On either side of the road stood a few houses on the mostly open fields, with small trees and bushes scattered here and there. Because it was Cambodia’s wet season, water and mud from recent rains filled the ditch at the sides of the road. The sun was strong that Friday, and without big trees for shade, the heat and humidity were stifling. I drove on. I still needed to pick up more church members to attend the weekend camp meeting taking place in a remote village about one hour from the main road and far from town.

We had spent the day getting ready for the weekend camp meeting that would bring together members of the various village churches we had helped start. We had arrived early to help prepare food and bring supplies before I was sent to pick up our additional guests.

I continued driving along the red-brown dirt road littered with small round stones. Then, during one of the turns, it happened.

I felt the back of the car begin to slide, moving in a way it should not. I gripped the steering wheel, trying to stay calm and correct the direction, but I could not maneuver it back on track. In a matter of seconds, the car spun 180 degrees on the road, then slid off and fell into the ditch, tilting 90 degrees as it went down. It landed on the driver’s side, my side, directly in the water and mud.

Throughout the ordeal, I could feel that God was with me. He sent His angel to protect me. Lying on my side, with the door pressed into the ditch beneath me, I should have hit my head or been hurt by the impact. But that was not the case. An angel of God must have placed his hand between me and the door. Thankfully, I was alone and without luggage in the car.

I sat there a few moments, trying to process what had just happened before climbing over to the passenger seat, pushing open the door above me and pulling myself up and onto the side of the car that was now facing upward. Once I got to the road, I called the career missionaries who were responsible for me. One missionary was already at the program site with many of the local people. As soon as I explained what had happened and assured everyone I was safe, the local men mounted their motorbikes without hesitation and rode straight to me to help.

It did not take long for people to arrive, nor to ask what had happened and whether I was alright. Some took pictures and videos of the accident site. More people gathered, mostly out of curiosity, and the church members began to arrive as well. Everyone looked for a way to pull the car out of the ditch. Someone knew a man with a tractor and asked if they should call him. I agreed, and we waited in the heat for nearly an hour, finding shade under some nearby trees until the tractor arrived.

With the tractor’s help, the car was towed back onto the road. We tried the engine, and praise God, it started. Knowing everyone was safe and the car was technically working, we gathered and thanked God again for His protection. We were then able to drive the car the rest of the way to the program site, praying for safety as we went. God’s provision carried us there safely.

Looking back, I can see clearly how God protected me that day.

First, the car damage should have been much worse. Both the front and back were impacted, yet the driver’s door—the one I had landed on—was completely untouched.

Second, by God’s mercy, I walked away without a single injury, not even a bump on my head.
Third, people came quickly, some out of concern and some out of curiosity about what had happened, but many stayed to help me and to pull the car out.

And fourth, the car landed directly in the water-filled ditch, where the soft mud—rather than the hard ground— absorbed much of the impact.

Meanwhile, another career missionary who was already on the way to the camp meeting site picked up the church members I had been sent to collect.

The weekend program continued as planned, turning out to be a truly blessed time, filled with Bible studies and training, just as we had hoped and prayed it would be. Afterward, on Sunday, a mechanic came to look at the car and get it running again.

I am deeply thankful that God protected me, sending His angel to watch over me. He protected all of us that day and always.

If there is one lesson I take from this experience, it is this: In busy times, when much is happening and we are stressed because there is so much to prepare, we need to stay alert and careful in everything we do and lift up our tasks before God, asking for His special protection and blessings. What is more, we can rest assured that God is always with us, watching over His work and the people involved.

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