Dear Family,
As you travel back home from this beautiful place, remember that I will be with you each step of the way. My hands will uphold you. Though you may not see what lies ahead, know that I will be in complete control. You will reach home safely. Go in peace with my blessings.
XOXO (hugs and kisses),
God
It was absolutely beyond beautiful! I promised you that I would bring back a pocket full of miracles! God has truly reached down to hurtful souls who were ready to be healed and restored. Praise God! So let me tell you those miracles...Before we left the camp grounds, I took a stroll down a snow-covered path that led down to a rocky shore by the lake. It was breath-taking! No sign of snow or rain. It was the perfect time to leave. So we all packed up, said our good-byes, and convoyed back home with three other families.
We decided to take 50 north back home to avoid the traffic mess on 50 South. Jon set his trusty iPhone GPS to Vallejo and off we went! It was so peaceful and beautiful seeing the other side of Lake Tahoe. No sign of any traffic. As we reached higher elevation, we were told that we needed to put snow chains on. A fierce storm was fast approaching!
3:00 What started as a pleasant drive around the lake became a most terrifying journey back home. We followed each other ever so carefully. The storm was only getting worse and so were my anxieties. Our two front tires had defected snow chains so we had to take them off. We had the back tires still on which prevented us from slipping and sliding the first time. My heart knew what to believe about God ... that He was in control and that He loved us. Still, my heart raced ever so fast. I kept pressing my right foot down on the floor as if it would help our truck from moving too fast. There was a big rig that actually started sliding in front of us and Jon tried with all his might to avoid it. We finally passed it up and decided to over take it. As we veered to the right lane, our truck started sliding out of control as well and hit a snow bank! Praise God that the way was clear for us to crash into snow, but our right tire popped out of the rim and we were definitely stuck. Every fear that I was anticipating became a reality.
3:30 The Nogalizas were traveling right behind us but they were able to avoid everything and parked safely in front of us. We asked our kids to ride with them so they would be brought to a safer place to wait for help. We praised God that Aldwin and Dan-Dan called AAA for us. Dan stayed with Jon and I as we waited for help. Aldwin brought the kids to the next exit where the Sanchez and Washington families were waiting. All we could do was wait. During the waiting, I decided to focus on the beauty in the midst of the storm. I opened my window and took this picture of the beautiful snow upon the pine tree. It was God's way of reminding me that He was in control. So I worshipped Him right there and then.
4:30 The snow storm was turning into a fierce blizzard! The area where we got stuck was a danger zone. Anyone could slide into us at any time. Every time I heard the rumble of trucks and cars approaching, I would brace myself and pray. God kept reminding me that He was in control. He told me to take out my camera and capture the rocks upholding the trees above them. "I will uphold you with my right hand, Lan." We were still waiting for help. We were still stuck. But we were still alive. We have been waiting for almost an hour. I can see that daylight was starting to disappear and that the blizzard was only getting worse. In the midst of all this, I received texts and calls from loved ones saying that they were praying for us. They were my comfort in the storm. We asked our family friends who had our kids to go ahead so they wouldn't have to stay in this storm with us. We want all of them to be safe. But no one wanted to leave us behind. How touched I was that they wanted to all stay together.
4:45 There was only a fraction left of daylight and still, no sign of Henry. Henry was the AAA rescue guy that was coming for us. It was getting so cold inside the truck that we had to cover ourselves with sleeping bags. We tried to comfort one another with praise songs and humor. But every time I heard the rumble of trucks outside, I would brace myself in fear of them crashing into us. But God continued to encourage our hearts. There were so many people who stopped and offered to help us out. Strangers, rescue vehicles, and the police were so caring. It was such a humbling experience to know that there were perfect strangers who would offer to help stranded people like ourselves. God was good! But we had to wait for AAA... "Oh, Henry! Where are you?"
5:00 Daylight was a thing of the past. Still, no sign of Henry. He got stuck in Truckee, where they had to stop traffic coming down Hwy 80. All I could see on the windshield and windows were the snowflakes slowly dripping downward and the color of the brake lights from the cars outside. It was now completely dark and everything around us was now enveloped in darkness. No one was talking either. Jon, Dan, and I just prayed silently. Our kids and friends just an exit away were also getting very anxious for us as they waited. We prayed that Henry would be able to pull us out of the snow bank and fix our tire. We prayed that there would be nothing wrong with the axle and that the truck wouldn't have to be towed away. I spoke with Ash during this time on the phone and heard her worries and fears through every word she spoke to me. I tried my very best to sound assuring that everything will be just fine. What she didn't know was that I was a basket case inside. But God was in control.
We decided to take 50 north back home to avoid the traffic mess on 50 South. Jon set his trusty iPhone GPS to Vallejo and off we went! It was so peaceful and beautiful seeing the other side of Lake Tahoe. No sign of any traffic. As we reached higher elevation, we were told that we needed to put snow chains on. A fierce storm was fast approaching!
3:00 What started as a pleasant drive around the lake became a most terrifying journey back home. We followed each other ever so carefully. The storm was only getting worse and so were my anxieties. Our two front tires had defected snow chains so we had to take them off. We had the back tires still on which prevented us from slipping and sliding the first time. My heart knew what to believe about God ... that He was in control and that He loved us. Still, my heart raced ever so fast. I kept pressing my right foot down on the floor as if it would help our truck from moving too fast. There was a big rig that actually started sliding in front of us and Jon tried with all his might to avoid it. We finally passed it up and decided to over take it. As we veered to the right lane, our truck started sliding out of control as well and hit a snow bank! Praise God that the way was clear for us to crash into snow, but our right tire popped out of the rim and we were definitely stuck. Every fear that I was anticipating became a reality.
