Prodigal: It is so cold out here!
Me: I hope the drive back is warmer.
Prodigal: It should be.
This is from the book Revolutions in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan
By the winter of 1980, I was ready to start my first major tour. I bought a budget air ticket that gave me unlimited travel for 21 days–and somehow I managed to make appointments in 18 cities. My itinerary would take me through the southwest, from Dallas to Los Angeles.
On the day of my departure, a terrible winter storm hit the region. All the buses–including the one I planned to take from Eufaula, Oklahoma, to Dallas–were cancelled.
Our old Nova had some engine problems, so a neighbor offered to let me use an old pickup truck with a heater. The vehicle looked as if it could not make it to the next town, let alone the six-hour drive to Dallas. But it was either the pickup or nothing. If I missed my flight, the tightly packed schedule would be ruined. I had to go now.
Doing the best I could to stay warm, I put on two pairs of socks and all the clothing I could. But even with the extra protection, I was on U.S. Highway 75 only a few minutes when it appeared I had made a terrible mistake. A freezing snow covered the windshield within minutes. After every mile I had to stop, get out and scrape the windows again. Soon my feet and gloves were soaked and frozen. I realized that the journey was going to take a lot longer than the six hours I had left. In my worst scenario, I saw the newspaper headlines reading “Preacher Freezes to Death in Winter” My head dropped to the steering wheel, and I cried out to God.
“Lord, if You want me to go–if You believe in this mission and in my helping the national evangelists–please do something.”
As I looked up, I saw a miracle on the windshield. The ice was melting rapidly before my eyes. Warmth flooded the truck. I looked at the heater, but nothing was coming out. Outside, the storm continued to rage. It kept up all the way to Dallas, but the truck was always warm, and the windshield was always clear.
Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
Mark 14:38
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
