God's Protection

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CHILDREN IN ROLL-AWAY CAR MIRACULOUSLY PROTECTED

December 8, 1980

Gentlemen:

I would like to relate something that happened in our family recently which certainly made us feel that we had been recipients of special protection.

I had gone into a country roadside store to purchase some apple cider for friends. Knowing I would "only be a minute" and that I'd be carrying out quite a bit, I left our two preschoolers, ages 1 and 3, in our VW bug out front. While paying the cashier, a lady there said, "Your car just rolled out of the parking lot:"

The 3 year old had come up front and shifted the floor shift into neutral, causing the car to roll down the gentle incline on which it was parked, all the way across the highway until it stopped in the grass on the other side. The astonishing thing was that this was at 5:15 p.m. rush hour on a very busy highway, plus it was dark, with a black, unlit VW travelling broadside across the highway: The real miracle, however, was that the car didn't just stop on the road, but kept going to the other side, since the street really was the "valley" of the slight incline there.

This experience certainly provided a real lesson to me and our family and filled us with great appreciation for God's mercy and protection, and we wanted to share it with you.

Sincerely,

S. F.

(Mundelein, IL)

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TRAPPED UNDER A TON OF STEEL SHEETS--YET SAVED ALIVE!

July, 1980

Dear Mr. Armstrong,

Please find enclosed a money order from my husband for his tithe.

Earlier this year, my husband suffered an accident at work when a ton of steel sheets slid from an upraised fork-lift. He had tried to run but, suffering from Parkinson's disease, he couldn't move quickly enough. The load caught up to him, pushing him to the ground and falling on top of him. Only his head remained uncovered. He felt positively sure his legs were gone because he couldn't feel them at all. The sheets had to be raised singly, by hand. His colleagues felt sick as they thought his body would be squashed flat. However, with the last sheet removed they discovered he looked all right. With surprise, they helped him to his feet and drove him to the hospital. When he fell, his legs and body had landed between stacks of four-by-fours on the ground which had taken the full weight of the steel.

Only his right hand, arm, leg and foot were squashed, and he had a few deep abrasions and a cracked bone in the elbow. He knew right away who had saved him, and when I drove him home, the first thing he said was, "Can I tithe?" followed by "Can I be anointed?" so our minister came right out.

It only took eight weeks before he was able to return to his job, which was a surprise even to us, because besides being partially crippled, he is in his 60th year.

With love,

E. W.

(Lethbridge, Canada)

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WIDOW'S LIFE SPARED IN ARMED ROBBERY

June 23, 1981

Dear Sirs,

I was listening to a sermon tape when my "hell on earth" occurred with two men breaking into my house.

After tying me up, they ransacked my bedroom looking for money. I heard them empty my tithe jars and thought, "God will get you for that!" After taking my current house expense money and finding my cache of two dollar bills which I was saving for a car license and a pair of shoes, they wanted silver. I laughed and said they had the wrong house.

One threw a cover over my head and when I complained I couldn't breathe, he stuck something at my head and said, "You won't need to lady. I'm counting to ten and blowing you away!"...

Just then the other person called and suddenly all was quiet. I lay still, very still, for about ten minutes, having freed a hand so I could hold up the blanket for air. Then I got up, found some shoes and coat, and went to the neighbors for a phone as mine was ripped from the wall.

My spoon collection on the wall had also caught their eye, so it was gone. They were just gift spoons from travels of my friends, so had no monetary value but were valuable in memories to me.

By now, the money taken in the robbery has been replaced by my Church family, and already I have another spoon to hang on the empty wall! All in all, it was quite an experience.

I also learned that "one really can pray hanging upside down in a well!"

Sincerely,

J. D.

(Stillman Valley, IL)

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ATTACKER OVERPOWERED BY INVISIBLE FORCE

March 31, 1981

Dear brothers in Christ,

I would like to share with you an incident which happened at work, at a coal mine, several days ago.

I received word from my foreman to go and repair the roof-drill for a new employee. When I got there, the employee informed me that he had already repaired the roof-drill.

As I was leaving him to return to my job, he started throwing questions at me, such as: "They tell me you don't work Saturdays. Why?"

