Page 1 - 2024 December ~ 2025 January

Southern Pennsylvania District

Church of the Brethren

With God There Are No Accidents

Some people might say, “On August 28, 2024, Leon Yoder had a bad accident
when he fell head-first from a ladder.” It is true that I was thrown from a ladder
by the recoil of a nail gun and my fall resulted in a severely fractured left arm, a
brain bleed, and a broken neck. It is also true that I was flown to the Penn State
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center where I remained a patient for eight days be-
fore being sent home for a long and painful recovery. However, with God there
are no accidents, just divine appointments. Allow me to tell my story and I think
you will agree.

The day promised to be a very hot one, so I started early to get ahead of the heat
for my planned day of putting siding on the portable chicken house I was con-
structing on the bed of a farm wagon. It was located approximately 50 yards

from our house. About midday, I had reached the highest point on one end of the
CONTENTS structure. My ladder was firmly set and very stable, but the problem was that in
order to nail the board into place it required me to reach to my left across my

Message Pgs. 1-3 body with my right hand holding a heavy nail gun. The nail failed to completely
———————————- penetrate the oak board, and the resulting recoil of the nail gun took me past my
center of gravity, throwing me from the ladder. I recall frantically grabbing at
District Info Pgs. 2-6 thin air as I fell and then all was black. I regained consciousness briefly and was
______________________ confused about hearing chicken noises near me and wondering why I was laying
on the ground and couldn’t move. I then blacked out again.
Upcoming Events Pg. 7
______________________
I have no recollection of the next passage of time. When I once again became
Church News Pgs. 8-9 aware of my surroundings, I was sitting in my recliner looking at my crooked
______________________ and swelling left arm and wondering what had happened. How I got up, re-
moved my tool apron, and walked to the house without assistance or awareness
Learning Opportunities — seems to shout, “Divine assistance!” Within a few minutes, Ellen came past my
CEU’s Pgs.10-12 chair on her way to make her routine check on my safety and assumed I had
——–———————— come into the house to cool off. When I said that my arm hurt, she asked what
happened and I had no idea. Seeing the arm was obviously broken she immedi-
Ministry News ately called our daughter and told her that she was bringing me to the Chambers-
Pgs. 13-15
____________________ burg Hospital Emergency Room with a broken arm. After getting off the phone,
Ellen asked me if anything else hurt and I replied that my head and neck hurt
very badly. She grabbed the phone again and dialed 911. The first EMT to ar-
rive asked me several questions that I got wrong. He knew I was a pastor of
many years, and he asked me to quote John 3:16. When I didn’t know what he
was talking about he knew we had a serious problem. Upon further examination,
the skilled EMT team conferred and recommended that I should be air lifted to a
shock trauma unit. Ellen chose Hershey. The medics assured Ellen that my vital
Dec / Jan 2024 — signs were stable. As she watched the “Life Lion” lift off, Ellen felt the Lord’s
2025 peace and reassurance wrap around her like a warm embrace. The divine inter-
vention continued.

Continuted on pg. 2