The Ndong family loves to pray in Libreville, capital of Gabon.

Father and Mother love talking to God so much that they named their three children after the French word for “prayer,” or “priere.” The oldest boy is Priel; the second child, a girl, is Priella; and the youngest girl is Pricilia.

Little Pricilia has prayed before bedtime every night since she was 3. Sometimes she kneels in front of the bed. But usually she jumps up onto the bed and kneels on the nice, soft mattress. She folds her hands, closes her eyes, and bows her head.

One night, when Pricilia was 12, she jumped on the bed to pray at 9 p.m. Her 13-year-old sister, Priella, also jumped on the bed to pray. They slept in the same bed.

Folding their hands, they closed their eyes, and bowed their heads.

“Our Father in heaven,” Pricilia prayed. “We thank You for everything. Now that I am going to sleep, I’d like You to send your angels to be around me and around the neighbors’ houses. Father, help me to have good dreams. Please reveal to us the hidden things that we need to know. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

After Priella also prayed, the two girls slipped under the blanket. Quickly they fell asleep.

Around 2 a.m., while still sleeping, Pricilia suddenly couldn’t breathe. She felt someone’s hands squeezing her neck. She struggled to gulp in air. She thrashed around on the bed, trying to get away from the hands clutching her throat. Then she remembered that Mother had told her to pray if she had any problems.

“Pray in the name of Jesus,” Mother had said. “You can call on the name of Jesus anytime.”

Although she was terrified, Pricilia calmly said, “In the name of Jesus.” Then she recited Psalms 23, which begins, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Pricilia woke up with a start. Opening her eyes in the darkness, she realized that she wasn’t dreaming. She really couldn’t breathe. Invisible hands were squeezing her neck. Her heart pounded with fright.

Pricilia slid onto her knees beside the bed.

“Lord, thank You for protecting me,” she prayed. “I don’t know who wants to harm me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.”

Immediately, the hands released their grip on her neck, and she could breathe. She took a deep breath of air. She saw that her sister was sound asleep. Climbing back into bed, she quickly fell asleep with the assurance that Jesus was protecting her.

In the morning, Pricilia told Mother about the scary experience. Mother was surprised and glad that she had prayed.

“Probably someone tried to harm you through witchcraft while you were sleeping,” Mother said. “Who knows what might have happened to you if you hadn’t called on the name of Jesus.”

Pricilia thanks Jesus every day for His deliverance. Every night she prays, “Lord, thank you for life and the protection that You give every day.”

Three years ago, part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering helped construct a high school for 280 students in Pricilia’s hometown, Libreville, in Gabon. Thank you for planning a big Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter to help build more schools in Guinea and Liberia.

This article was originally published on the Adventist Mission’s website