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Shut Door

This is one of those neat stories I like to hear. It comes from Rick LaBouef's monthly letter.

God protects His people and works all things together for their good! Recently three men from an Evangelical Indian organization came and asked for a flight to distribute belated Christmas gifts in the jungle. The spirit of it seemed right and I felt we should make the flight. I dropped them off and was then to go back and pick them up two days later. But, the very next day, due to a law change and a series of circumstances, we found ourselves "grounded" by the DAC (Ecuadorian FAA). Things were in turmoil! I know what it feels like to be "abandoned" in the jungle. These men were depending on me, the door was shut, and there was no way to open it, no matter how hard I pounded!

Those men visited us again today (with their heads shaved) and filled us in on all that had happened. A band of Achuar from a neighboring village had come on the first night they were out, and accused them of working for the oil company. They took them at gunpoint two hours downriver, where they beat them and threatened their lives. They warned, "If Ricardo comes here to pick you up we will shoot him and burn the plane too!" All that time, I was struggling in every possible way to get clearance to fly. God, not the DAC, had closed the door! Now, I'm so glad He did. How many times does Father protect us in ways like this? The way this one worked out, I'm beginning to see closed doors in a brand new light.