It is amazing to see how enthusiastic God is to answer prayer. Isn’t He good!

Of the many things we lost in the roadside robbery we suffered last November, our project camera and our palmtop computer were the most valuable. Two months passed, and we didn’t hear any new information from the police. We lost every hope of recovering any of our lost things. Here in West Africa, if you don’t recover stolen things immediately, they are almost certainly gone forever.

You may recall that the camera and the pictures I took with it were the cause of some tension at the Eid Al Fitr festival last October. Many people blamed my actions for the mysterious leg malady my friend, Nassirou, suffered. When the camera was stolen, it confirmed in their minds that I was under spiritual punishment.

All the while, I clung to faith that God had a plan for allowing these things to happen. Still, I was very disheartened at the negative light it put our work in. I was anxious for God to vindicate His name.

To make things worse, a man told me he had prayed that Allah would deal with me and all those who helped me dishonor their sacred festival. He was smugly convinced that his prayer had been answered. For the past two months, people have been asking us almost every week if we have replaced our camera yet. It seems to be their way of reminding us of our shame.

Just as we were looking at the cost of replacing the camera (twice what it cost in the States), the police called to inform us that some of the bandits had been arrested, and some of our things had been found. The following Monday, I traveled to the police headquarters in Parakou. What a joy it was for me to find our camera and palmtop computer there! Our prayers have been answered. Even the 30 controversial pictures were intact! This is a divine intervention and a great testimony to God’s power.

I have not yet informed those who frequently ask about the camera. I don’t know what their reaction will be. So far, only a few people know of this miracle—mainly our friends (some of them Muslims). They all are amazed and humbly confess that God is with us and that we must have a special relationship with Him.

We can’t hide our joy and gratitude. “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life . . . But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Cor. 1:8-9).

God has vindicated Himself and us and shown us that He cares for His workers.

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