It was the second day this week we had kids out of school (this time, it was about half of them). Abi, Millie, and I loaded 13 of the kids into the van, said a quick prayer, and headed to town. We were taking them to go shopping for the gift exchange we do every year on Christmas.
The way in was pretty uneventful. There was the loud chatter of the kids behind us and the occasional shrieks from baby Gauv when someone got a little too close for comfort. But we made it safely, without any problems.
We split them up into groups and headed in to tackle what felt like a daunting task. We spent over an hour and a half walking through the aisles, supervising as they carefully picked out things they thought their person would like. I was honestly impressed by how thoughtful they were with each item they picked out.
The money felt like it was going down slowly, but we finally headed to the checkout to purchase the gifts. We did a final headcount in the van before pulling out.
I waited patiently to pull across the road to the other side. I got to the middle line and did one last check before pulling onto the road. But then I saw it. A car was headed straight for us. We both swerved and were able to miss each other, but I felt overwhelmed with thankfulness.
I know God was there watching us as we pulled out. I know He was also watching the car I pulled out in front of. It's a heavy weight to have that many lives in your hands knowing how serious a mistake can be. But God took care of things before I even knew there was a problem.
Millie was feeling a little on edge after that, so when I had to turn around at the temple because I had passed something we needed to get, she was very aware of all the vehicles.
I was getting ready to pull back onto the road and she calmly said, "There's a van coming." I nodded and proceeded to move forward. This time she said it with a bit more force. I again acknowledged her and kept going. This time it came out more like a shout, "THERE'S A VAN!" And then she realized it wasn't even in the lane I was pulling onto. I really can't blame her though and we had a good laugh.
I'm thankful for a God who cares and protects. And I'm thankful for how evident His protection was this time.
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