So the more intense my life gets with God the more I realize how he totally comes in and saves the day and answers very very specific prayers!!! Check this out! So the whole time I was working in Christchurch, me and my friends were praying that I would somehow get a pair of really good hiking boots for my upcoming trip to Alaska. I had been hunting around for a good pair and they ended up all being like $200, a little over my nomad budget :-)
As I was praying for my boots I also realized that to get back to my missionary base which was an hour away I would have to hitch hike by myself. Jodi had to leave early and most of the public transport isn’t quite up and running yet. Now if you’ve ever hitch hiked before you know that the cardinal rule is to never hitch alone if you’re a girl….so I figured since I had to I’d pray a very specific prayer for the safest ride I could think of. I asked God to send me an elderly lady who was either a librarian or a house-wife J God has worked stuff like this our before so I totally believed he could pull this off!
The end of the week came, I still hadn’t received the hiking boots but my friend Mel who had been praying with me insisted they must be on back order somewhere. I caught a ride on a school bus (which is another crazy safe way to hitch I might add) to the main turn off for the town of Oxford which was about an hour away. So there I was with my backpack at my feet, a chai tea in one hand and my thumb out in my other just waiting for God to do something miraculous….
Within 30 seconds, which is a record for how fast I’ve been picked up, a car from the other side of the lane made a u-turn and made a beeline straight for me! I was a little concerned at how eager this person was to pull over so I cautiously approached the car and leaned in to see if my old lady had arrived.
I was met with the kind eyes and smile of a sweet older lady!! “Where are you headed honey?” she asked as she curiously looked me up and down.
“Well mam, I’m lookin for a hitch to the city of Oxford,” I held my breath, wondering if this was all too good to be true.
“Oh darling, I’m heading the complete opposite way…..” she gave me a look of concern as she looked out at my backpack and small loaf of bread I had brought to give to my heaven sent ride.
“Well that’s ok, I appreciate you stopping though! Hope you have a great day!” I leaned out of the car, not too concerned yet, that definitely would have been too easy. I’m sure God still has my ride on the way.
“Hold on honey!! Just one second!” She pulls out her phone and makes a quick call expaining that she’s gonna have to cancel her plans CUZ SHE’S TAKING A HITCH HIKER ALLL THE WAY OUT TO OXFORD!!!
“But mam, I’m wondering if we are thinking of the same place, Oxford is an hour in the opposite direction of where you need to be….” I was sure there was some miscommunication.
“I know exactly where Oxford is, and I’m not sure why but I really feel like I should take you out there! Put your pack in the trunk and hop on in!”
I couldn’t stop from laughing as I buckled up, I had one more question to ask her….that I already knew the answer too…
“So mam, so you mind me asking what you do for a living?”
“Not at all honey, I’ve been a house-wife for most of my life”......of course she was!!! God had done it again!!!!! We spent the hour drive talking about how she used to backpack back in the day and felt like she needed to return the favor!
She drove me right up to the front door, I gave her my home-made loaf of bread which I knew was going to be the perfect thank you for an elderly house-wife, and I asked if I could pray for her. I prayed, we hugged, and parted ways.
Now you might remember from the beginning of all this that I still needed hiking boots…..as I walked threw the door, one of my new friends from this year’s school spotted me and made a bee-line for me. She excitedly explained to me that she felt led to give me her practically new hiking boots!!! They fit me perfectly and are another amazing reminder that God provides for us in the most unexpected ways ever!!
