In the first half of 2009, news reports poured in of pirate vessels attacking vital shipping lanes along the coast of Somalia in southern Africa. Entire shiploads of cargo were held for ransom by pirates, delayed severely, or even lost at sea.

Amid that chaos, Mark Wilson was learning the ropes for his new job as logistics coordinator for the U.S. headquarters of Africa Inland Mission (AIM)—a Christian missionary sending agency dedicated to reaching the peoples of Africa with the Good News of Jesus Christ. AIM uses the Somali shipping lanes to send supplies and equipment to missionaries working in the field.

One day Mark received a phone call offering a supply of free Band-Aids for the missionaries in Africa. Mark gladly accepted, but he forgot to ask just how many Band-Aids would be coming his way. "I am always looking for ways to fill ocean containers," he said. "[But] I realized my mistake when the second UPS truck full of Band-aids arrived."

Soon after, Mark was supervising the packing of an ocean container carrying valuable equipment and other supplies intended for AIM's missionaries. When there was a little bit of room left over, he filled in the extra space with as many of the superfluous Band-Aids as could be squeezed in. He thought nothing more about them after that—just a bit of filler material that could be useful for missionaries in need of medical supplies.

But after the equipment and supplies were delivered, Mark learned that God had a different goal in mind for what he considered to be a bit of a nuisance.

Mark heard that the ship carrying AIM's ocean container had been hijacked by pirates—they even broke into the crate containing the valuable equipment meant for the missionaries. But when they saw nothing but piles of Band-Aids, the pirates moved on. The equipment was unnoticed and arrived safely in the hands of the people who needed it to continue advancing the kingdom of God.

Looking back, Mark was blown away at the clear protection and direction offered by God. "I stand amazed at the faithfulness of God," he says, "even in what I would consider my mistakes."