Perfect Stranger...Strangely Perfect

I work in our Print Shop during the day, and then I do after school childcare--finishing around 6--which makes reaching a business only open between the hours of 10-4 impossible. So, I'm very glad for Saturday!

First thing I had on my agenda was to pick up some tickets at a businessonlyopenbetweenthehoursof10-2. The tickets were for Handel's Messiah. I am so, so, SO excited to be going this year. I was in highschool when I first learned about it from the choir director. Unfortunately, I was always asked to baby-sit...for him! And then I went to college and we always got out a week after it played. After that, I went to the Northwoods to teach and didn't make it back to Canada at all. So, this is my first opportunity to go, and I'm going! A group of us--10 adults and 5 teens--are all going together and it will surely be a memorable event. I'm taking my brother for his birthday, as it is on the same day.

Next, I swung by Canadian Tire to get some car mats that were on sale and also a couple other things. I did self check out and hurried out to my car. I normally just put all purchases in the back seat, but I wanted to vacuum out my car and so decided to put everything in the trunk.

I popped it up, put everything in and shut it--at least I attempted to. It would NOT close. I checked to see if the trunk-pop-up-latch-thingy was down because I've forgotten in the past. It was down. So I tried again. And again.

Imagine me standing at my trunk--switching between slamming the lid down and prying at the hinge thingy. In the middle of a huge parking lot, on a super busy Saturday. And I was only a couple spaces down from the store. I had tons of people passing me by; I'm sure they were staring but I was way too busy trying to figure out what in the world I was going to do as well as giving my car a few choice names. Not that it was listening to me.

Finally I just got into the drivers seat and looked at my choices:

1. I could just drive away and pretend I didn't know my trunk was open
2. I could take it in to the mechanic shop {it was right next to the store--but, remember how I said everyone tells me never to go to that body shop?}
3. I could use the paperclip I was playing with to somehow hinge it together
4. I could use my scarf to "tie" it together
5. Can you tell I was getting desperate?
6. I could just go buy a bungee cord {a lot smarter than my scarf ;}
7. My biggest thing was leaving my car unattended with the trunk open.
8. I could wait for Dave and Theresa {they were going to come to CT after they went grocery shopping...only thing, I had no way of knowing if they already had been or even if they were still going to come}
9. I could just ask a stranger, or just stand helplessly by my trunk until someone offered to help
10. I could PRAY.

I was so frustrated with no way of contacting anyone for help. #10 should have been first on my list of choices, but it was soberingly last. I sent a plea to my Heavenly Father asking for help.

Not a minute later, the car beside me made some beeping noises and a man put some things in his trunk. I scrambled out of my car saying "Excuse me--can I ask you a question about my car?". I explained to him that my trunk  wasn't closing and if using a bungee cord would help until I got someone to look at it.

He very willingly came over, mentioning that he was a mechanic. This guy had worked in a dealership body shop for years. I couldn't believe it. This guy actually knew what he was doing! It was his profession. I just stopped in my heart and thanked God for bringing this perfect stranger who was perfect for my need. There are so many scenarios I could have gone through, but God so graciously answered my prayer by sending the best. How humbling.

This young man fiddled around with the latch and hinge and told me it was an easy fix. He then asked me if I had a 10m so he could loosen the nut which would help it close. I didn't even know what he was talking about, let alone have one in my trunk. I asked him what I would do with a 10m once I bought it from the store, and after explaining, he offered to do it for me.

We went into the store and he showed me what I needed. After I purchased the package of wrenches {it was cheaper to buy a package of 3--on sale for $10 from $30--than an individual 10m!} we headed out back to the car and the Mechanic fixed it in just a short amount of time.

I was so grateful. He was very kind to take time out of his Saturday to help a total stranger. I was able to give him a little something, but he will never know how much he has given me and what I learned driving away from the parking lot on this blustery, winter day.