Algeria

Joshua and I were driving the Land Rover in the middle of the Sahara Desert in an area that was completely sand except a paved road that ran to some oilfields. Normally Joshua drove, but I had taken over the wheel for a while because we had run into some sand dunes that were too high to pass. I was driving quite fast down the paved road and talking to Joshua and I didn't notice four sand dunes that had drifted across the road. They were like ramps, only a few feet high. There would be one and it would go down to the pavement and then about three or four feet further there would be another one and it then it would go down and then there was another one. It was like three waves of sand several feet deep that stretched across the highway. We were driving perhaps 50 miles an hour when Joshua screamed, "Daddy!" and I looked up. There was no way to stop. We hit the first sand dune, which propelled the 4-wheel drive Land Rover completely off the ground. It was airborne, as the front end came down and landed the second sand dune started rising up, throwing the front end back in the air! The rear hit and that threw us into the air again — we were airborne and then we landed front down, then up the next sand dune. The back of the Land Rover hit, and I just held tight to the steering wheel - we crashed our heads into the top of it! - Sand was flying everywhere and the Land Rover was airborne!


Finally we came to a stop in the sand, the Land Rover had not turned over. Everything was fine except the steel rack that holds my cross was bent on one side. The ropes that held the extra gas cans on top of the Land Rover had broken and the cans had flown to the top of the tent - but the Land Rover held together! Since then Joshua always teases me about making a 4-wheel drive into an airborne vehicle!

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El Qued - Algeria: We are in the middle of the Sahara Desert - a real desert city. Sand dunes are all around, the wind is blowing and there is much sand in the air. My eyes are itching and my contact lenses are hurting my eyes as the sand gets under them. We walked through the city and into the countryside carrying the cross. People are very friendly but most seem to be in a state of shock - they can't believe their eyes! Don't think they ever thought they would see a big cross here in Algeria and in the middle of the desert. What a big difference from Libya.

Took a really beautiful walk out on a paved road but there was sand all around. Many times the sand has swept completely over the road. It's very difficult to walk in the sand because when you take a step you sink in and then have to lift your foot up high to take another step and the cross wheel sinks into the sand. It's very hot, very sandy but Praise God! The cross was carried in Algeria! We had a difficult time with the officials at the border in Algeria as we tried to cross into Tunisia. The tried hard to make us pay a lot of money but after several hours an officer came to our aid and got us on through the border crossing. Thank the Lord for that man. Select here to view Arthur's diary of recorded events in Algeria.

This was part of a three nation cross walk in Libya, Algeria and Tunisia.

A pilgrim follower of Jesus,

Arthur Blessitt

Luke 18:1