Road Trip Interrupted

Yesterday, I told you I'd let you in on why our 3.5 hour trip took 3 hours longer than expected.

We were 45 minutes down the road, headed back home from Myrtle Beach. Josh kept saying "I feel like I forgot something." Sure enough, while we were talking about our merchandise we realized that we had forgotten the pipe and drape we borrowed for our merchandise table.

Seriously?

I mean, we HAD to turn around. We didn't have any other options. We could gripe and complain about it but that would just make us even more frustrated. Okay, maybe we griped and complained just a little bit;)

To top it off, the kids had just fallen asleep. If you are a parent you KNOW that once your kids wake up from a nap that's it. No more nap. No more quiet ride.

Anyway, we got back to the Springmaid Resort where we had been staying. The kids were really confused when they woke up in the back seat to find us right back where we had started, ha.

Thankfully the conference building was still unlocked so Josh got right in and was able to load it in the trailer in no time.

Fast forward a couple of hours.

We were driving back down the interstate and Josh noticed that a van in front of us had a flat tire. They didn't appear to be pulling over any time soon, so I told Josh to ride up next to it so I could let them know that they had a flat.

It was a lady all by herself in the vehicle and she took my cue immediately. We followed her off the next exit to see if she might need any help.

She was fairly new to the area and all alone. On her way to work. I can't begin to tell you how many times she thanked us for stopping and helping.

Josh got right out and went to work on the tire. She had kept her distance from me and the kids...until she saw Micaiah. I was pulling him out to feed him really quick and she came over immediately and started making over him and the other two.

She began unraveling her life story while I fed Cai. There's no need for me to go into details except for the fact that she and her family need Christ. She was a captive audience for me as I shared a little bit about what we do and why we do it. I mean, it's not like she could go anywhere=)

Then, she asked if we had a website or something.

I told her that we didn't give that kind of stuff out to strangers. Just kidding! Of course we had something to put in her hands. I had something WAY BETTER than a website to give her. I handed her an "All That Glitters" CD, which seemed more than appropriate for this woman who struggled with gambling.

The Lord allowed the kids to happily keep each other occupied, without pushing too many important buttons in the car, so I could give all my attention to this woman, while Cai helped her heart soften toward the words we spoke.

So, if we wouldn't have forgotten the pipe and drape we would never have met this woman and she would not have heard the gospel that day. We could have used our kids as an excuse. They were hot, tired, hungry and we needed to keep going so we could get home at a decent hour. But if we would have kept driving, ignoring this divine interruption, we would have missed this opportunity.

Coincidence? I don't think so!