Article December 2, 2002 Issue

Security when a safe place is hard to find

By Beverly Goldsmith

IN 1969 MY BROTHER AND I WERE SINGING FOR TROOPS in Vietnam during the war. One day we were flying in a helicopter from our base in Da Nang. The pilot decided to leave the coastline and turn inland. Without warning, weather conditions rapidly deteriorated—the temperature dropped dramatically and we were engulfed by thick clouds. The helicopter's rotor blades began to ice over. Radio transmission wasn't possible. We didn't know where we were. Suddenly things looked very perilous.

We needed to descend to warmer air and attempt to get a reading on our exact location. But this would be extremely dangerous, as we were flying above dense jungle where hostile forces were known to be located. I turned totally to God and prayed, knowing that God was divine Love, always with us, always keeping us safe. We were not going to die—we were in His care. There had to be an answer for us, a way to save our lives.

After some time, the pilot said, "I'm sorry we can't stay up here any longer. We need to drop down now." I kept praying. I knew that we would be in the right place at the right time. As we broke through the low, dense cloud, an amazing sight greeted us. With unexplainable accuracy, we were located exactly over a firebase, a small cleared area of jungle that was secured by US forces. We were able to hover, de-ice the blades, and receive directions. Then we went on to arrive safely at our destination.