Car in the Ditch! Testimony Story

   On the 12th of this month (February), my family decided to go to the hot springs. We prepared our lunch, collected our towels, goggles, dry clothes, swimming clothes, etc. as well as warm winter clothes. We’ve been having sub-zero temperatures so knew that we especially needed to be prepared!

   As we drove along, we were so enthralled by the majesty and beauty of the mountains and trees laden with white snow. The sun shone brightly and the blue sky was so deeply contrasting. It looked like a perfect day!

   Finally we could see the hot springs—well not really, but we could see the steam rising and knew that that’s where they were! We left the highway and started down the smaller road. Suddenly there was about a 90 degree turn and it was SLIPPERY. My Dad tried and tried to brake, but our car has the feature of anti-lock brakes so we couldn’t really brake.

   From smoothly driving along, with us visiting together to being in a deep snow-filled ditch, was just a handful of seconds. It was a bit surprising indeed. We were so close to the hot spring too!

   Praise God, He has been teaching me about being thankful and rejoicing even in times of distress, so I wasn’t too worried. I also didn’t expect that it would be so difficult for us to get out of there.

   Thankfully, (praises to God!) we had a snow shovel and a friend of ours had a metal bar in his car (we didn’t go by ourselves), so he and my Dad went to work at chipping and digging under and around our vehicle. It was mostly ice, which made it really difficult. Oh yes, and I should add, my Dad did try to drive out of there but there was no way. We were stuck.

   Some people drove by and wanted to help—but they didn’t have any strap—and neither did we. I tried to help a little, but there wasn’t really anything that I could do. So I took pictures of the gorgeous scenery and prayed.

   A bright idea came into my mind! The last time we had gone to the hot springs we had a Great Controversy along and gave it to a gentleman that my Dad and Grandpa and talked with, so this time I took two—and prayed for Divine Appointments. Now I thought, well maybe those Great Controversy books are for whoever helps us out! Well, it wasn’t long before another truck stopped by. Several gentlemen got out and looked but they didn’t have a tow-strap either, so finally they left too. I had this struggle in my mind: I didn’t feel like I had the right opportunity to give them a Great Controversy, but was I supposed to?

   Time was really passing now. All of the sudden a little car, I think it might have been a Prius, came slowly down the road. It just passed us and stopped. I was like “What??? Do they think that they can help us?!” We have a big Suburban, and it has 4-wheel drive—I don’t think that car had anything more than 2-wheel drive!

   But stop, the car did, and out climbed a well-dressed gentleman who promptly grabbed a snow shovel from his car, silently came over and started to help chip the icy snow.

   Wow! I was surprised. Not long after my Dad tried again and again to drive out of there, but our vehicle was high centered on that icy hard packed snow, and pretty much all that happened was that the car got deeper on its side in the snow bank—and the sharp ice particles shredded a layer of the rubber off of our tires, leaving black snow. Eww!

   It was evident that we needed extra help to get out of there. We were praying too.

   The gentleman returned to his car and came back with a bag of sand that he without a word poured around a couple of our tires.

   He even had a tow-strap! All that was needed was a truck.

   Well, along came a pick-up truck! He was interested in helping pull us out—but didn’t have a strap. No worries about that now! I was a bit skeptical; he was driving a Toyota Tacoma, and I really thought that he should chain up for that super slippery road, otherwise I didn’t think that he would be able to get us out. But…they hooked our car up and tried. Then they tried again. He could move our car a few inches—and then he would go sliding and spinning all over.

   Finally he gave up, and we needed a stronger vehicle. As they had been preparing to try to pull our car out, I had gone and retrieved the Great Controversy books out of the car and wrote short messages of thanks for helping us out of the snow to give to the gentleman in the Tacoma and the gentleman in the car. Now the Tacoma driver was leaving. I handed a book through his window saying how we appreciated his help. I was really happy that he had stopped—even if he didn’t extricate our vehicle, he got a Great Controversy! I felt that there was a mission accomplished.

   Meanwhile, a much larger pickup had arrived to help. That’s when I had a predicament: I had two Great Controversy books, who was I to give them to? There were now three vehicles! My Mom mentioned that we had a Desire of Ages in our car, so I quickly went and pulled it out. I barely had the time to hurriedly write down a short message before I gave it to the gentleman from the car. In praying I had felt that it was right to give the GC’s to the trucks’ inhabitants and the DA to the car’s driver, so that is what I did. The car’s driver also accepted the book. I was really happy and praising God in my heart! I didn’t mind that our car was stuck anymore. I knew that God was bringing GOOD out of the situation! (Lookup: Romans 8:28)

   The gentleman that climbed out of the larger truck was very quiet. He used hand signals to communicate with the truck’s driver and talked in soft tones with my Dad. After praying several times over the time that had now elapse (it had almost been an hour), our car was pulled out so quickly that we didn’t even take a video of the process! Praise the LORD!

   I went over to the gentleman and expressed thanks and gave him the last Great Controversy. He took it and thanked me. Then later he spoke again with gestures of deep meaning, “Thank you for the book.”

   Wow. Praise the Lord! It wasn’t really hard at all to give away three books that day when God brought the opportunities! I’m glad I didn’t give a book to the first vehicle of men; somehow it didn’t seem right, and now I know that I wouldn’t have had a book available for the last gentleman who seemed so appreciative. God is GOOD, and He knows how to pick many flowers in one grab. He can accomplish much good—if we just allow ourselves to be USED by Him.

   This week I want to challenge you to let Jesus shine through you. Ask Him to fill you up with His Love and Spirit, and ask for His Divine Appointments. Then watch for them! Have some tracts, BVC’s, and books available. I have even just hand written notes—these sometimes get even more readily received! The harvest is great, but the laborers are few. Won’t you join Jesus and work in His Field today?

Ps. I received the following message: “I was happy to have helped you guys with your ditch situation on your way to hotsprings. Thank you for the book.  My daughter and i will do some 
reading about the word.”

Praise the Lord! Please pray for all the individuals that we shared with. Thank you!