Once upon a roadtrip...

So I am not even really sure how to start this post... Because I don't really even think that I am yet over how completely amazing God is... or how He loves me so much... or what it really means to trust, really trust in Jesus.

"Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His promise, just to know, thus saith the Lord. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, how I've proved Him o'er and o'er. Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus, oh, for grace to trust Him more."

It was more than one thing. This whole last week had been a flurry of activity. Starting back to school, cramming in work, buying books, juggling trying to be with her little brother in the hospital, trying to be a good friend, stressing about stupid TB tests... She was running the whole gamete. Jo was a natural worrier, but this week had just been pathetic. There she lay, wide awake in her bed staring at the ceiling. In the other room she could hear her roommate turn off her alarm (for the second time) and start to move around. Cautiously she raised her head from under the warm quilts and looked around. The closet was attempting to spill its contents of dirty clothing out of the basket into the room. Her desk sat in the corner, completely littered with unfinished projects and errands. Strewn across the floor was the remains of what should have been her textbooks neatly stacked ready for studying all weekend. But no, because there next to the door sat her unpacked suitcase. See instead of studying all weekend for Monday's test, Jo planned to leave town all together, drive to another state, spend all her time longing for people and places so far away and yet so close to her heart. And all while spending time with some of her most amazing, Godly friends. So, yes, the worry was not unfounded. In fact Jo had every right to be freaking out already. And to some extent, she felt the uneasiness in her stomach as she mentally calculated all that she really should be doing, and realized that she would be doing little to none of it.

