Last week in Arlington, South Dakota I finally experienced the first heat wave of my summer in the North. Thursday was an absolute killer. The degree neared 100, but thankfully never quite got there. We were confident enough in ourselves that we figured walking four hours straight would hardly be a struggle if we stayed hydrated. Let me just assure you that our confidence was foolhardy.
Our walking pace is far from leisurely. Because of this, I generally refrain from carrying anything with me. Water bottles are much too annoying to have swinging at your side, and carrying a backpack seems completely ludicrous. I don't even carry a rosary with me; I make use of a little rosary ring instead. In my mind, this day wasn't going to be different from any other. Walk five miles, meet the van, have a little water, and repeat.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
My first five miles went much as expected. It was just past 9 in the morning, and the sun had yet to fully reveal itself. I trucked ahead of my two teammates, hoping to reach the van sooner, and thus keep our time down. It didn't take long before I was nearly a mile ahead and I was still feeling pretty good. However, by the time I saw the van, the cloud cover had all but vanished. I wasn't fazed. In fact, I barely noticed. It didn't take long for reality to hit though. Within the first mile of my second shift I began to realize how much of a struggle this next stretch would be. By now, I couldn't find even the smallest wisp of a cloud. The trees in the distance taunted me with their shade; and there wasn't even the shadow of a bird in the sky to offer relief. I felt like my entire body had been wrapped in dry tufts of cotton. Hoping to distract myself from my misery, I tuned my iPod to the local radio station. So much for a distraction. Every five minutes, the weather man piped up reminding the locals of the heat advisory in effect.
Ugh. I trudged on. I guessed that I had only walked two miles by this point. My morale was in shambles. When I turned around my teammates were not in sight, and if I looked ahead there was nothing but a hazy highway. I started to wonder what would happen if I passed out. It would take at least 20 minutes for the other walkers to find me, and I wasn't even sure if they had a cell phone to call the support van with. I certainly didn't; my phone is almost always without service this far north. It was getting hard for me to breathe, and my vision was getting more and more spotty. Knowing I couldn't make it to the van in this condition, I began begging God to send help.
Over and over I prayed "God, send me an angel. Send me an angel." I prayed for a car to stop and offer water, for a semi to speed by and blast me with a tail wind, for a single cloud over my head, for a puddle of water. Anything, anything at all to keep me from fainting on the road side. I pleaded for at least two miles, but to no avail. My steps were getting slower and smaller as I noticed a mailbox a few feet ahead. I thought maybe if I leaned against it for minute or two, some of my strength would return. Just as I reached the gravel driveway (the first in miles), I heard a woman's voice call out. "This is a terrible day for a walk sweetheart. Are you alright?" Trying to hide my weakness, I only nodded and said I was very warm. She smiled at me and said I wasn't going a step further without a glass of water. I could have cried, I was so relieved! Here was my angel! As she led me into her kitchen, I had a chance to really look at my rescuer. She had short silver hair, and wore glasses with a thin rectangular frame. She looked as if she had just finished working in a garden. She told me her name was Berdine and introduced me to her husband. They were both a little past middle-aged, but the only thing I can really remember about her husband Kevin is his scruffy beard and the beer in his hand. It took me less than ten seconds to finish the water Berdine offered me. After telling her a little bit about Crossroads and our mission, she filled an aluminum water bottle and insisted that I take it with me. I tried to refuse, because I felt she had already been more than generous in letting me into her air-conditioned home. She would not be dissuaded. So I offered to pray for her and her family, but she only shook her head. "Pray for my flowers, and your safety, that's all I ask little lady. It's just the strangest thing though. I wouldn't have seen you at all if that piece of litter in my driveway hadn't caught my eye." Litter indeed! God answers prayer in mysterious ways.
After thanking them profusely, I stepped once more into the broiling heat. I barely noticed the sun glaring on my already burning body. My heart was absolutely gushing with thanks and praise for the great blessing God had sent to me. And within 20 minutes, the van was in sight. I had made it!!!
I've given up my summer to do the work of the Lord, but He has shown me once again that no work is accomplished without His hand. ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10
