When The Car Broke Down

As I alluded to in Monday’s giveaway post, last weekend we packed up the kids and headed south to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Kansas City. It’s a seven hour trip, so on the way there we broke it up and stayed overnight in Des Moines. Jake had some business to do there so it worked out perfectly to tag along. The kids barely made a peep the whole way and were happy to watch a few hours of VeggieTales.

It was so good spending time with Jason and Ali. They were so sweet and thought of fun kid-friendly things to do like visit an indoor playground and have lunch at Fritz’, where our food was served to us by trains. It was all so fun. 

After a great weekend together, we left for home on Sunday morning. Since the night in a hotel on the way down there didn’t go well (so long are the days of looking forward to staying in a hotel room), we wanted to make it all the way home so we could sleep in our own beds.

A few hours into our journey we started having car trouble. It kept making strange noises, so we stopped on the side of the road, restarted and kept going. After repeatedly doing the same thing for a while, we decided we couldn’t go on any further. We stopped in Mason City and thankfully the Fleet Farm auto service was open. There also just happened to be a Target next door so we had a safe refuge to kill some time without the kids going stir crazy. We finally got word that the alternator was broken, but they said if they recharged the battery we should be fine to make it home. After recharging the battery was unsuccessful, they decided to replace the battery. By that time we’d spent about two hours in Target and were more than ready to get back on the open road.

We continued on and a while later, just after it was dark out, our car completely died and we coasted to the side of the road. There we were, in zero degree weather, with the heat quickly escaping the car and three little ones who were completely dependent upon us to keep them safe with limited resources.

After panicking a bit, okay a lot, actually by that point I was in tears, we said a quick prayer and by the grace of God the car started again, and ran just long enough for us to reach the next exit. The first business off the interstate happened to be a Mexican restaurant, and miraculously we had enough momentum to coast into their parking lot. We quickly transferred the kids into the warm building. Phew! We could breathe again.

The silver lining was that we were driving Jake’s company car and all the expenses, including a tow truck, were taken care of. After we stuffed ourselves full of queso, chips, and quesadillas, we crammed all of us and our luggage into a taxi and settled into a hotel for the night. By that point we were absolutely exhausted and completely sleep deprived. Did I mention we are also in the middle of transitioning Baylen to a big boy bed? Maybe not our best decision to travel in the midst of that.

Anyway, we survived, but I was a hot mess. It wasn’t fun, but I’m thankful for a couple things God reminded me of throughout our escapade.

First, I am continually amazed at how much I learn from my kids. As scary as it was being stranded with three little ones in that sort of weather, I was actually thankful they were as little as they were. They were totally oblivious to what was going on. They completely trusted us to take care of them, and didn’t doubt us for a second. Baylen thought riding in the taxi was the neatest thing ever and basically treated the whole ordeal as an adventure.  The girls were as smiley as always, and super pumped about meeting all the kind waitresses in the restaurant.

I guess it gave me a bit of a reality check. Am I always as quick to trust the Lord when situations are out of my control? Do I act like and believe that He is going to take care of me no matter what? Do I have faith like a child? Beautiful child-like faith makes God look so holy and gives Him the credit He deserves! I need more of that in my life!

Secondly, as I was frustrated and stressed and probably yelling at Jake as we were sitting there on the side of the road, I suddenly felt so silly. I was complaining about not having heat for a few minutes, when the reality for so many others is never knowing if they’ll have the necessities to make it through a day. I’m thankful for the blessing of a warm house, and enough food to feed my family. Gosh it is so easy to take those things for granted, and I know God calls me to more. May this serve as a wake up call.

Traveling with kids is full of adventure, isn’t it? It’s not as simple as packing light and jumping in the car. It takes a lot of work and planning, and when things don’t go as expected man am I thankful that God’s provisions are far better than anything I could think up. Thank goodness He is the ultimate parent, always steps ahead protecting us no matter what lies ahead.

“The Lord protects those of childlike faith…” Psalm 116:6

XOXO,

Amber

P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!