Of Rain and Serpentine Belts and Grace

We weren't far into our long trek to New Orleans when God sent us an incredibly awesome, not-soon-to-be-forgotten reminder of His faithfulness!

About an hour into our travels, we hit torrential rain.  I'm talking, windshield wipers on full blast, minimal visibility, knuckle-whitening rain.  As a matter of fact, that's how it was much of the way down to Louisiana.  Anyhow, we had crossed the state line only moments before when the lights on our dashboard began flashing and bells began dinging.  Before I knew it, my husband calmly said, "The van's losing power.  I'm sure it's the serpentine belt."  Thank God for my calm, balanced husband when my own heart is reeling!  He turned off the air, the cd player, the wipers---everything he could in order to preserve the battery.

We immediately contacted the other van in our caravan and told them we'd be pulling off the interstate as soon as possible.  The first available exit took us into farm country...Boone County, to be exact.  In our minds, this exit was everything less than ideal.  There was nothing for miles around.  As we headed east, the landscape got more and more rural.  Our son fired up his i-phone and GPS and mapped out the route to the nearest "country" garage.  As we followed his directions, we came into a small community.  We were so intent on following the directions, we missed the fact that we had just passed a NAPA Auto Parts store.  One of our guys noticed and spoke up, "Hey, what about that place?"  My husband turned our caravan around and pulled into the lot.  As we all remained in the vans, my husband strolled directly into the garage to inquire about their availability to help us out. 

It wasn't long before he returned, gladly informing us that they had time to repair our van.  Not only that, but they warmly invited all 13 of us into their "playroom" to wait (and use the restroom).  As soon as we entered the waiting area, we spotted Bible verses posted on the walls, not to mention a display featuring information about the auto care ministry they do each Monday evening.  We giddily laughed and smiled as we recognized this garage as a specific gift of God. 

Twenty minutes later, the mechanic strolled in and informed us our van was set and ready to go.  When my husband tried to pay him, our new friend insisted that there was no charge.  Our group gathered in the far end of the garage and bowed our heads in joyful thanksgiving, marveling at God's grace and goodness.  He had so obviously and clearly provided for and protected us.  He used this delay as an opportunity to remind us of His love.  It was a divine appointment that only He could arrange.  Our hearts soared and took courage as we set out once again.

But that was just the beginning of God's grace-filled reminders...