A Break Down

After our wonderful time in Virginia, we hopped in our borrowed minivan and headed on our road trip to New Jersey where we were going to be the speakers over the Labor Day weekend.  About 2 hours into the trip, Jeyson suddenly noticed that something was wrong with the car and pulled over immediately into the nearest parking lot...which just happened to be into a 7-11.  

In my mechanical ignorance, I hoped for the best as Jeyson got out and opened the hood.  My hope began fading as I could see some smoke coming out from the opened hood. I got out of the car to get an update from Jeyson and my hope became a distant memory when I came around to the front the car and saw Jeyson holding a loose long belt, which he knew was just a symptom of the problem!  Without tools, parts, and a lift he kew there was nothing he could do about it.  And in this small town with pressure to make it to Keswick on time to speak, how would this all resolve?!?  Things were looking ROUGH!  But even in this rough moment God took care of every detail and make his provision so clear to us.

1. Not only did we have our break down in "civilization", unlike the many desolate areas we drove through, but we also had a Advanced Auto Parts within walking distance of where we randomly had immediately pulled over.

2. While Jeyson walked to Advanced Auto Parts to try to find out where the nearest mechanic stop was, the worker in 7-11, where we had pulled over, gave me and the kids free slushies since it was so hot out as we waited. A nice, totally unnecessary reminder of God's care in the small things. 

3. At the auto parts store, Jeyson was given the numbers for a towing company and a shop two miles away and quickly arranged for the car to be towed to the shop and worked on today.  We later found out that the shop is usually swamped with work, so it was incredible that they would even take us that day.

4. Within walking distance from the 7-11 was a McDonalds with a huge play place.  Later I found out from my friend who knows well the area where we broke down, that play places are very rare in the area so she was amazed that we broke down by one.  The kids and I walked to the McDonalds and settled in while Jeyson went with the tow truck to the shop.

5. About an hour later, Jeyson called me at McDonalds saying that the mechanic found the problem...the water pump...and the part was easy to access and they would work on it right away!  This was a huge answer to prayer as I was imaging us having to stay in a hotel, cancel plans at Keswick, and who knows what else for even a few days until the car was fixed! What a relief!

6. At McDonalds the kids were amazingly patient and had constant kids to play with...for almost 4 hours!

7.  The mechanic generously lent Jeyson a car so he could spend part of the afternoon with us as we waited at McDonald's (by that time I was about 2 1/2 hours into my wait, smelling like french fries and greatly in need of relief and adult conversation!)

8. Only 4 hours later, the car was ready and we were on our way!  

So of course no one wants to break down, but as we drove off, truly we weren't lamenting the break down.  We were talking over and over about how God worked out all of the little details of the break down to happen so smoothly.  Things could have been SO, SO much worse!  We couldn't believe that rather than having to cancel our weekend plans as speakers at Keswick, and who knows what else, we were on our way just 4 hours later!  Not to mention Elijah fulfilled his "lifetime" dream of seeing a tow truck in action...he has always just loved tow trucks and was pumped about it!

On the way up to Keswick we stopped at my old college roommate's house.  I could fill a whole blog post about that visit, but I'll leave it at this...we were stopping there just for a quick one hour hello on the way, but in the end we left our one hour visit with hearts full of encouragement, being prayed over, completely renewed and refreshed in our thinking, challenged with new ideas to mull over...what an awesome visit!  I wish every hour could be so awesomely meaningful!  Phew!  What a full, full day!