Between a Rock and a Hard Place

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
Because many friends and family around the world pray for us and care about our well-being, some missionary stories should be told after the fact, and not while they are unfolding. Well, here is one of those events in a missionary's life when there was no time or opportunity to ask anyone for prayer.

After a beautiful day of Bible study with our friends in the villages, we were tired, but a happy kind of tired, rejoicing in all God had done. We decided to simplify our evening by stopping by a restaurant and picking up some chicken and chips and a salad for us and for a dear friend, our sweet neighbor we affectionately call, Grandma.

The bag of take-away was smelling so good we could hardly wait to get home, relax and enjoy the meal, but first, we wanted to take Grandma her dinner. A drizzly rain dimmed our view as we drove up the dark mountain road to the bend where Grandma's long, steep driveway branched off to the left. Her driveway, like ours, is a patchwork of grass, mud holes, and large slick boulders.

It wasn't late, maybe 7:30 or so, but Grandma's little house was completely dark. I was concerned when I thought she had gone to bed without dinner, but just as we reached the summit and our headlights illuminated the house,  her door opened and she stepped down into the yard to meet us. She stood squinting, because she couldn't see anything but lights. But, when I stepped out in front of the vehicle, she smiled, happy to see us and expressed her gratitude for the meal. I asked about her day and we spent a few moments chatting, then we said our goodbyes.

As we backed down her driveway into the pitch blackness, she slowly  made her way to her porch where she stood watching. She always likes to wave goodbye one last time as we go.

In some spots outcrops of boulders line the curved drive, making it difficult to navigate in daylight, and a real challenge in the dark. A few times I have successfully navigated it in our little Mazda, but last night, we were driving George's big SUV.

After we backed down a little distance and realized our aim was off, we pulled forward a little then tried again. The little Grandma seeing our struggle made her way down the driveway to help.  She pointed and in broken English made suggestions, but nothing seemed to work. After repeatedly getting off track, I got out and tried to help.  As I was shining my flashlight on the scene, I was a little alarmed and a bit unsettled when I saw two men standing a little distance away in the shadows of some shrubs, quietly observing us.  When they saw that I noticed them, they both drew back and looked away.

We tried and tried again, then eventually, about halfway down the drive, our tires began to spin and we slid over one large jutting rock with our back tires stuck in a muddy trench and our back bumper resting against an enormous boulder. If you've ever wondered where "between a rock and a hard place" is, I believe I found it! That was it. We had to get home, but the vehicle wasn't going anywhere that night.

We collected our belongings, locked our vehicle and told Grandma we would walk home, then we prayed our vehicle would be safe until we could retrieve it. With the men still lurking in the shadows nearby, George and I began to make our way down the mountain, assuring  each other that God has everything under control and that somehow He would take care of us.

As we walked along, we prayed, "Thank you, Jesus for keeping the vehicle safe and for keeping us safe."   By the light of our flashlight, we could only see a step or two ahead of us. Was the vehicle vulnerable? Yes. We know vulnerable vehicles can be stripped in a short time. Were we vulnerable? Of course. We are two elderly people in a third world country, walking home alone in the dark, but we knew God could and believed He would take care of us. None of this caught Him by surprise, and He certainly wasn't worried.

Step by step, we eventually made our way to our gate and called for the guard to let us in. He was surprised to see us without a vehicle on the other side of the gate seeking entry.  We told him what had happened, and he seemed genuinely concerned. Then, just as we sat down to eat our meal, the guard called for us at the door. He said he had arranged for our neighbor, the gardener, Harry, armed with a flashlight, to guard the vehicle through the night. What a blessing! Harry was happy to get the side job, and we were happy we would be able to rest better knowing our vehicle would not be picked apart and hauled away during the night.

Harry returned early this morning, just as the night guard was finishing his shift. They called for me at the door to give a report of events on Harry's shift. I learned that during the night, as Harry sat by the vehicle, he repeatedly encountered men approaching the truck, but when he shone his light on them, each time they ran away. So, we are thankful the night guard arranged to hire Harry to guard the vehicle. You can imagine what might have happened if he had not.

Then the night guard said, "Let's go and push your vehicle out!" I asked, "Who can I hire to do it?" He answered, "Harry, the day guard, me and another man, four men are ready to push it out."  I was amazed at how God was answering our prayers and had everything under control.

So, a few minutes later, George and I met the men at the vehicle. The team of men looked at the vehicle from all angles discussing among themselves, then they sized up the situation and came up with a strategy.

Before the vehicle could be moved at all, the large stone wedged beneath the rear axle had to be moved. All four the men crawled under the truck and began to push and pull until the stone was finally removed. Then, they put their shoulders to the truck, George engaged the 4 wheel drive, and the truck inched forward with the wheels spinning in slippery mud. Fifteen minutes or so the vehicle was free. We gave each man a good tip, shook their hands, and thanked them for helping us. Harry was especially happy because he got two tips.

We drove home thankful for the men who helped us and for God's amazing protection and provision when we were fully dependent on Him. Without a doubt, it was a dangerous situation, but God provided all we needed. We have had a few situations, so when George and I come to mind, let that be a cue for you to pray for us.