God gave me an angel...

I get asked a lot...is it safe in Nicaragua? I can tell you that 95% of the time I feel safe. There are times where I get a little pinch in my gut and think maybe I'm about to do something not so smart, and other times, I KNOW it's not smart, so I mumble a prayer and do it anyways ;-) Today was one of those days.... Em and I were driving along down the Masaya highway, which is one of the busiest roads around Managua. We were headed to Laguna de Apoyo, a laguna in the crater of a volcano...a side note that this is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Ok, anyways, so we're driving down the road and I shifted to 5th, I was ready to rock and roll. Speed bump coming up, I know I need to shift down. So, I shift down and put my foot on the gas....no go. I shift down again, put my foot on the gas...no go. I look at Em and say "Um, I think my gas pedal just broke." As cars are FLYING by me, I don't even know what to do. I'm in the left lane, knowing that I need to get over to the right lane without getting hit, which seems like an impossibility at this point. We are literally going around 2 KM an hour...in speedy maniac driver traffic. I'm mumbling that prayer...God, PLEASE let us find a way off of this road and fast...ha ha! We weren't going anywhere fast. God sent a break in the traffic and we made it in to a bus lane. Not knowing what to do, I look around the rotunda and there's an Esso gas station. Again, thank you Lord. We slowly inched our way to the gas station, stop the car, and ask the guy working at the gas station for help. My gas pedal is literally hanging down on the floor of the car. So, the guy comes over, looks down, laughs a little bit and said "I think you're gas pedal is broken." OH, REALLY, thanks for that helpful tip. So we laughed and said we knew and asked if there was a mechanic any where near, thinking there wasn't going to be in the this small town. He said yes, 2 blocks down the road. So, I'm in a dress and heels mind you, and did I mention it's literally 100 degrees these days? So, off we go, down the road to this mechanic's house in our dresses with our purses over our shoulders. DUH!! So, we make it after lots of attention from the men in town. I go up to the door, yell a little bit, and the dogs start barking. I'm thinking it doesn't matter if my car won't go anywhere because I was certain I was going to get eaten by these creatures on the other side of the fence. So, finally a guy comes out and looks like he may have tipped by a few too many Tonas on this hot Sunday afternoon. We ask if he's the mechanic, and he says no it's the guy down the street. So, we walk a little farther in our heels with our purses in plain view... We get to the guy's house(yes, his house) and ask him if he's a mechanic. He said yes, and I said THANK YOU LORD! So, Em tells him what the problem is (my limited Spanish vocabulary does not include any car words) and he tells us to go get the car and bring it back. At the rate we were going, it would have literally taken at least 20 minutes to go 2 blocks in the car. So...we're gearing up with sweat dripping from places I didn't even know you could sweat to walk BACK to the gas station, get in the car and somehow get it to his house with no ability to accelerate. OK, we'll do it. He looks at us both one more time (and I did put on my more pathetic face) and he said, "I'll just walk with you." So, we walked with him back to the gas station, he drove the car to his own house and he looked at it. He said the cable was broken and he didn't sound too confident that he could fix it on a Sunday...so I'm thinking; "Great, now we're off the main road and my car is going to sit at some random guy's house for only God knows how long..." Instead, he says he knows of one place that was open but he thought the cable was going to be too long...but he took off on his bike and went to look anyways. Em and I sat at his house for about 20 minutes when we looked up and saw him pedaling fast back down the road with a big smile on his face. He found the cable and would be able to fix it. So, we sat for about 45 minutes more and he and his sons put the cable back on. He closed the lid, gave me a big smile, and said we were good to go. He was SO PROUD of himself and I was SO THANKFUL that he could fix it as quickly and as easily as he did. He told me I owed him 250 Cordoba(about $10). I gave him a $20 and thanked him several times. I never want to forget the way he looked at me when I gave him that money. What kind of need did I meet for him and his family with that extra $20 that he would not have gotten today, on a Sunday when he normally doesn't work? We knew from seeing the house that they could definitely use it...I truly feel like this happened to help him and to remind me that God is in ALL THINGS and He cares about all things, even my broken gas pedal. I saw God's hand in SO MANY ways in this not so fun situation. The fact that it went out where it did...we were so close to the gas station. The God sent break in traffic. The fact that once we got the to Esso, we could walk to the mechanic's house. The fact that we made it on our walk without any problems to the mechanic's house. BUT...the best part was that when we got to his house he said he had literally just gotten home from church. It made me trust him, it made me feel at ease, it made me smile. He welcomed us in to his home and was proud of the work he had done. When we left, it was like we were long lost friends that knew each other forever. He and his family waved at us like they were never going to stop, and he told us to stop back any time. God sent me an angel today, and I'll always remember that kind man who not only fixed my car...but helped me see Jesus in a small way on this blazing hot Sunday afternoon. Thank you Lord for your amazing provision and protection!