan of pick-up trucks belonging to merchants on their weekly rounds of markets in the villages. They had merchandise and cash, attractive prizes for the thieves. In the bed of each truck was an armed soldier. A small military plane was flying overhead to spot trouble and alert the soldiers. We were two Americans, a Cameroonian and two Chadians. Our most dangerous weapon was a toe-nail clipper. Who was going to protect us? There was less conversation than usual between the vehicle occupants, but each of us was silently praying. The road continued into the Central African Republic and Chad. The highwaymen were not respecters of borders, so they continued their careers despite jurisdictions. Due to the wasted time in getting through the barriers in the C. A. R. and the loss and recovery of my heart medicines, we arrived at the Chad border too late to allow passage. We slept as well as we could in the cab of the truck. In the morning, we prepared breakfast on the tailgate of the truck. Just as the barrier was to be opened, we heard a truck approaching fast. It screeched to a stop and two men jumped out yelling that they had been robbed. Entry was delayed as some of the soldiers investigated the incident. We were finally permitted to go into Chad. Who was watching over us on this dangerous road? Why did the highwaymen target the truck behind us rather than us? You know the answer! Some who serve the Lord have gone through and continue to go through kidnapping, theft, physical suffering, etc. We are thankful that Jesus decided to protect us on that road in 1997. He has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)
Les Vnasdale