Daniil was excited to go sledding with friends. He loved sledding!

Daniil watched happily as his father loaded his sled into the trunk of the car on a Sunday afternoon. The sled wasn’t just any sled. Daniil had a purple snow racer. A snow racer is a sled with a raised seat, a steering wheel, and runners that look like skis on the sides.

After the sled was safely in the trunk, Daniil, his parents, and friends got into the car.

Before leaving, his father bowed his head and prayed, “Dear God, please bless us and keep us safe. Amen.”

After 20 minutes, they arrived at the hill where they would go sledding.

Waiting for them were more of Daniil’s friends who had arrived with Uncle Sergei in another car.

Daniil and his friends hit the slopes. It was fun! Daniil liked flying down the hill on his sled. He liked playing with his friends. He was happy!

After two hours, the children were still having fun, but the adults were cold and tired. They said it was time to go home.

The children got into the two cars. But Daniil’s mother wasn’t quite ready to leave. First, she wanted to take off her wet boots and put on some dry shoes.

Uncle Sergei, however, didn’t want to wait. “We’ll go home now and meet you there,” he said. “That way we can boil some water and have hot tea waiting for you when you arrive.”

Everyone liked the idea of hot tea after the cold slopes.

It didn’t take Daniil’s mother long to change her shoes. Five minutes later, she was ready to go.

Before driving away, Daniil’s father prayed, “Dear God, please bless us and keep us safe. Amen.”

The car traveled just a short distance when a scary sight greeted their eyes. Ahead was a car accident. One car had crashed into a snowbank on the roadside. Another car had smashed into the trees.

“Is that Uncle Sergei’s car?” Daniil’s father asked as he reached the car in the snowbank.

He got out of the car just as Uncle Sergei got out of his car in the snowbank.

“Are you OK?” Daniil’s father asked.

He was fine. Everyone in the car was fine.

They called for help, and soon emergency workers arrived.

The emergency workers had to cut open the car that had crashed into the trees in order to rescue the driver who was trapped inside.

The driver of the other car happened to be drunk and had been driving too fast in the wrong lane. He had almost hit Uncle Sergei’s car head-on. But Uncle Sergei had swerved off the road and into the snowbank at the last minute. Then the drunk driver lost control of his car and crashed into the trees.

Daniil realized that God protected them that day.If his parents’ car had been traveling behind Uncle Sergei, the drunk driver might have hit them when Uncle Sergei swerved into the snowbank.

Mother stopping to change her shoes may have helped avoid a big accident.

Daniil and his friends hugged each other with relief. Then they prayed.

“Dear God, thank You that everyone is alive and healthy,” his father said.

These days, Daniil always prays before traveling. “I know God hears prayers,” Daniil said. “I have seen with my own eyes how He answers.”

Part of this quarter’s 13th Sabbath Offering will help open a special center where children and adults can learn about the God who hears prayers in Daniil’s hometown in the Russian Far North. Thank you for planning a generous offering .