Raccoon Crossing

Last week I went to Indiana for the day. It was one of those things I had planned before our trip to Wisconsin the previous Wednesday through Saturday, and after dragging Lizah along for 12 hours (round trip) in the car I was wondering if it would be too much to haul her out to Indiana for the day. But I figured she could nap most of the way and she did pretty well.

Maria and the kids came down for a few days so there was extra incentive to go. Plus, the family was getting together to celebrate Oma's birthday and I don't get in on birthdays on the Lehman side as much these days so Lizah and I stayed into the evening for that.

Super aunt right there!

I headed home around 6:20 Central Time which was actually a bit earlier than I had pictured. Lizah was tired and so it seemed like a good time to confine her to the car seat. It was dark and we were cruising along 24, almost to Watseka, when suddenly there was a large raccoon crossing the road. Before I could think to swerve or brake it thump-THUMPED my car.

My jaw hung suspended for a while.

That feeling is so gross.

Since my car wasn't making any weird noises I decided to keep trekking to Gilman where I was already planning to stop and get gas. I got out to pump up and somewhat hesitantly went to look at the front end. Thankfully there were no paws or other raccoon parts hanging off my bumper. Instead I found that my lower bumper had been torn off, my front plate was bent back, and a nice puddle of pinkish stuff was leaking out by the driver's tire. It was too light to be blood so my next guess was anti-freeze. I Facetimed Seth and he started asking questions and told me to pop the hood. It was obvious to another man at a nearby pump that I was struggling to pop the hood and hold my phone so he came over to help. Thankfully he knew a little more about cars than I did so he confirmed that it was indeed the anti-freeze leaking and recommended that I not try to drive all the way home. He gave me a few suggestions and I thanked him for his help then got in the warmth of the car to figure out what to do. 

Lizah was sleeping which made this all a lot easier. Seth told me to move away from the pump and so I moved to a parking space underneath a light pole. After looking a little more closely at the underside of my car with my phone light I told Seth that I'm no mechanic and didn't know where the leak was coming from. Being the champ he is, he offered to drive up and get me. As I was sitting in the car that man walked over again and told me I should go inside since I had a baby and offered me some cash to get something for myself. I appreciated his offer but didn't feel right taking his money so I took his advice and went into the gas station. Lizah woke up soon after we went inside and I decided I should probably grab a coffee ;)

And I made a cool discovery: this gas station offers fresh ground and fresh brewed coffee. There was even some foam on the top right after it was brewed. Foam=fresh.

I took my coffee and baby and walked over to the Denny's side of the Pilot where there was a bench and table by a window. As I was getting Lizah out there was a mom leaving Denny's with her three children in tow. She noticed my infant and I noticed her infant car seat as well so we cordially exchanged our babies' ages. I love that instant connection you can have with a stranger when you both are lugging around infant seats. For some reason she was waiting around in front of the exit doors for a bit and she asked if I was waiting on somebody. I briefly explained my situation and the host at Denny's offered me a booth if I needed. I told him I might use one at some point but for the time I was fine. The kind woman soon walked outside with her children and then came back in to make sure I didn't need money for anything.

There still is good in this world, and the two kind souls who offered me money did much more than just that. Jesus used them to remind me that I am not alone. I didn't need their money any more than they did, and their thoughtful offers were valuable enough. 

Lizah and I spent over an hour at that gas station. She did amazing and even charmed one of the Denny's waitresses. We talked for a bit and when she heard of my situation she offered some advice and then went back to her job. After swaying my baby in front of the window a bit longer I walked over to a book rack and picked up a devotional. I opened to a page about sharing the gospel. This is an area of my life that I want to grow in and I felt the Spirit nudging me to use this opportunity. After all, what else should I be doing? The Apostle Paul would've preached an entire sermon by then if he'd been in my shoes!

I tried to make a few excuses in my mind but realized that I had nothing to lose. Putting the book back on the rack I walked over to the table and bench and prayed for an opportunity to talk to that Denny's waitress. A few minutes passed and she came back to a table near me and I asked her for her name and any specific ways I could pray for her. She told me that her son was in the military on a mission. Some days could be hard, and I can imagine so! We talked for about a minute then she thanked me and told me that was the greatest tip she had received all day. Yes, Jesus is the greatest giver.

Glad to have this buddy with me!

Eventually Seth arrived and spent some time under the car looking for the leak. With some phone-counseling from Dad Waibel he decided that we'd fill a few jugs with water and take 24 to Forrest, stopping now and then to refill the antifreeze tank. If we made it that far alright we could go on down to Mahomet or we could leave the car at a shop in Forrest. Having family in that area made it seem somewhat a convenient option.

It turns out that we made it all the way to Mahomet with about three stops of refilling the antifreeze. 

My hero <3

The local car repair shop said they wouldn't be able to do the body work and so we ended up sending it to a place in Champaign that could repair the parts and do body work. The other day they let us know the car probably won't be ready til the 22nd of this month, which means we'll be almost a month without my car. It's been challenging to get by with one car, but I think God lets us experience glitches in life to remind us that somebody else out there is worse off. 

Also, to give all glory to God I must mention that when I shared my "experience" with the waitress at lunch the next day Seth informed me that on his drive to Gilman he had been praying I would take advantage of an opportunity to share the Gospel. 

You know, only our God could turn a raccoon crossing into such a blessing.