My reply: "Religious reasons."

"What religion?"

My reply: "The Worldwide Church of God." His question: "Armstrong, right?"

"Yes!"

His question: "What do you think of this Armstrong character?"

My reply: "I am very much aware of the fact that he is God's apostle for today!"

He then grabbed me, and threw me on the mine floor. With the cold edge of his knife at my throat, he said, "Take the words back that Armstrong is an apostle for today!" All the time he was cursing Mr. Armstrong. I refused to take back my words.

I managed to get my hand on his forehead and push him off but knew that if he got me down again, without a hand from God, he would kill me. I uttered a silent prayer, and immediately he started fighting something other than myself--and something I could not see. He began to vomit and cry violently and kept it up for several minutes. Then he crawled to the other side of the mine.

From this experience, I learned that any man can bring on the wrath of God by speaking evil against His apostle! The way God saved my life, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is faithful in keeping His promises in Hebrews 13:5-6 and II Thessalonians 3:3. I was also reminded of Paul's words to Timothy in II Timothy 3:11 and yes, brethren, out of all persecutions we can be delivered!

S. K.

(Pikeville, KY)

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MEMBERS ESCAPE MOMENTS BEFORE DISASTER

April, 1981

Dear Mr. Armstrong,

Recently, some of the local brethren were witnesses to God's divine protection when the mining site where they were panning gold was fired upon by the rebels. A policeman and three CHDF (civilian home defense force) men were hit. Stray bullets killed a woman and seriously injured another. Moments before one of the CHDF men was felled by a bullet, a Church member was talking with him. Had it not been for the timely arrival of another member, who took hold of his hand forcing him to leave, he could have been hit also.

Another member almost became one of forty casualties when the cave, where he and others were mining for gold, collapsed. Moments before the accident, he was right there in the cave together with his forty companions (not members). He was sent out on an errand by their team leader and had not yet gone far when he suddenly heard a big explosion that killed all his co-workers.

From a report by local elder,

Mario Dulguime

(Philippines)

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ONLY SCRAPES AND SCRATCHES AFTER BEING RUN OVER BY A TRUCK

March 17, 1982

Dearest Mr. Armstrong,

I know that you are extremely busy, but I'd like to take a bit of your time to share a miracle with you.

Last Friday, shortly before the Sabbath, my husband was returning home from work. As he drove down our street, our seven-year-old daughter, was also returning home from playing with a friend. When my husband spotted her he slowed down the utility van and spoke to her as he passed.

Then, for some inexplicable reason, the girl reached out and grasped the door handle of the moving van. Before her father realized what she had done and could stop the vehicle, she had lost her footing and was pulled under the van. The truck was stopped only after the rear wheel had run over her ankle and lower shin.

As soon as my husband brought the vehicle to a halt, he and one of the Church brethren with him jumped out and raced to the spot where our daughter was sitting. She sat there, looking rather shocked for a few seconds, then got up and walked to the van, hobbling and favoring her injured foot, and waiting to be brought home.

When I was cleaning the dirt and grit from around her ankle and wiping the trickling blood from her scraped elbow, my daughter kept reassuring me that she would be all right because her angel had been there to protect her. I examined the ankle and leg for signs of breakage, thinking that surely the bones must be crushed. However, there were no broken bones, no signs of internal bleeding, and very minimal swelling. All the injuries she really sustained were some scrapes and scratches from the gravel pavement, and of course, a good scare. She looked more like a child who had been involved in a bicycle accident, rather than one that had just been run over by a 2,000 lb. truck.

The whole time that we were hovering over her and examining her, she was whimpering, of course, but still telling all of us about how her angel had put his hand over her leg as the van ran over it. The following morning as I was putting some salve on the scrapes, she asked me if I thought that her angel's hand was as sore as her ankle, seeing that they had both been hit by a truck. At Sabbath services that day, she spread the news of what had happened among the brethren, much to their delight, as they all enjoy hearing of the Eternal's miracles.

