Praise the Lord for protecting us here in Benin over the years! People die in traffic accidents every day in Natitingou. We have all had close shaves, yet we are still here to tell of His wonders.

I drive my motorcycle a lot, and God has consistently protected me from any serious accidents. My motorcycle has tipped over many times, but always when I was going very slowly or stopped. One time I was transporting 110 pounds of flour on the back. As I slowed down for a rough patch of road, the flour started to slip off. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold the motorcycle up, so I just stopped and laid it down. Some neighbors helped me get the motorcycle back up and put the flour back on, and I was able to continue the short distance to my house.

Another time, I was driving my motorcycle to church with Colette and her child on the back. As we arrived at church, the front tire slipped on a stick, and we started to go down. I was able to hold the motorcycle up long enough for Colette and her child to hop off, and then I went down with it. I got a bit burned by hot engine parts, but Colette and her child were fine.

Just recently, our student missionary Naomi and I were driving to church when we saw that a storm was about to start pouring down rain on us. We turned around and started home, trying to beat the storm. As we turned the corner on our street, the wind blasted us with dust. We made it to the front gate, but as I slowed to turn in, we hit a bump. Naomi hopped off before the motorcycle and I fell over. I wasn’t hurt, and I got up quickly and lifted up the motorcycle as if it was bicycle. An angel must have helped me, because the motorcycle weighs nearly 300 pounds. We made it into the house just before the rain started.

Another day, I was driving home from church after a huge rainstorm with a lady and her son on the back. When we got to a terribly rutted stretch of road near my house, it was completely covered with running water. For their safety, I told my passengers to get off and walk to the other side. I tried to bring up a mental picture of the best path through all the ruts and holes now hidden underwater, and then I drove through. Praise God, I made it through without falling.

The Sunday before I left for furlough, Joel and I headed out to his village to do a Bible study and say goodbye. About halfway there, the motor of the motorcycle engine suddenly froze up. We rapidly decelerated, and I was able to keep control and pull over. We got off and tried to find someone to help, but everyone was busy. Once the motor had cooled off a bit, I was able to restart it. We drove home very slowly.

At my house, Joel told me about something that had happened right before the engine seized. He suddenly got very sleepy, and then he heard a voice saying, “Wake up! Wake up!” He popped awake just before the motorcycle skidded to a stop. I think Satan wanted me to have an accident right before I was to leave for furlough. If Joel had been dozing when the engine seized, he probably would have fallen forward into me and made me unable to control the motorcycle. So Praise the Lord with us for protecting us on the motorcycle!

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