I’m Too Impressed With the Holy Spirit to Keep Whining

Pocket Full of Quarters Trek 2012

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady
Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,or, whine, Israel, saying, "God has lost track of me. He doesn't care what happens to me"? Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening? God doesn't come and go. God lasts. Isa 40:27-28

I wanted to whine. I did whine. I whined about hitting a curb in Hallelujah. You never never never want to run over a curb in a camper. It is hard to believe how much damage that can do.

It happened in Holbrook, Arizona. They were too small to have a shop that could really fix Hallelujah but a very kind Christian mechanic got it drivable enough to get it to Phoenix. The mechanic in Phoenix says it will be weeks before it is ready to travel again. I’ve told that mechanic that people are praying for them and this will be the easiest repair ever.

God’s children have been wonderful. I am staying in the home of a ministry supporter. Amazing Deb Schmidt took days off from work to help me get the camper to the shop, get a rental car (paid for by insurance,) and unpack the camper and load what I needed into the rental car. Even though she has four cats, she has welcomed Belle the Missionary Dog into her home. I feel cherished.
It had been quite the drama and I must confess to being discouraged at first. However, the Holy Spirit put on such a show that I had to stop whining.

On the morning after the accident, I got a call from my ministry mentor, Ron Fuller, from the Sojourners Fellowship. “How can I help? I’ve found where it happened on the aerial view and I can see why you thought it was a driveway. There is a church nearby. I can call, tell them we have someone on the road, and get them to help.”

Silly me. I hadn’t even thought about asking for help from the Bride of Christ or God’s people. I told Ron that if the mechanic couldn’t get Hallelujah drivable, I’d call him back. I was encouraged by the call.

I was at the mechanic’s shop considering heading back to Pennsylvania when Deb called to say she was heading to me. When the mechanic got Hallelujah drivable, I called Deb and we agreed to meet in the middle between Phoenix and Holbrook. She, her husband Steve, and I went witnessing together in a Flagstaff mall and would you believe that six, yes – I said six, people prayed to receive Jesus. I would never have stopped in Flagstaff if I had not hit that curb.

At the mechanic’s shop, a Navaho woman who grew up on the reservation was getting her school bus repaired. She had grown up practicing traditional Navaho religion and had only been attending a Christian church for three weeks.

“I don’t understand what they are talking about but I know Jesus is real because I feel good when we sing about him.”

I felt like Phillip talking to the Ethiopian as I explained Jesus and Christianity. Through her broken English, I gave her the children’s version of the gospel, starting with Jesus being born to a virgin. She cried as she prayed to receive Jesus. I would not have been there if I had not hit that curb. I wondered if I was going to get “whisked” away to Phoenix and not have to drive.

On Wednesday night, I spoke at my former women’s group at North Phoenix Baptist Church. After hearing how the Holy Spirit had worked, they lined up afterward asking when we could go out witnessing together. If I had not hit that curb, I would not have stayed in Phoenix long enough to go witnessing with these women.

Sedona, Arizona is the paranormal heart and “portal” of America. I’ve recently read 2 books on Spiritual Warfare and have always wanted to spend quality time there evangelizing, praying, and doing spiritual warfare. It is an hour from Phoenix and I’ve found an inexpensive hotel that has a microwave/fridge and takes dogs. I have booked 7 days there. Please cover me in prayer. If I had not hit that curb, I would not be spending a week in Sedona.

My insurance policy had a surprise camper clause that allows me $2,000 in living expenses while I wait for camper repairs. I was worried about the funding on this trip and that will certainly help. I just found out that there will be no $500 deductable because our insurance record is so clean. Hitting that curb will actually help with finances.

How could I possibly whine and complain when the Holy Spirit has put on such a show?

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