“Alright, girls, we need to go!” Suzy was telling me and Valquíria, another student missionary. It was already 9 a.m., and our long trip had not yet begun. We were in Cotonou and needed to go to Natitingou, about nine hours away. We were ready to go. The truck was fully packed with my luggage and some bags of charcoal we needed to deliver in Cotonou before going to our final destination. Two people sat in the front. Valquíria and I sat in the back, holding bags and boxes so that we could fit. Before leaving, we prayed for God’s protection through this adventure.

In Benin, driving is so different than in Canada or in the United States. Here there are more moto-taxis than cars, and there is always a good reason for beeping, no matter what hour it is. In addition, the moto drivers know the exact width of their vehicles. They are experts in traffic, precisely navigating through cars, trucks, other motos and people.

After dropping off the charcoal bags at their different locations, we repositioned my luggage so that I did not need to check if they were still there after each bump in the road. For most of the trip, we drove on paved roads, but we had to take some bumpy and muddy dirt paths from time to time.

About an hour into our trip, as we started to sing some music from church, it began to rain. Usually, that would not bother me. But all my luggage was in the back of the truck, and one piece was made of fabric. I started to worry. I knew it would not take long until all of my things inside that bag would get wet. At the same time that I was worrying, I started to listen to the lyrics of the hymn1 we were singing:

Simply trusting every day;
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

God was reminding me not to fear and that He was with me. So I stopped worrying, and I concentrated my attention on the praise I was offering to God. At the end of the song, I noticed that the rain had stopped while we were singing.

Sometimes, we need to trust that God is there with us. We need to surrender our fears in His hands. He will show us that He never fails.

1“Simply Trusting Every Day” by Edgar Page (1876).

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