3:30 The Nogalizas were traveling right behind us but they were able to avoid everything and parked safely in front of us. We asked our kids to ride with them so they would be brought to a safer place to wait for help. We praised God that Aldwin and Dan-Dan called AAA for us. Dan stayed with Jon and I as we waited for help. Aldwin brought the kids to the next exit where the Sanchez and Washington families were waiting. All we could do was wait. During the waiting, I decided to focus on the beauty in the midst of the storm. I opened my window and took this picture of the beautiful snow upon the pine tree. It was God's way of reminding me that He was in control. So I worshipped Him right there and then.
4:30 The snow storm was turning into a fierce blizzard! The area where we got stuck was a danger zone. Anyone could slide into us at any time. Every time I heard the rumble of trucks and cars approaching, I would brace myself and pray. God kept reminding me that He was in control. He told me to take out my camera and capture the rocks upholding the trees above them. "I will uphold you with my right hand, Lan." We were still waiting for help. We were still stuck. But we were still alive. We have been waiting for almost an hour. I can see that daylight was starting to disappear and that the blizzard was only getting worse. In the midst of all this, I received texts and calls from loved ones saying that they were praying for us. They were my comfort in the storm. We asked our family friends who had our kids to go ahead so they wouldn't have to stay in this storm with us. We want all of them to be safe. But no one wanted to leave us behind. How touched I was that they wanted to all stay together.
4:45 There was only a fraction left of daylight and still, no sign of Henry. Henry was the AAA rescue guy that was coming for us. It was getting so cold inside the truck that we had to cover ourselves with sleeping bags. We tried to comfort one another with praise songs and humor. But every time I heard the rumble of trucks outside, I would brace myself in fear of them crashing into us. But God continued to encourage our hearts. There were so many people who stopped and offered to help us out. Strangers, rescue vehicles, and the police were so caring. It was such a humbling experience to know that there were perfect strangers who would offer to help stranded people like ourselves. God was good! But we had to wait for AAA... "Oh, Henry! Where are you?"
5:00 Daylight was a thing of the past. Still, no sign of Henry. He got stuck in Truckee, where they had to stop traffic coming down Hwy 80. All I could see on the windshield and windows were the snowflakes slowly dripping downward and the color of the brake lights from the cars outside. It was now completely dark and everything around us was now enveloped in darkness. No one was talking either. Jon, Dan, and I just prayed silently. Our kids and friends just an exit away were also getting very anxious for us as they waited. We prayed that Henry would be able to pull us out of the snow bank and fix our tire. We prayed that there would be nothing wrong with the axle and that the truck wouldn't have to be towed away. I spoke with Ash during this time on the phone and heard her worries and fears through every word she spoke to me. I tried my very best to sound assuring that everything will be just fine. What she didn't know was that I was a basket case inside. But God was in control. God said, "Be Still and Know that I Am God. I know you are scared, but I AM HERE. I AM IN COMPLETE CONTROL." All I could do was cry silently and believe this. It was more like: "I'm STUCK ... and all I could do is Know that You are God."
5:30 At last ... our dear Henry came to our rescue! He was able to pull the truck out of the snow bank and fix our tire! Can you imagine how good God is? The only thing that was damaged was our tire! Words could could not describe the joy we all felt inside! How relieved we all were! We were soon reunited with our kids and friends and they all cheered when they saw us! It was a celebration at the gas station where they were all waiting! Even though the snow was still coming down hard, we were just so happy to all be together again! I knew that if God could perform such a miracle with our truck and the whole terrible ordeal, I knew that God would get us all home safely. I texted all my friends about this miracle and soon after, my phone died ... But we were alive!
5:30 At last ... our dear Henry came to our rescue! He was able to pull the truck out of the snow bank and fix our tire! Can you imagine how good God is? The only thing that was damaged was our tire! Words could could not describe the joy we all felt inside! How relieved we all were! We were soon reunited with our kids and friends and they all cheered when they saw us! It was a celebration at the gas station where they were all waiting! Even though the snow was still coming down hard, we were just so happy to all be together again! I knew that if God could perform such a miracle with our truck and the whole terrible ordeal, I knew that God would get us all home safely. I texted all my friends about this miracle and soon after, my phone died ... But we were alive!Miracles were all around me. I just didn't see them as such when my heart was full of fear. I now see them so vividly! He had to take everything that was of comfort in my mind to allow me to see that it would only be Him to rescue us in His time. The miracle of life, the miracle of friendships, the miracle of strangers wanting to help, the miracle of looking at the beauty in the midst of a storm, the miracles of GOD SOVEREIGNTY!
The sun shined upon us today even for a brief moment. I took this picture to remind me that God's Love Letter to me each day are miracles waiting to happen. Through good times and bad times, nothing is just ordinary or wasted. They are miracles from the mighty hand of God.
I WILL PRAISE YOU IN THE STORM.
Be still (stuck) and know that I am your God.
Psalm 46:10
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