Thus was the sad state of my soul as I left that fateful day for Waco, Tx and the World Mandate conference. But I was supposed to go! I knew I was supposed to go! God had been reminding me of it all week, when I was trippin' over how much work I needed to get done, over how much school I had to do, over how this was very inconvenient timing, even how it looked like none of the other people were going to come through either... I just wanted to give up, to be like, "oh, well, God! I mean, I did try, but you know I just can't fight against all this. You're just gonna have to cool your horses and wait for the next conference, cause I don't think I can make this one."
So, like a good little child, I dragged my feet all the way out to that car, clambered into the driver's seat and set off for the sunrise. (oh, yeah, we left REALLY ungodly early in the morning, before self respecting people should ever be out!)
But driving has a way of calming me, and once we actually got out on the open road... the feel of the wheel in my hands, the drone of blacktop, and fun tunes on the stereo soon had me forgetting that I had been stressed at all. And it was fun! Liz made me nearly run off the road, (I was laughing about something she said.) Matt rolled up the window on my hand, and demonstrated his extensive knowledge of artists with typically large female fan bases. We mercilessly teased each other, and got to know each other better.
Whenever you go on a trip like this, I strongly recommend reading the map before you leave... I didn't. Long story short... I missed the exit in OKC for I35. Something on google maps said stay left... and no one told me that. And, hilariously enough, Jenna was in the back seat singing "Amarillo by morning..." and never once thought about the fact that if we were seeing signs for Amarillo, we might not be going the right direction.
104 miles later... we actually figured that out.
Not that big of a deal, right? Just catch the next highway down to meet up again with I35 in Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Well, that is all very good and well, except that we decided to stop for gas and to switch drivers. Liz hopped in, eager to do her part and polish off her stick shift driving abilities... except that it was soon apparent to me that she had none... alas... we pulled over, and I switched back to driving, cause I just couldn't have her running my car at 5000 RPMs for regular driving.
But it wasn't Liz. I couldn't get the car to accelerate either. Just nothing... and to make matters worse... the car had an eerie burning smell. Out I hop... Matt crawls under the car... there's a little oil leaking... I grab a rag from the trunk... check oil levels: a little low, but not bad. I keep extra oil in my car anyway, so I top him off. By now, Matt is ready to deliver his prognosis... (the very thing I had been dreading, but I assumed was true)... he thinks it is the clutch.
Okay, for those of you who know little about cars... a clutch is largely important, especially with a manual shifting car, because it is what disengages the engine while you shift gears. (and if you have ever attempted shifting without the clutch... you can HEAR why this would not be a good idea! But when the clutch goes out, you can't engage the engine... just running in idle and burning lots of gas trying to accelerate. Worse news: Matt's brother had a Sentra, which is very similar to my car... cost of new clutch: 2G. eeeekkk... *gasp, sputter, dying sounds*
So everyone gets on their phones... seriously, we must have looked pretty funny from the highway, all walking around talking on cell phones! Except for me... I did something very uncharacteristic. I sat down in front of the open hood and started praying. Basically one of those desperation-cry-out-to-God/Job-type-why-have-you-afflicted-me sorts of prayers... but prayer none the less. And that is when it started... the peace.
I didn't know what to do, and normally right about then I would have been busting out in tears, freaking out, etc... I know, cause I have done it before, when I was only about 2 hours from home... this time I was a good 10. Meanwhile, everyone on their cell phones had drummed up a bunch of prayer for us, and any number of concerned friends and family with suggestions. Then we did something that I am not sure what to think about... Matt crawled under the car, found the clutch with his hand, and reached out another hand to us to pray. And we seriously prayed over that clutch. I think our main thought was that if God wanted to, was He not able to fix the clutch supernaturally? Operating word being "if". Obviously not part of His plan this time. But again, with the prayer came peace. So I finally broke down and called my dad which I was completely dreading... Then I slipped momentarily in the peace category and started to cry a little. Jenna and Liz prayed over me again, and there it was again! Several cars stopped by and asked if we needed help. (People in Texas are really sweet, and they also have those adorable accents!)
Well, Liz called one of her friends, Leah, in Ft. Worth, who called a towing service, who told her they couldn't help her, but gave her another number. That is how Leah found Mike. Mike is your typical backroads, downhome, country type. He sports the flannel shirt, suspenders, stubble chin, and cigarette from the side of his mouth. He is probably in his 50's, has one of those amazing true Texas accents, and is not afraid to speak his mind!
He agreed to come pick us up, and brought his wife LouAnn along in her SUV to cart us back as well. We had planned on staking out a restaurant until Leah could make it the 1 and 1/2 hours from Ft. Worth to come pick us up and take us to her house for the night. However, when we got to talking to LouAnn, she wouldn't hear of it, and had us all come back to her house to stay. Both Mike and LouAnn showed us around their acreage, introducing us to their horses, donkey, tom turkey, and chickens!
Mike made phone calls around to some parts stores, tracked down a new clutch for us. His estimate for the total including the tow: $650. I kid you not. We were thinking 2G which was not only unfeasible, but also, none of us had! And here God had already made a way. (Isn't He amazing like that?) Mike also made some phone calls around to a couple buddies, and got them to come in the next day and help him drop the tranny. "These are good Christian kids, and we need to get them back on the road," was his line to his buddies to have them work on the weekend. He thought they could get it done by Sunday morning, exactly when we needed it to be able to get back to Manhattan. So sweet. Again, more prayers of thanks, and more peace.
Meanwhile, since we would be around a while... Mike and LouAnn decided to feed us. They fried up sausage, bacon, fresh eggs from the formerly mentioned chickens, biscuits, and we basically had a good old-fashioned country breakfast. One to the best meals that I have had in a long time! We got to talk to both of them, and learn about their lives. After supper we prayed with them for Mike's kidney stones, and for LouAnn's sister with cancer. Just pouring out our hearts to God for blessings on their family the way that they had blessed us! And also for healing. LouAnn was crying when we were done, and I was fairly close to tears myself. Just reveling in God's provision in our lives. More peace.
So we said goodbye to Mike and LouAnn, and jumped in the car with Leah to at least have a bed in Ft. Worth for the night. When we finally were able to calm down from the excitement of what all had happened. I was sitting there in the back of Leah's car, sandwiched between Liz and Jenna, wondering what in the world God was doing, while singing hymns along with the car stereo. It just completely hit me, that huge wave of peace, as I really began to praise the Lord for what He was able to do, is able to do, did, and would do!
Man, I knew it was going to be a good weekend!
Well, from Ft. Worth, we still were 1 and 1/2 hours from the conference. All of us really felt like we were still supposed to get there if we could. Well, easier said than done. All of us are underage to rent a car without a credit card, which none of us had. Amtrak doesn't run from Ft. Worth to Waco. Greyhound does, but tickets are like $2oo each! Exorbitant! Once again, a brick wall. Once again, more prayer. We were just about to give up, when down the hall comes Leah. "Hey, I was just thinking, why don't I just take you guys? I drove 1 and 1/2 hours to pick you up today, its 1 and 1/2 hours to Waco. I can take you." Bless her heart! Again prayers of thanks, floods of peace.
Well, we did finally make it to the conference. I was afraid that it might be anticlimactic after all that. But it really was very good. Neat to see people with passionate hearts for the nations, and clear understanding of what our calling is in relation to people that don't know God. Worship was amazing, the speakers spoke to my heart on more than one occasion, and the breakout sessions were exactly what I needed to hear to confirm my heart's calling (even though I didn't really say much about it at the time).
Still a lot of things to think about and sort through. But isn't God good?
There were still pockets of worry throughout the weekend, but for the most part, God had placed His hand of peace upon my heart. Which is quite liberating and I would have loved to enjoy, had I not been so completely tired for most of the weekend.
If we hadn't missed that turn, we never would have been on the road where Mike and LouAnn lived. If my clutch had gone out in Manhattan, I would either have paid $2,000 or been without a car for at least a week and paid for parts. Neither one can I really afford.
"For we know that all things work together for good, for those who love the Lord, and are called according to His purpose." rom 8:28
Again, isn't my God good??

"Cause I know my God saves the day, and I know His Word never fails, and I know my God made a way for me"

"Don't worry about anything, instead pray bout everything. Tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God's peace which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. He'll keep your hearts and minds quite and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus our Lord."