We kept our daughter home from school for a couple of days to give the soreness in her ankle a chance to subside, but she returned to school this morning with no aftereffects from being run over by a truck. The most delicate spot on her leg and foot should have been thoroughly crushed or worse, yet she ran down the driveway on her way to school, as if nothing had ever happened.

Being in God's Church, I know that our Heavenly Father watches over me and my loved ones. I also understand that my children were given an added measure of protection in the blessing of the children ceremony. But still, seeing the physical fulfillment of the Eternal's promises can be a bit awesome and leave one in a state of enrapture.

It is also rather interesting to observe the reaction of nonbelievers and how they try to explain away obvious proofs of God's intervention. That tends to lend a great deal of credence to the scripture of Proverbs 23:9. I feel a great sadness for those who aren't fortunate enough to know the Eternal.

Nevertheless, I am one person who has been shown the endless love and mercy of my Creator God, and am unable to express my gratitude and feelings in mere words. But I did want to share this with someone that knows how I feel without the words.

You are another reason that I am eternally grateful to the Heavenly Father. I thank Him daily for leading you to lead us. My love and prayers are with you as you strive to fulfill the commission set before you. And I also pray that the end of this world and the beginning of the new one will be soon.

Until then, may our Father bless and keep you. With love and respect,

T.M.

(Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

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ANGELIC PROTECTION WHILE DRIVING

November 19, 1981

Dear Mr. Armstrong,

I sure do believe in guardian angels. I know God intervened and protected me many times while I was driving. I had some very close calls, and the miracles I have seen--there was no other answer....

On the way to the Feast, I stopped at a red light, and a big truck hit me full force in the rear. The impact broke the truck's headlight and caused an oil leak. Glass was all over the rear end of my car. I got out and started to clean the glass off the rear lights--none of which were broken!...

The truck driver admitted that it was his fault as he wasn't paying attention. Another man came running over and asked if I needed a witness.... He said, "Lady, you have a mighty tough car!" I have a 1975 Plymouth Valiant. A lady from church said God must have made the car rubber at the time of the accident--it had no damage at all.

Last winter, when I was coming home from my mother's place in a heavy snowfall, the car started to slide, then went over a bank and almost turned over. Then, all of a sudden, it went back on all four wheels. It was still running, and I continued on my way home with only a little grass on the bumper. Another time while it was raining, the car started to slide, probably because of oil on the road. I hit the guard rail full force--yet there was no damage! But I was very frightened.

I know that God has intervened for me more than once and protected me. I always pray for God's guidance and protection before I drive. There are all kinds of people out there--drunks, people on dope, impatient people, people that do not respect you or even care about themselves. They would just as soon run you down.... I always try to obey the traffic laws and have respect for other drivers. My driver's license is a privilege, not a right....

Well, I must close. Keep up the good work.

All my love,

your daughter in Christ,

H. C.

(Harrisburg, PA)

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FAMILY UNINJURED DESPITE SEVERE ACCIDENT

December 3, 1980

Dear Mr. Armstrong,

Who said the days of miracles have passed!!

The 1980 Feast will always remind our family that God and His angels are indeed watching over the elect.

It was a fine sunny day when we set out from Auckland, heading south to spend the Feast at Christchurch. We had our little granddaughter, age two, with us. Everything was going according to plan....

We were planning to spend the night with brethren en route. That day the weather in their area had been wet and windy, and it became dark earlier than expected. We missed our turnoff as the signpost was not easily seen in the dark. It wasn't long before we realized that we were driving along a wrong road, but soon came to a crossroad, found our directions and set off. From then on strange things began to happen....

My husband drove up a hill, but as he was going to round the corner and go down the other side, the wheel didn't respond; it was locked. Instead of turning, the car remained on a straight course. We both knew what was going to happen as we could see a fence looming up in front of us. My husband quietly said, "Oh God save us," and as we crashed through the fence, he looked at me and said, "Hang on, honey." Nothing more was said, and we left the situation in God's hands. Both of us later remarked we didn't feel afraid and our little granddaughter was quiet also. She was sitting on my knee with my arms loosely around her, and they were the same when the car came to a halt....

