The Power of Prayer by Shirley Bruns

This testimony from a precious friend, Shirley Bruns, is just too good not to share. Watch how the Lord worked a miracle for believing hearts.
Lyndi. . .

Finally, I've gotten to my computer and can share with you two of God's miracles I have experienced during my twenty years as a missionary in Japan, beginning in 1948.
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In the summer of 1954, while my husband and I were living in Mito, the capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo, we started out one summer morning on an excursion with our young son, and a Japanese pastor and his wife, deep into the hillsides near our home. With the Ushioda's, we had been ministering to former members of Japan's Imperial Army who had been repatriated there after World War II. One of these repatriates who had been a member of former Captain and now Pastor Ushioda's unit during the war, had invited all of us to come pick some strawberries on his "homestead".

For several days, there had been rainfalls, and the roads over which more oxen-drawn wagons had been driven than automobiles, were not in prime condition. In fact, the further we drove up and down the rolling hills on the narrow, slippery roads, the more treacherous they seemed to become. There was no way we could turn around or back up. We wondered how we would be able to traverse them on the return trip.

After gathering our fruit, we expressed our concern to the farmer, and asked him if there might be another route back to Mito. He could not guarantee the road would be any better, but told us we could keep going ahead on the same road for several kilometers after which it began its descent into the city. Any alternate suggestion seemed preferable.

And so off we went, with prayers for God's protection in our hearts! We drove slowly for a short ways before reaching a left turn around the side of a tall hill, and discovered a little further on, there had been a "wash-out" of part of the road ahead. It was several yards longer than the length of our Austin Station Wagon, and since we were on the side of a "small mountain", we would not survive a drop off the edge.

All of us were praying for guidance. The men got out and walked around, and decided that if they could back up just far enough to get up some speed, they might be able to keep all four wheels on the "not too steep" hillside slope on our left, long enough to avoid the drop-off and get us on solid ground again.

I wanted to get out of the car with my little boy and "walk" the slope, but I was told we were needed for "ballast"! So, we backed up, "gunned" the engine and took off. The wheels were turned left at the proper place, and the car started up the slope. However, just before reaching the hole in the road, it slid back down. According to Physics' gravity law, we should have plunged down the side of the mountain. Not so. . .we flew right across the open space and landed safely on the other side. We stopped the car, and just sat quietly for awhile. Then, we got out, and walked back to where the miracle occurred. . . praising God for our deliverance.

I wish we had had a camera to record what we saw: car tracks right up to the place where our car left the road. . .and beginning again where we had landed.

Yes, I believe there is a God who loves us, and answers our prayers!

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Love to you,
Shirley