When we left Tyler on Saturday, we were incredibly blessed financially. However, we have always been aware that the Lord provides our needs, and so we knew that the money would be used for something. Two hours outside of Tyler, our van broke down on the interstate. We called a tow truck and had the van taken to Auto Zone in Marshall, Texas, where we spent the entire day with a mechanic who tinkered for 5 hours, but could not find any other problem other than a bad battery. We were at a loss, and sun was going down, so we were stranded in Marshall.

Lacy called several churches in the phonebook, and finally reached Pastor Kent Byrd, from Bell Street Baptist Church. She explained the unfortunate predicament that we were in. He and his congregation placed us in a hotel on Saturday and Sunday nights while we waited to see another mechanic on Monday. Pastor Byrd and his wife, Linda, took us out for lunch after church on Sunday, and their fellowship was very kind to us.

While we waited for Monday to arrive, Lacy contacted prayer chains, email lists, and family, requesting prayer for our needs. We asked everyone to pray that the Mechanic on Monday would find the problem quickly, that the cost would be low, and that Joshua and I could live cheaply in the hotel situation, since we were dependent on restaurants for our meals.
On Monday, Joshua and Pastor’s Byrd’s neighbor, Lionel Douglas, searched over the van and quickly found the solution: our ignition module was broken. Joshua replaced it and the car started up again. We offered him payment, but he declined it, because the pastor was taking care of the bill for us. What a blessing! As soon as we could pack our travel belongings into the van, we were on the road again. Praise God for all who prayed – God blessed us greatly and we are thankful.