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An Angel in the Ravine
"Please come and get Candy right away," the teacher called to tell missionary Jasmine Bray.
While Jasmine's family was serving as missionaries in Blantyre, Malawi, the only school available to their youngest daughter Candy was a small Christian school of another denomination. One day dignitaries from this denomination arrived in Blantyre, and all of the children except Candy went to meet them. She would be left alone at the school if Jasmine didn't go after her.
"I'll be there right away," Jasmine assured the teacher. But as she hung up the phone, she remembered that her husband Bill had gone out of town in the van. Their car was in the garage for repairs. Jasmine would have to walk to the school.
Fear gripped Jasmine. Between her home and the school was a ravine. In the bottom of the ravine was a cemetery where thugs and outlaws prowled. Nobody in his right mind would walk through the area, but Jasmine had no choice. If she took the long way around, her daughter would be alone at the school for an hour. By then she would be hysterical.
"Lord, help me," Jasmine prayed as she set out. "Take away my fear. You said in Your Word that perfect love casts out all fear. You know my love for You, so please help me to feel the assurance I need."
Leaving the main road, Jasmine went down the path to the ravine. A black woman walking ahead stopped and waited for her to catch up. They chatted easily about the day and the goodness of the Lord as they walked together.
After a few minutes, the woman stopped, turned around, and said, "I must leave you now." Jasmine suddenly realized they had gone through the dangerous area and were now in safe territory. Jasmine hadn't even noticed.
"Do you live around here?" Jasmine asked the woman.
"No, I just came to walk with you," the woman said.
Saying good-bye, Jasmine continued toward Candy's school. She couldn't believe what had just happened. But when she looked back, there was the woman smiling and waving at her.
Jasmine walked the rest of the way feeling as though she were ten feet off the ground. Had God sent an angel to protect her? Jasmine thought that was exactly what had happened.
The information from this story came from Mountain Movers and is used with permission from Assemblies of God World Missions. ©2002 The General Council of the Assemblies of God. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce and adapt lesson components for exclusive use in the local church. Any other use requires written permission.
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