As we parked at the state fair we noticed our gas light had come on. After we spent 6 hours at the fair we headed home. We stopped for gas. Micah had fallen asleep before we even made the 6 block trek to the gas station. I guess he was just as pooped as we were!
We filled up the van with gas and got some cold water, then hopped on the highway. We had gone about one and a half miles from the entrance ramp and our van just sputtered and STOPPED! NOOOO! We tried starting it and then looked under the hood...as if we could've done anything or seen what was wrong ;) It was too blazin' hot to sit in the van to wait for a tow, so we loaded up the boys in the stroller and booked it!!! That is an experience I wish to never re-visit...walking down the side of the interstate with two little ones in a stroller. You are at the mercy of the vehicles coming towards you. Luckily we have an awesome God whose hand was on the whole experience, as you'll see!
We got off of the highway and had two choices, going to a gas station or a car dealership. At first we headed towards the gas station, but then my smart, quick thinking husband decided that the car dealership was probably more experienced in the area of helping people call for a tow truck. Smart move! They were so incredibly helpful! On our 1.5 mile walk to the car dealership I called my sister to see if they could help us out! My parents were out of town, and so we didn't know who else to call. Phoebe, my sister, and her husband, Brandon, have the biggest servants hearts I have ever seen. They are always willing to lend a hand and give 110 percent when they do! She didn't even hesitate when I asked her to make the 2 hour drive to come get us! She might have been scared to say no, as I was crying at this point!
The car dealership called a tow truck for us and even offered to take Jason to get our car seats out of the van before the tow truck got there. In the mean time Phoebe called back and insisted that Brandon just bring his truck and trailer and take our van home! At first I said no, but then once reality set in I humbly accepted. We hated to make them go to so much trouble, but were so thankful for their offer! SO, not only did the car dealership call the tow truck, they also called and CANCELLED the tow! They gave us a bottle of pop, to 'hydrate' us...I found this funny! and insisted that we hang out in their waiting room. This was a huge answer to prayer!!! Not only were we in air conditioning, there was a little side room with toys and a kids movie playing, a BATHROOM, and comfy couches for us to sit on. We sat there for an hour and a half, at which point they closed. We decided to walk across the street to the gas station to get some milk for Micah. Behind the gas station was a hotel, we asked them if we could sit in their foyer for a while. They graciously allowed us to! We only waited there for 15 minutes before Phoebe showed up.
Brandon was an hour or so behind her, as he had to go pick up the trailer and truck at their other farm. To fill the time we went to a diner and had shakes and supper. By the time we were done eating, Brandon was in DesMoines.
Phoebe and Jude waiting for Brandon and Jason to get back from loading up the van. She's such a great aunt!
Our van. At this point we didn't know what was wrong with it, so I took this picture not knowing if we'd ever see it again.
It turns out that our fuel pump went out. Brandon said that it sounds weird, but that if your fuel pump is going bad and you fill it up with gas, sometimes that pushes it over the edge and makes it go bad!
Blessings/ways God provided for us in this mess:
-safety, like I said-walking 1.5 miles on the highway was NOT fun!
-family, I honestly don't know what we would've done if Brandon and Phoebe would not have come
-Brandon and Phoebe saved us a TON of money by towing our van home. Brandon is a mechanic, so he fixed the fuel pump and found some other serious problems. One was so bad that he said he didn't know how our van hadn't caught on fire yet...oh, great!
-a car...Phoebe graciously let us borrow her car. We actually still have it! Brandon is working on our van when he can, but one of the problems is very labor intensive. Brandon and Phoebe both work full time AND farm 700 acres of crops. I don't know how they do it...and now he's fixing our van on top of it!!!
-the car dealership, I was blown away by their generosity, encouraging words...and salesmanship...they kept telling us that they could just sell us a new car ;) very funny!
Although we were not thrilled with the ending to our fun day at the fair, we were so thankful for God's provision in all things!
2 comments:
Oh, we are feeling a bit sick reading this post...glad you are all happy and healthy!
ohhhh noooo the mini van! God please bring it back swiftly and in top notch working order!
Post a Comment