Sunday, June 19, 2005

Tests & Trials Along with a Few Surprises (part 2)

Hey there and welcome back. I'm sitting in a hotel in Williams, Arizona as I type this. My family and I are on our cross country vacation. Yesterday we saw Las Vegas, today it was Hoover Dam, and tomorrow it's the Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater. What a whirlwind tour! And how wonderful to see some of our own country! Here's a picture from today.



The desert has such an errie beauty. I'd forgotten how beautiful Arizona is. Of course, I'm partial to the desert and the southwest.

Now, on with the story. There I stood, looking at the glass doors of what used to be my bank, my Mom and daughters still with the groceries I didn't have enough money to pay for. In desperation, I knocked on the doors, hoping I might be able to make a withdrawal inside.

A tall, nice-looking gentleman came to the door and explained to me the transition taking place. In my feeble German, I explained my plight. He must have seen the panic in my eyes. He switched to English and asked me a question I never expected.

"How much do you need?"

I vaguely remember stuttering a moment, unsure why he asked. I told him the amount I needed, which was close to a hundred Franks. At the time that was about $75. Now get this. The man pulls out his own wallet, hands me a hundred Frank bill, then gives me his business card and tells me to just drop it buy when I get a chance.

Shock. Pure shock. I couldn't believe it. This guy didn't know who I was, or if I would even pay him back. Yet he still pulled out his wallet in good faith. I could have kissed him…but I didn't.

I went right to the store and paid for our groceries, determined to show this wonderful man-angel that I was as good as my word. Not only did I find the atm machine in the next town over, which was a huge step for me to drive in an unknown area. I returned to the shopping center, and knocked on those glass doors again. The very glass doors I had stood in front of just a half hour prior.

I wish I'd had a camera to take a picture of his face when he saw me standing there. The smile that lit his face was priceless. Just as he had surprised me, I had surprised him. I left the shopping mall walking on air that day.

And praising God every step of the way.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey girl! That's a good pic! Hope you are having a blast!

That's so cool about the man at the bank!