Ten months ago I moved into the country. My adult children were
worried. My
Mother and my sister were a little worried, but not much.
"Mama," my children said, "you are going to be too far from town. What
are
you going to do if something happens?"
"The same thing I did in the city, of course! Pray and trust Jesus to
take
care of me."
It was too simple for them to be satisfied, they were just resigned to
the
fact that I was going. For me, however, my prayers had been answered.
My
heart longed for the peace and quiet, as well as the labor of the
country.
I envisioned my lush garden,luxurious grass and flowers--the results of
my
labor. I was on my way! I could live in the country, no problem!
Sunday morning dawned, overcast, dreary and rainy. It had been raining
for
days. I was hoping that it would clear by the weekend, but it hadn't.
I
needed a break.
"Lord, can you please hold the rain long enough for me to get moved?"
And the rain stopped. We moved all of the large pieces of furniture and
boxes without getting wet. As we unloaded the last of the items from
storage, the rain began again. It was coming down in torrents.
"Thank you, Lord, we got the biggest portion done."
My older children and our friends left me to move the small boxes and
clothing from the trailer the two other children and I occupied for the
preceding 7 months while we searched for a home in the country. It
would be
no problem. I was used to moving alone and in the dark. You just do
what
you have to do. I would be fine.
I loaded my Honda and told the 2 children I was leaving, to sit on the
couch
and stay right there while I took the boxes over to our new house. They
were obedient children and it was only 4 miles. It would only take me
about
15 or 20 minutes.
As I got into the car, I whispered, "Father, please take care of the
children and take care of me as I go--and please bring me back
safely."
The rain continued in earnest. I was having to go slower than I had
expected, but, I would be fine and the children would be fine. I did
not
feel a bit afraid or anxious. I followed the curves in the road and
made
the 2 right turns that put me on the main road to our new home.
It really was raining hard. And it was dark. It was so dark and there
was
so much rain it was like peering through curtains at black glass rather
than
at the road.
A vehicle was approaching. I felt a twinge of fear. Why had I decided
I
needed to finish moving in the dark? I was going to have to turn onto a
deserted road that followed the river and it was an unlighted stretch.
Maybe this had not been such a good idea.
"Just come on by," I encouraged, thankful that he had not turned onto
the
road I would be taking.
I had to make an odd-angled left turn as soon as I crossed the river, so
I
slowed nearly to a stop. I looked into my rearview mirror. The vehicle
that had just passed me, had pulled into the parking area of a deserted
building I had just passed and was turning around.
"What time I am afraid, I will trust," I said. "And Lord, can you
please
stop the rain so I can see? And please, take care of me, "I whispered
into
the darkness.
Slowly I turned the corner. The road is almost a 90 degree angle to the
adjacent road so it is difficult to turn quickly in daylight on a clear
day.
You have to drive to your lane, then turn back towards the road you
just
left and towards the river.
When I completed the turn, there was a
sudden haze. I pressed on the brake and looked. There was something
but
not the something that should have been there. I sat there for a moment
figuring out what was "wrong with the picture." I could not see the
road
that continued through the trees. There was nothing but a haze that
reflected my headlight beams. I had never gone that way in the dark
before,
so maybe I was lost. Maybe I didn't know what it was supposed to look
like
in the darkness. But no, it was the right turn. It was the only turn
immediately after crossing the bridge.
Suddenly my eyes adjusted to what I was seeing. The "mist", that
obscured
the road in front of me began to move. It was the brown, misty,
murkiness
of the river. Less than three feet in front of me was nothing but
water.
There was no road. I sat there transfixed for several minutes just
looking
at the movement and its nearness.
Thank you, God, oh thank You!" I repeated again and again. "And thank
you
for stopping the rain!"
I was so terrified by seeing the river that I had not realized I was
only
able to see the river because it had stopped raining.
"Oh God, thank You for saving me. I would have been in the river and no
one
would have known I was down here!"
I was trembling from head to toe
as I
backed away from the river and returned to the main road. As I made the
right turn, I realized I was not alone. The vehicle, a truck, that had
pulled off the road and turned around when I made my turn was still
there.
The driver, probably a local resident (or my special angel), would have known the river had
overflowed its banks and had waited to see if I would turn around. God
made
provision for me. If I had turned too quickly and been unable to avoid
the
river, He sent help before the need arose.
Seeing me return to the road, the truck made another u-turn and continued on
its
way. And a very shaken Mama went the long way around to the new house,
quickly unloaded the car and returned home.
When I calmed down a bit, I called the local sheriff to report the
unmarked,
flooded river. No one realized that hanging tree branches obscured the
sign
indicating it was a flood area. I had not been able to see the sign.
Truly,
the Angel of the Lord encamped around me and delivered me.
My children, of course, said "See, Mama, it's too far into the country.
If
you were still in the city, you wouldn't have almost ended up in the
river!"
Well, I wasn't giving up my home in the country, but I did learn that in
order to live in the country, you have to do what people who live in the
country do. If you live near a river, watch it in the rainy season. If
it
is rising, take the long way home.
C/2001