At the angle the car was, it should have rolled many times down the eighty-foot drop, destroying itself and killing its passengers. Instead, it turned and went straight down the hill. It felt as if the car was being held down at the back. Instead of gaining speed as we went down, we slowed up. Finally, the car came to a stop with the front in a creek and the wheels on the bank....

My husband tested the car and everything was functioning. He only had some difficulty opening the front door.... Also, we had in the car some large bottles of fruit and jam, as well as other things. The miracle was that nothing was broken or even chipped. Everything was in perfect order. The only thing was, there were lemons spilled everywhere as we had two cases for the brethren in the south.

As it was dark, we didn't know where we were and how far away help was, so before my husband left, he asked God to direct him.... Once he got to the road, he was able to stop a car which took him to the nearest farm-house. He called our friends with whom we were going to spend the night and they came over very quickly to pick us up.

The next day the two men returned to recover the car and mend the fence. When they saw where the car was, how it had gone down and where it stopped, they shuddered at what could have happened. Yet the three of us had neither scratch nor bruise, only aching bodies....

After minor repairs to the car, we were able to continue our journey as planned.

With all our love,

G. R.

(Auckland, New Zealand)

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GOD PROTECTS LIVES, PROPERTY AND REPUTATION

October 27, 1981

Dear Mr. Armstrong,

I've been told by members that God doesn't work miracles in our time. Well, I believe He does. I would like to briefly relate three miracles that God performed for me immediately following this Feast of Tabernacles.

On the trip home from the Feast at about 9 o'clock at night, my two young sons and I were traveling east on I-70 which, being an interstate highway, has a fence between the eastbound and westbound lanes. We were watching the speedometer to get the time when we hit the 700 mile mark when I noticed up around the canyon an approaching pair of headlights. Since our attention was on the speedometer and no traffic was behind me, there appeared to be no danger. Coming around the next turn, I saw that the pair of headlights was in my lane! I was traveling about 55 m.p.h., and the truck coming at me was probably doing the same. It was about 300 feet away, and we were closing at 160 feet per second.

I swerved to the left lane and hit the car brakes which caused the trailer I was towing to go into a jackknife position. I released the brake, and we straightened out and missed the truck. Scientifically, I should have wrecked, but God did not allow that to happen.

A few miles later, on a two-lane section of the same highway, I started to pass a slow-moving semi-trailer, lost control and went off the left side of the highway, then regained control and continued on. I believe, that except for a "Strong Hand from Someplace" keeping me from going down into a ditch, I would have wrecked everything.

That wasn't enough miracles to show me that our God is truly a wondrous God. Friday, I went back to work. I manage and operate a Phillips 66 bulk plant for a jobber, Blackwell Oil Company.... While I was at the Feast, a stand-in was to make any necessary deliveries.... One customer had ordered regular gas and unleaded gas, and the delivery was made during the Feast. When I picked up the key to the truck where the delivery came from, there was a message that there was unleaded gas in the truck. But when I checked, the fuel smelled like aviation gas.

I called the customer and asked if he had used any of that gas. I was hoping he had not because I feared it was aviation gas. It had been a whole week! He said, no, they had not used any of it yet. On Sunday, when I went out, drained his tank and put in real unleaded gas, I asked him why they hadn't used it. He and his wife and son said they didn't know. They thought of it but just didn't use it. God does not only protect one's life and property, but also one's job and reputation through miracles.

God's miracle in this situation saved my employer thousands of dollars. Had the gas been used in a car, it would have ruined the engine and catalytic converter, and the people had two vehicles to use it in!

The miracle also enhanced my reputation because I caught the error. I could have very easily drained that gas into the storage tank for unleaded and ruined thousands of dollars worth of gas. I also believe God caused me to check the fuel for smell which I would not normally do.

I constantly stand in awe of our God. He is absolutely, unbelievably incredible!...

I could go on and on, not because I'm bragging about being the recipient of God's blessings, but because I stand in awe. I just like to tell people what a fantastic, overwhelming, awe-inspiring, incredible God our God really is. And, just think, if I keep trying, keep studying, "keep the faith," someday I will become HIS SON, and meet Him face-to-face! Then I will thank Him again for all the wondrous things He did for me here on this earth....

D. M.

(Granby, CO)

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