The U-Haul Miracle

Since moving to D.C., I have slept on an air mattress. I really liked my air mattress. But last week when I was in West Virginia for a work training, I was contemplating why I liked being in the hotel room so much more than I liked being in my room at home. Aha! It had a real bed.

I checked out craigslist, felt compelled to go look at one bed in particular, met the people selling it (needed space in their guestroom for their baby), and decided to buy it. Of course the bed is in downtown D.C. and is very large (queen size, pillow top--love it!), so I rented a U-Haul van to pick it up.

My buddy Wayne graciously came with me. I had never rented a U-Haul before, and didn't really know what to expect. We pull up to the U-Haul place and all these men are standing near the road. When I drive past them, they start CHASING my car. I thought maybe I was driving somewhere I shouldn't be. I stopped and rolled down the window, and the five men started yelling "moving? moving? moving?" I respectfully declined their help. Then we parked, were told we'd get towed so I had Wayne move my car to the semi-near by Circuit City parking lot, and was thoroughly hating my time at the U-Haul.

Eventually we were on our way in the massive van (the entire bed lay flat inside--it was huge) and things were good. A couple miles from the U-Haul--before we were even on the freeway--my GPS said "battery dead" and powered off. PANIC. I have no idea how to get there, I am driving this massive van, it is dark, and now I am lost. We miss the freeway, start driving around aimlessly, I am very stressed and freaking out. The GPS won't work because the cigarete lighter in the van didn't work, so there was no power. Oh yeah--and U-Haul charges by the mile, so I didn't really want to find my way home and then look up directions and go back out.

So of course, I prayed. A lot. I was lost, and this was beyond my control. I felt like I should try turning the GPS back on, and I did, and it worked--it got me all the way to their condo downtown (about 15 minutes away).

We piled the bed in the van, left my new craigslist friends, got back in the van and tried to get the GPS back on. It was dead. Luckily Wayne was able to navigate us out of there, and once on the freeway I could get back home all right. The entire way home I kept trying to get the GPS on, but it never worked. But I really didn't need it to work anymore--I could find my way home without it. I told Wayne that often the Lord wouldn't do things for us that we could do for ourselves; but when we need Him, He is always there.

*side note--I lived in "U Hall" in Desert Towers my freshman year of college. I didn't get the joke about it being U Hall until APRIL when someone explained to me it was like Ryder Truck.