Nelson, one of our workers at the hangar, had his motorcycle stolen while at church last week. When asked if he was upset, he said, “No, God allowed it to happen and He will resolve the situation.”

Here in Mozambique, the most common brand of “moto” is a Lifo. Nelson’s bike was a Lifo, but it had a part that was different than most Lifo bikes have. When he was walking home from the airport last week, he caught a glimpse of a motorcycle driving by, a Lifo, with the same unique part as his bike; however, the bike was a different color. He watched the driver pull off the road nearby, stop, and go into a house. He followed the man and examined the bike. It had many different parts on it, but the VIN number matched his documents. It was indeed his motorcycle. He waited for the man to come out and asked if it was his bike. The man said no, that it belonged to someone else. Nelson calmly told him that the person claiming to own the bike needed to go to the police station with him to resolve this because his documents showed that the bike was his. As soon as the man heard “police,” he took off running. At this point, Ashley, another MAF worker, was walking nearby and Nelson called him over and asked if he would take the bike back to the hangar. Meanwhile, Nelson caught up with the man, who said he would take him to the “owner” of the bike; however, when they got to the house it was empty, and no one showed up. When Nelson contacted the police, he showed them the documents and explained that the bike had new parts on it that weren’t his. They confirmed that the motorcycle, in its new and improved condition, was indeed his. The prodigal motorcycle returned and Nelson was able to give God the glory.

Nelson’s attitude towards the stolen bike was a great example for all of us. When we give something over to God and hold it loosely, we might lose it and that is okay; it wasn’t ours to begin with. But, when we trust Him, He might just bring back something even better.