Minnesota Youth Testifies to Miracle

During a Mainstage session at this year’s Youth Unlimited Convention in Salt Lake City, Beth Tinklenberg tearfully told the teens there how God spared her life—and that of eight other van passengers—on the way home from a SERVE experience this summer.
Tinklenberg’s youth group from Pipestone (Minn.) Christian Reformed Church traveled to Benton Harbor, Mich., to live out their faith in that community. As they drove home after a service-filled week, their 15-passenger van was struck by another vehicle and began to roll, coming to a stop after hitting a freeway barrier, which punctured the gas tank.
Tinklenberg told conventioneers that although one girl fell through the window while they were rolling and another ended up “halfway in and halfway out,” no one was seriously injured. “We were all strapped to backboards and taken to an emergency room in Rockford, Illinois,” said Tinklenberg. Injuries included a broken nose, broken collarbone, slight head injuries, a sprained knee, and some bumps, cuts, and bruises. “We would have rolled more, into oncoming traffic, if the barrier didn’t stop us,” she said. “God truly gave us a miracle that day.”