angels among us?

This is a true story. It happened to me
& my husband back in July of 1993. I
was 8 months pregnant & Jjesse's grandma,
who lived in San Antonio was very ill. They didn't
expect her to make it & were calling all
the relatives to come home. We were
stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC at the time.
We drove a 1986 Pontiac Grand Am that seemed
to be running fine, even though it had over
100k miles on it.

We didn't have the money to spend the nite
anywhere, so we were going to drive straight through-
from Jacksonville, NC, (which is on the coast)
allllllllllll the way to San Antonio, Texas. Now, this was
before the internet & mapquest....so we really weren't
sure how long it would take us....but according to our calculations
from the atlas, it would be around 24 hours.

the road trip started out uneventful....other than
having to stop every 30 miles or so for me to relieve
my smushed up bladder! One of the stops was in
Jacksonville, FL. We thought it was funny &
remarked about how we had driven for
several hours & were back where we started....
jacksonville. anyway, we were 18...it
seemed funny then. *rolleyes*

being impossibly bloated from sitting & feeling
the sticky heat during the hottest part of the
summer, i was miserable. so i waddled
inside the gas station & returned with an empty
& somewhat happier bladder! Jesse tried to start
the car so we could get back on the road, but it
wouldn't start. The engine didn't turn over, no clicking,
no noise...just silence. it was completely dead.

Jesse popped the hood & started "inspecting" everything.
We took turns cranking the key, trying desperately
to get the car started. After being there for almost an hour and
stressing over what to do, we STILL couldn't get it started!
By this time, panic mode was starting to set in....we were stranded.

After pacing around a bit, and uttering some expletives,
Jesse & I notice this decrepit & scraggly man wobbling
towards us.....slowwwwwwly. He obviously couldn't move
very well, though he didn't look very old. His clothes were
dingy looking, his dark blonde hair unkempt, and he was just
generally scraggly looking.

Simultaneously, Jesse & I were thinking the same thing-
"Oh, great! What does THIS guy want?"

It seemed like it took him an eternity to finally approach
the front of the car. Jesse told me to wait inside while
he checked to see what this guy wanted. So i did. But,
being the hot, sticky summertime, I left the driver's
door open in hopes of feeling some burst of wind on my
face.

I heard the guy when he asked Jesse, "What's a matter
with your car?" His speech was garbled as if he was not
mentally competent or at best had a severe impedement.
Jesse dismissingly said, "Oh, nothing. Our car just
won't start."

The guy then asks Jesse if he has a screw driver.
Jesse says, "Yeah. I've got one in the trunk." As he passed
by me on his way to the trunk, he rolled his eyes at me.
Ii knew what he was thinking....becuz i was thinking it too.
This guy doesn't have a clue. A screwdriver? What the heck
is a screw driver gonna do??

Jesse brought him the screwdriver & the guy took it
from him. Carefully watching him, Jesse saw him stick
it in an unlikely spot. The man proceeded to say, "Start
the car." Hesitantly, Jesse nodded at me to give it a try.
I did as the guy asked. I turned the key and simultaneously
sparks flew from underneath the hood. At that instant,
the car started!! It was incredible! We both looked at each
other in disbelief. Could this crippled & seemingly simple-minded
man really know what he was talking about?? We were amazed
and a tad bit humbled at that point.

Jesse slammed the hood closed and starting dusting his hands
off. He turned to face the guy and started to utter, "Than...."
but the guy was gone......vanished, really. I can't explain
it. I saw the guy there as the hood was lowered, but
when Jesse turned to thank him, he was just....gone!

Jesse asked me, "Where did he go?" I shrugged.
We looked in all directions, expecting to find him stumbling
away....after all, he was crippled, right?
But we couldn't find him....he was nowhere in sight.
He had simply shown up the moment we needed
help & then disappeared....to who knows where.

We immediately got goosebumps & chuckled at each
other. It was that nervous what-the-heck-just-happened
kind of laugh when something incredibly unbelievable
or unexpected happens. We then thanked God
for sending him our way.

We have re-told this story many times since that day,
and we both feel like he could have been an angel.
An angel in disguise- a person we would have never
suspected to be able to help us.
Yet, he did.

I still get goosebumps when I relive that
encounter. It proves that God can use even the most
unlikely person in an extraordinary way!

If you've ever received a random act of kindness, I'd love
to hear about it. With all the crime, hate, and despair
in the world, it's comforting to know good things
still happen!