When I last posted we were in Arizona, on a Saturday night, and Sunday looked very bleak. How symbolic, huh? The Saturday before the Resurrection must have seemed very dark, indeed. Well, we are safely back home...with our non-ailing car...and another testimony of the power of faith under our belts.
To continue the story:
I went to bed, after talking to my oldest daughter. I shared my pity party with her. I kept hanging onto the thought that I HAD said "Thy will be done." in my prayer about the car. Turns out my heart wasn't really in it, it seems. I would accept His will, but I wasn't HAPPY about it. (That particular point is very important.) Tom and I had thought of ONE more possibility of renting a car that night, but we couldn't do anything about it until morning. I went to sleep with the feeling that things were going to work out.
I learned later that my daughter and her husband prayed VERY hard that night on our behalf. I came to terms with the possibility that I might NOT get to see Matt. If my one little hair-brained scheme didn't work, I would let it go. But not until I had tried all options. I felt I needed to think "outside the box." The local agencies had plenty of customers for their limited supplies of vehicles. They didn't need to work with me. I considered that the renting rules might not be so strenuous at the airport car rentals. They have plenty of cars. So, I took a taxi to the airport as soon as their counters were opened and found a FABULOUS deal at a rental agency called Fox Car Rental. Forty-five minutes later, I was DRIVING back to the motel in a Toyota Camry!! Suddenly - everything was solved! We had a car until ours would be finished. I could see Matt half a day on Sunday and a full eight hours on Monday! Tom could make his pilgrimage to Bass Pro Shop and Cabala's. Hallelujah!!
I flippantly write that now. It was MUCH more powerful at the moment. I truly did feel like shouting Hosanna! And I feel it was more than my faith that helped the situation. I feel it happened because of the faith of my kids in praying on our behalf. My faith that night was a little tattered.
The car continued to be a headache. What had died in the van was it's car brain. ECU (Engine Control Unit - read that "computer"). They ordered, received, and installed a new one. Car still wouldn't run right. It DID start now, but ran like a wheat thrasher. (Never heard a wheat thrasher? Count your lucky stars!) They wanted to know if it had sounded like that before it broke down. I assured them it had NEVER run badly. They were running out of options and were of the option that it was an "internal engine problem." Really? They said we should tow it to the dealers - after we paid them $1200. The car is only worth about $1500-$2000 to begin with!
We had NO idea when or if the car was going to be fixed. We were tired and just wanted to go home. We decided that we would rather RENT a car, go home and wait for news at our own house. We called the repair place Wednesday morning and told them to "button it up" and we would be sending a tow truck to take it to the dealership. The manager asked if we would give him one more hour. He wanted to put two guys on it and have them go over everything one more time to see if they had missed anything. After five days, what difference did one more hour make? We agreed, knowing that one way or another, we would be sleeping in our own beds that night.
About an hour later, the manager called. Our car was perfect. We could come pick it up. (You've GOT to be kidding!????!) He wasn't. Seemed they missed checking ( or whatever) the coil. The coil had a dead spot in it and it was what shorted-out the old computer. They replaced the coil - and ANOTHER "Hallelujah" moment!! Life was beautiful! The sun came out (Boy, Howdy! We were in Tempe!! It is out with a vengeance!) And we hit the road!
I WILL go visit Matt again. But hell will have to freeze over before I DRIVE to the greater Phoenix area again! I shall fly - and rent a car. A lovely, air conditioned, late-model, RENTED car.
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