I had left the house with the intention of not being out past three in the afternoon…
At 12pm on Tuesday I left to go pick up a kid I nanny from school. The highways already had snow sticking and the lanes I would be taking to get back home were already backed up.
After an hour I was able to pick the kid up and make plans to meet his mom in the area so that we could both go home right away.
It was 2:30pm before we were able to get to each other. Trying to use back roads and cut through but everything was bumper to bumper. Once we had met up, I made a plan as to how I was going to get home and avoid the traffic. That plan, however, wasn’t going to work, seeing as all of the highways and side streets were quickly becoming grid locked. The roads I was on were turning to ice and very hilly – several people were losing control and getting stuck. I knew with my car, my best shot would be the highway so I slowly began making my way to the nearest ramp. I knew it was risky: my heater had stopped working, my phone was nearly dead, I only had a quarter of a tank of gas, and I had no idea how long it would take to get home or if id even make it or if I would end up stuck in ice with no gas, at night in a freezing car.
At 4pm I finally recognized my surroundings, I had done a big circle and ended up back by the school I had just come from. I knew the area fairly well and knew that just up ahead were two gas stations, so I ditched the idea of the highway for the time being (there was a mile and a half line to get on the ramp anyway) and headed for gas.
I soon realized that this was much worse than I had initially thought. Both gas stations had become parking lots and I had no way to get to a pump. So instead I pulled up in the grocery store on the same intersection. They didn’t sell any phone chargers so I grabbed some snacks- as I was leaving the manager was standing outside turning people away so that he could shut down the store and send his employees home.
About this time I began to understand that I may not be making it home that evening. Do I sleep in my car? … I would freeze- what other options do I have? I was directed to a neighboring CVS in order to find a charger- I quickly found the store and the phone charger (I left my car in the other parking lot) so I plugged it in and got cozy. Sitting at the photo print center inside CVS I saw people flood in the store looking for food, restrooms, and chargers after being stuck in their cars for hours.
By the time my phone was ready to go it was 6pm, dark with snow still falling with dropping temperatures and ice was setting everywhere.
So many of my friends were checking in on me and seeking out options for me but I couldn’t go anywhere. I had already had a freak out moment in my car earlier asking the Lord to help me- get me safe and warm. He had brought me to CVS. And now I sat there asking Him what to do … the grocery store had kicked people out, all restaurants (even 24hr ones) had closed and this CVS was only open until midnight. Fellow stranded people kept coming through those doors and I knew stuff would sell out quickly. I grabbed a headlamp, three fleece blankets and a hoodie (prepping for the long night ahead).
I knew that fear and anxiety had no place in me, I was and am fully covered by the King. I am well cared for and protected so I asked the Lord what to do while I sat in the drug store, waiting for the hour to come where I’d have to leave. He told me very clearly to be joy, peace, comfort, and love – so I began looking for opportunities and He directed people to me to speak life and encouragement over, letting them borrow the charger, giving food, blankets and wear my new hoodie, etc.
By now a group had assembled- all stuck, all not sure what to do for the night, the best thing to do was pray- so I asked for open doors for the night.
The Lord blessed me with some new friends in that CVS, ones with positive attitudes and all banding together trying to figure out what we could do. I even ran into a guy from my high school who I hadn’t seen since graduation! Which actually worked out great- I hadn’t realized how huge of an impact a familiar face was until later (even though we had never been friends back when). We ended up staking the night out together with several others. We kept hearing reports of how bad it was on the roads…everyone was helping each other- using and sharing whatever we had.
It wasn’t until 11:30pm that they announced that they would keep their doors open all night- a complete answer to prayer! Me and Drew (HS friend) ventured out at one point to my car to get some stuff and got to direct people sitting in their cars that the doors would be open to stay the night so they didn’t have to sleep in cars. Many didn’t know and were grateful. One of the guys in our group- his parents had called a pizza order into a place a block away where the workers were stranded- we got four hot pizzas and shared with everyone back at the CVS.
Many had loaded up on hoodies, blankets, long sleeves and began using toilet paper packs as pillows for the night. People continued to pour in all throughout the night. All with stories of how long they had been stuck in their car. Sharing stories of wrecks and tractor trailers having slid to block all lanes on the highways (one area had 7 tractor trailers all stuck horizontal on the highway right by us). Some just left their cars on the highway and walked to shelter.
We ‘slept’ on the floor, up and down the aisles …laying on cardboard and using whatever to keep warm and hoping to rest.
I still had a body pillow in my car from dorm life and was so thankful I hadn’t taken it out! I tried to down water, just to make sure I was saying hydrated and couldn’t have slept more than 10-15 mins the whole night. The middle of night and into the early morning was when I felt the most hopeless ( I don’t like using that word for this but it’s the closest to describing the feeling). I was ‘up’ at 6am- trying to stay in touch with everyone who was looking out for me and keeping updates on Facebook as people poured in their prayers.
We found out that nothing was going to be done about the roads until the sun came up- so we waited (meeting new people as they came in from a long night in their car). We slowly heard reports of what was happening at 9:30/10am, we learned that they had totally shut down our on ramp and since early the previous day back roads had been not drivable.
I had a friend who had been offering up her place since the night before (actually 2 friends) but the roads were too bad to even try going on mile, let alone five, so when they announced the ramp was closed I made a decision that if it didn’t open back up by 12pm I would walk five miles up to my friend’s house and stay there. Right as me and Drew had bundled up and were walking out the door to begin the walk we get news that the highway had opened back up! (Thank you Jesus!- 16 degrees outside). We tried his car since its heavier than mine but it wouldn’t start so we headed to mine- I declared that mine would start and we would make it to a gas station (all the ones in the area were long out of gas). Mine started and we began going home.
There weren’t many cars driving on the highway but we saw thousands of abandoned cars on the sides of the road. We had about 10 miles to drive and we went about 15 mph to avoid slipping. Every exit was slammed with loads of abandoned cars. I asked my prayer warriors to declare our exit open with me. At first glance it looked completely blocked but I heard the Lord say ‘go’ so I went and if I got blocked I would reverse and get back on the highway. We weaved through cars and got off safely! Pulled into a gas station and filled up. I dropped him off close enough to his house to walk in the last bit and went through the remainder of the mess myself. More and more cars everywhere- just left. I pasted one that had exploded right in the middle of the road with lines of parked cars on either side of it. I got to a business ½ mile from my front door and parked- I walked up the icy, hilly, windy street where hundreds of cars blocked the road- all empty. My neighborhood was one big sheet of ice but I finally walked through my front door- finally home after my 25 hour journey!
Very early on while I was driving and the roads got worse I prayed protection and saw visions of angels hanging down by my tires blowing onto the ground and melting the ice beneath to give me traction- He showed me that all the way home as well.
My Daddy took such great care of me- so well provided for. I was never in need and left alone- He took are of every detail and I just look at that crazy mess and see protection and provision- so well cared for! He opened so many doors for me, gave me company, allowed me to represent Him and manifest joy and peace, He provided food, warmth, money, direction, wisdom, encouragement, support etc. the list could go on, I am so well cared for even in the crazy and the seemingly unsteady and uncertain.
For everyone who texted and called and kept up with the posts on Facebook to pray and encourage me- THANK YOU!! I had a fleet of warriors petitioning on my behalf- the power of that was in the physical! Yall are amazing and I love you!
Drew, thanks for your company and being so selfless the entire time- knowing who someone was and know I had someone I knew I could trust kept me sane and kept me going!
