First Lieutenant David DeMille
Afghanistan, March 2006–March 2007
One time our convoy was out on night patrol. We stopped by what was known as a “district center.” The district center compound was the location of the area’s main Afghan government buildings and police station. It was normal for us to occasionally visit this center at night. Normally we would arrive to find everyone asleep except a few guards. This night everyone was awake and in their defensive fighting positions. We asked what was going on and they explained they had received intelligence indicating that they were going to be attacked that night. My convoy decided to stay and help them defend their post. We quickly did our best to hide our trucks in the compound so the enemy would not detect our presence. Since we did not have cots or beds, we slept on the ground or on the hoods of our trucks.
About halfway through the night it started to rain. The rain was literally pouring down. Within a few seconds, my guys were soaked head to toe. We scrambled into our trucks, but we were already drenched and miserable. We spent the rest of the night trying to sleep in wet and uncomfortable positions. The night slowly turned into morning without an attack. The next day we continued on our patrol route soaking, smelly, and miserable.
A few days later, I had the opportunity to visit a larger U.S. base and actually attend a Church meeting. I cannot remember all the details of the lesson, but it was about Church history and Zion’s Camp. The instructor shared how a mob was coming to attack the Saints and that the Lord prevented the attack by sending a fierce storm. I then thought of the wet night I had just experienced. I do not know if we would have been attacked that night, but that same Afghan district center had been hit before—and it was hit again a few days after we were there. Even though the rain made us miserable, it may have prevented a violent attack. No one would have attacked in that horrible weather.
I have since thought that when something happens in our lives that makes us totally miserable, maybe God is intervening to keep us safe. Or maybe he is blessing us in a way we cannot immediately understand. Although we might be miserable for a time, in the long run, God might be doing his part to bless or save our lives. (Chad Hawkins, Faith in service, 2008).