On our way home from church Sunday, we found probably the second worst place in Grand Rapids to get a flat tire—US 131 heading straight through the heart of the city.

Once we realized that the smell of burning rubber was coming from us, we were zipping down the highway in the far left lane with no where to go. There is no shoulder on the left or the right and so we were completely stranded in the left-hand lane of one of the busiest stretches of Grand Rapids highway. Dennis was driving, and in an attempt to get off the road as much as possible, he was right up next to the concrete median and couldn’t open his door…not that he had anywhere to go…. I was in the passenger seat unable to get out either because of the traffic rushing by at around 80 mph.

So, we called 911 and waited and winced as each car raced past us, narrowly missing us as it swerved over to the next lane. And we prayed…and waited… and prayed… and waited… It seemed like we sat there for an eternity.

Then, a tow truck came and stopped. We didn’t ask questions and just let him tow us out of there as quickly as possible. As it turned out, our tire was shredded, but our rescuer was able to tow us back to his house just a few blocks away and quickly change it out for the spare.

Apparently, this guy just happened to be driving by and saw us in distress. He went down to the next exit, turned around and came back for us. God was surely looking out for us to send this man our direction! Not to mention keeping all those cars from running into us as we sat and waited! We were extremely fortunate; this guy was telling us he went to tow someone out of a similar situation just a short distance from where we were, and as soon as he stepped out of his truck they were rear-ended.

And as if all this wasn’t enough, this man sent us on our way and never charged us a penny! Praise the Lord! We prayed for help and God sent us an angel :)