As I was driving to Castlegar on Wednesday, upon arriving at Rock Creek, I started hearing a strange sound coming from the engine. I pulled over at a mechanic workshop. The owner opened the oil compartment and said to me: “There’s metal in the oil. The engine is dead.” “What happened” I asked. “The car was serviced two weeks ago and the oil was changed.” “Well, I don’t know what happened. Maybe something gave way in the engine.” How much will it cost to get a new one, I enquired: He said: “about $5,000.” I shouted: “Seriously” I guess I’m not going to get to Castlegar in a long time. It was getting late and I have to find a way of getting back to Penticton. There’s no other way other than hitchhiking. But I didn’t have my coat. I only had my sweater. After 9 years in Canada, I haven’t learned to be ready for winter. Lesson learned.
Off to the road, it’s now dark. No car was stopping for me. It’s getting colder and colder. I’m going to die of cold tonight, I said to myself. I realized that maybe people were not seeing my face or my figure because it was dark. So I decided to zip down my sweater a little bit so that my Roman collar will show. If they see my collar, they might stop…. hmmmm, that didn’t help. Now, I know what hitchhikers experience. The mechanic eventually asked me: do you need a ride? He took me to a nearby gas station. At least it was an illuminated area. Five more minutes in the on the road, in the cold… I couldn’t feel my ears anymore. I ran inside the store in the gas station. I shared with the lady (Donna) there what I’ve been going through. She was very kind: she made a phone call. Few minutes later, she told me someone was coming to pick me and drive me to Penticton. Are you serious, I asked. “Of course, I am”, she said. She further revealed to me that she was a Catholic.
A man and a lady arrived. They were siblings. Well, time to say goodbye to Donna. A hug, and then I jumped into the car. “We don’t know if you have eaten; we brought you supper.” Wow, you must be Angels, I said to them. Amidst their smile, they said, “No we are not.”
As they drove, they told me that every Wednesday night, they have decided to have a family worship night. “Life has been so busy but we now want to set aside time for God. If you want, you can join us or we can keep driving to Penticton.” I opted to join them. So, they took me to their house and we had supper together. After supper, we had a worship time. It was beautiful. I’ve met a new family, new friends, believers who truly love God and are striving to live for God. I commented to them that their family is apparently deeply rooted in faith. Dara smiled and said: “We have a heart for God. We are trying to grow each day, to love him, to live for Him.” We picked up their 79 year old father at home.
Together, they drove me. We arrived in Penticton at 11.30pm.A broken car has brought me the blessing of meeting an amazing faith-filled family. It is said that every disappointment is a blessing’ I’m not sure if ‘every disappointment’ turns into a blessing, but this one certainly has.
God can turn our disappointment, tragedy into a blessing. He can use it to bring us to a new and beautiful place. It all depends on how we receive and interpret what happens to us in life.
My car has been towed to Penticton. The particular model has had several recalls. So, the dealership is replacing the engine and it’s not costing me $5000 or anything. Phew
Your brother, ~ Fr. Obi