Overwhelmed By His Love

It was late summer and I was driving through the mountains of northern Pennsylvania on my way to a camp. I would serve there for several weeks as camp missionary. The route was a familiar one which I had traveled many times as I raised support to work on college campuses. I had a small Volkswagen which was loaded to the gills with luggage and equipment.

I passed a small town which was a landmark that I was nearing the last city. It would be about thirty miles or so to the camp. With thoughts on camp and what was ahead, I was startled by a loud spurting noise. I saw smoke wafting out from under the hood. I was already up the mountain side, it was late afternoon. What was I to do? I was a mile or two up the road from the last small town, I had expensive equipment in the car and best of all I had on high heels and a dress. Somehow, I knew this was another one of those God things. It was time for another lesson!

Gathering my courage and with a word of prayer for protection...I began walking down the mountain. There were no cars in sight...this was going to be a long walk! Eventually I made it down the hill. There was one small grocery store and a closed gas station. I headed for the the grocery store.

The gentleman at the store kindly let me use the phone to call the camp. Thankfully, I was
able to reach the camp director's wife and she promised to send help as quickly as she
could. I knew that could mean a couple hours before some one could get to me and then
another hour or so to camp. After a pepsi and sandwich I began walking back up the
mountain to the car. I needed to see if the equipment and luggage were still there.

The car had puddles of oil flowing underneath it when I arrived. I checked under the
hood as things seemed cool now...but there was oil everywhere. The car looked
safe enough to sit in...so I got in...locked the doors and waited. Several cars stopped
to see if I needed help...but quickly decided that the car was probably beyond any
assistance they could give.

One of the camp staff eventually arrived and put my car on a flat bed behind the truck. He had friends in town who were mechanics. He determined we should leave the car with them and take all my belongings out. That was no small task with projectors and screens in tow!

That night we arrived at the camp and I was more than ready to climb into that hard
old bunkbed and sleep! I was peaceful...but I wondered how a missionary raising support
was going to travel without a vehicle. It was a mountain I had not had to face before...no
parents...no churches...no brothers for support...it was me and God. Not to mention a couple hundred children!

The kids had faith that God was going to supply a car for me! They prayed all week that
either the car I had could be fixed or that God would provide a new one. Near the end of
the week with a church to speak in on that Sunday...but no car. God surely must have
a plan.

He did ...but it was not quick in coming. The camp director's wife offered to take me
to the meeting. On our drive back...she shared that it was just what she had needed to
encourage her to keep going for the rest of the summer. We prayed together about my
car and left it with the Lord!

At the end of the 2nd week of camp I received a call from some family friends. Bob and
Betty said that God had burdened their hearts to give me a car. They had taken money
out of their savings account and purchased a used car for me. Bob and his son even
drove the car up to the camp. The kids at camp had been praying all week and they were
ecstatic! They had gotten to see God answer prayer! I was blown away by such a gift
of love and support....away from the kids...all I could do was cry! I was so overwhelmed
that God would show me his love in such a tangible way!

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh
from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1,2