Thursday, August 07, 2008

A Blessing From a Stranger

While I was in the DR, my car (Champ) sat in the parking lot of my condo for eight days without being driven. Upon my return, she was a little testy. She was upset with me for leaving her for so long. She cried...or squeaked...in a very high pitch. I took her to the doctor, to see what was wrong. They said that I needed to get a serpentine belt, and an idle pulley, with the possibility of also needing a tensioner. $250 and one day later, I started her up and the squeak was still there. At this point, I was rather annoyed. I had originally taken it in for a squeak...and it was still there. I called them back and told them that she was still squeaking and that I probably needed the tensioner. Although I had no idea what in the world it was (even after googling it), I felt like that was the most logical explaination. It is what they told me, afterall. And of course, I'm going to trust them...I'm not mechanic! So I took her back in the next day with the intent of replacing the tensioner and putting it all behind me. I received a call that afternoon saying that they replaced the tensioner (and that labor was free since it wasn't fixed before, but it was still $50), but she was still squeaking. WHAT?! I know, right? I grabbed a pen to jot down the parts that needed to be fixed. Camshaft synchronizer, cam position sensor, gaskets. Okay, so I've heard of gaskets. But are those other two things really even car parts? So I ask the dreaded question. "How much does it cost?" My estimate including parts and labor: $585. I wanted to die. Yes, after shelling out a grand total of $900...Champ could be good as new! I wanted to throw up.

I immediately called my stepdad to see if I was getting a run for my money, or if he thought they were being honest. His suggestion was to go buy a new car. Maybe a "cute little Camry or Corolla, or maybe a Honda." UGH! I immediately had a talk with Champ. I told her that I wasn't going to leave her in her time of need, but that I needed her to pull through. Together, we could figure it out. Obviously, my pep talk didn't work...the squeak is only getting worse!

Fast forward to today. Champ is still squeaking. And it's getting worse by the day. Earlier this week I called some auto repair shops to get some other estimates for parts and labor. The consensus was that it cost a lot of money...more than I wanted to spend. More than I was able to spend. I've spent a lot of time this week praying and trying to figure out how to work it all out. It's not like I just have an extra $900 just lying around each time I get paid.

Today, I got an email from a friend who said that she needed to meet me at lunch. When I met her, she gave me a hug and handed me a folded check and said "I was telling someone about your situation and they wanted me to give you this." I opened it up and it was $650. I have no idea who this amazing angel is, and she won't tell me. But it is seriously the most amazing blessing ever. She said that this person wants to remain anonymous (and she swears I don't know them anyway), but they just saw a need that they wanted to meet. She said that they are a firm believer in the body of Christ and wanted to bless me because she heard about my mission trip to the DR and my car problems since I've been back. Because they aren't able to offer their physical body by going, they want to bless those who can. I believe that this seriously is a testament to how amazing our God is and proof that the body of Christ really does exist and is working in us all.

So I made and appointment for Champ for Monday morning. YAY!


Pretty awesome, huh? I'm still amazed!!! :)

Anyone else have a story like that?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is so cool! Galatians 6:2 says, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." If your anonymous benefactor reads this, God Bless.

robyn said...

i remember a time when a good friend gave me more money than anyone else (besides my parents) for a mission trip overseas... even more than any other family member... and then prayed for me constantly while i was there... for 4.5 months... and that gift meant more to me than any other gift i've ever received...

robyn said...

it's not as good as your story... but i just wanted to remind you... :)

Anonymous said...

That's good stuff Amy. Of course God is good stuff so what do you expect. He will supply all our needs. All those little bible verses that we memorized as kids and in some cases have quoted until they almost sound trite are pure truth. He is amazing and I am in the middle of finding that out again. He just does what he said he would do.

Quick story... (I am not telling this so you will think anything of me but know how good God is)

My brother and his wife were having some real finanical problems. As I remember there was one situation where they had already developed legal issues. My brother told me a dollar amount that was involved. He didn't have it and I didn't either. I told him I would pray for them and that was the end of it.

For some reason the dollar amount he mentioned really stuck in my mind. It was not some even dollar amount he actually told me the amount down to the penny. A few days later I received a check at work very unexpectedly. I had no idea it was coming at all. When I opened the envelope is was two cents more than that amount my brother needed. I just started to cry. I knew there was no way that check was for me. I talked to my wife and she felt the exact same way. Of course we took it to my brother's home. He was very hesitant to take it but after showing him the amount and explaining what we both felt he understood we were just the conduit God has chosen to use to bless him. Of course we got the blessing of seeing God work which was incredible. I will never forget that feeling of holding a check and knowing that it was really written in heaven.