An Unexpected Encounter
Monadnock. That was our destination when arriving in Greenville, SC. More specifically, Paris Mountain State Park, also known as a monadnock – a mountain that rises up out of otherwise flat land. We weren’t sure what to expect but if the narrow, winding road to our site was any indication, we were going to have difficulty backing into our site. And sure enough, it was a tight fit.
As we paused to observe the area and how we (or Jim) was going to back our 34’ rig into our site, we noticed we were blocking a truck that needed to get through. We apologized, as we often do when we hold up traffic. The couple mentioned they were our neighbors and graciously told us not to worry.
Just a few minutes later, the gentleman in that truck offered to help us. He had a larger RV and also had difficulty backing in despite 20 years of experience. I think Jim and I had a brief hesitation before accepting his offer. We had learned in the RV world; it is better to politely decline help as an Rver often has a “system” when backing in and any additional assistance might make it even more confusing. Honestly, I really don’t think we have a system, other than me being quiet while Jim is backing in!
This time, however, we paid attention to something in us that said let this guy help us. As they worked through the process of backing in, the man never stopped smiling. He was just a happy guy more than willing to help a total stranger in a difficult moment. His wife was equally helpful in sharing conversation with me while Jim parked. I had the passing thought of how God has sent such kind people into our lives when we needed them most. Little did I know that wasn’t the end of the story.
By now three RV’s were backed up behind us waiting patiently to get to their site. The camp host came to us and asked if we wanted to move to another site. We really didn’t know what we wanted at that point but had put so much effort into the process, it seemed trying it again in another spot might put us over the edge (literally). Fortunately, the couple told us the other site was not as good as this one and assured us we were going to get our RV parked. We took their advice and declined the offer to move.
Not much later, our home was successfully parked, and apologies were given to the waiting RVers. We thanked the couple and I heard Jim say to the man, “we are going to be friends”.
The next day we heard from our New York friends, who were now living in the Greenville area, and they invited us to visit a local park. Falls Park on the Reedy is a 32-acre park, and although spacious, it was filled with people exploring the park’s beauty. As we walked through the park, I happened to notice someone familiar.
Words came out of my mouth before my brain registered whether it should allow them or not. Impulsively I said, “there are our friends!” which caused Jim and our friends from New York to pause quizzically. I started waving to the people I recognized and almost as quickly introduced everyone. The only problem was, I didn’t know “our friends” names. They weren’t our friends, per se, but happened to be our neighbors at the campground who helped us back in the RV. They graciously offered a courteous response to my sudden random greeting.
What struck me most after that encounter was the words that came from our NY friend who said, meeting that couple was a divine intervention.
That night when we arrived back home, we decided to have a campfire. We noticed the man outside of his RV and invited him and his wife to visit with us. After my spontaneous outburst earlier that day at the park, I honestly thought he would go back in his RV and shut the blinds! But to our surprise a little while later, Heather and Jerry visited with us.
We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him.
Matthew 8:28 ERV
These are the people God chose, because that was his plan.
It was such a lovely evening listening to their stories and getting to know them better. The next few days were rainy, and we had previous commitments so unfortunately did not have another opportunity to visit with our new friends. Or so we thought.
As we were packing up – in the rain, we wanted to say goodbye to Jerry and Heather but didn’t want to bother them if they weren’t outside. I decided to tape a piece of paper with our blog site onto their RV. Oddly enough I taped it under their bedroom slide – it was the only place that wasn’t getting wet from the rain. If the weird encounter at the park wasn’t enough, getting caught doing that would be a whole new level of weird!
We did get a chance to see them before we pulled out and had a quick exchange of good-byes, sad that we hadn’t had more of a chance to visit with them.
After we settled into our next destination, I checked my email. I saw a message from our website contact page – it was from Heather!! As they were driving home, she visited our blog website and discovered she and Jerry met in a very similar way to how Jim and I met. I couldn’t wait to respond!
We exchanged contact information and set up an evening to facetime each other. Our first video call lasted two hours!! As we shared our stories, we learned Heather and Jerry love Jesus too! We all felt like God had placed us in that campground for a reason – indeed a divine intervention.
As we mentioned in A Breakthrough in Greenville, we had been struggling with our mission on this journey. What was our purpose?
That divine intervention with Heather and Jerry not only brought a new friendship, but was God putting people in our path who would bring a new understanding of our journey. We knew what this new friendship brought to our lives, but hadn’t thought about the fact that perhaps our purpose was what we brought to their lives.
When they shared how we impacted their lives, a light bulb went off. I, of all people, should know that we could be impacting lives – we call ourselves, The Salt and Light Journeys after all. But isn’t it true how we can be so focused on what “we” think our journey should be that we miss the journey right in front of us?
Jim and I are so fortunate to have a God that knows us all too well and intercedes on our behalf. This time he placed people in our life that were bold enough to step out and provide enlightenment to us. This week we will again virtually visit with our new friends and continue what we hope will be a life-long friendship.
In a recent email, Heather shared the following with me. May we all recognize our purpose and be bold enough to use those gifts to impact the lives of those around us.
