My FA friend and I started our drive to the World Service Convention with our usual excitement about being able to spend time with long-term members. While we come from a growing and thriving fellowship, it is young and we only have one person with more than a decade of abstinence. We enjoyed our drive and twelve hours of conversation in the car, and were looking forward to arriving at the Convention.
It had been pouring rain the entire day and the roads were slick. As we got within a half hour of the Convention, we were glad that the previous part of our journey was ending. Coming off the Turnpike and navigating a dramatic curve on the slippery road, I lost control of the car. I thought it would just slip and slide a little (my friend later told me she thought we would flip over) but instead we went up over the median and ended up perpendicular to the oncoming rush hour traffic. The car could not be moved. I had taken out the whole underneath side of the car.
State troopers arrived quickly and a tow truck was called. Local police took over. It was God’s protection that we had not hit anyone nor had we been hit or gone into the oncoming traffic. Had we gone to the right instead of the left, we would have hit a cement embankment and possibly flipped over the guardrail and fallen into the river many feet below. We were relatively unharmed and very grateful to be alive. It could have been so much worse.
It was now dinnertime, so we called our sponsor (we share the same sponsor) to let him know what had happened and that we would be eating dinner late. He reminded us that the most important thing we had to do right then was eat our dinner, which we had with us. He proved to be so right as we did not get to the hotel until after 8 p.m., too late for this food addict to be eating! So we ate our dinner in the tow truck – on time.
The tow truck driver was so helpful. He dropped us off at the hotel and unloaded our car for us before towing it to the local dealership. The dealership turned out to be one of only 2 in the state whose service department was open on Saturdays and Sundays (coincidence? I don’ think so!) As a result, they were able to work all weekend to have my car ready just as conference closed at noon on Sunday.
We were able to continue our journey as if nothing had happened. (Well, almost!) We had both been looking forward to the convention and were determined that this accident was not going to ruin our experience. Yes, a few extra phone calls were needed over the next couple of days but God was in charge! Prior to FA, I would have been frantic and trying to make it all happen under my own power. The serenity prayer came to life for me.
The mechanic taking care of me at the dealership was determined to find all the parts needed and to have the car ready for me on Sunday. He took such good care of me when he could have easily taken advantage of the situation. I was treated very well and quickly. He even discounted the overall bill when I asked if he could do anything more.
Everyone involved was amazing and the Convention was fabulous. People were so kind. One fellow blessed us with flowers fresh from her garden to brighten our room and our lives. We enjoyed ourselves to the fullest knowing God had taken care of us in every respect.