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Caravan of Hope
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Caravan of Hope
It was Wednesday and I had intended to find a prayer meeting somewhere. When I checked into Degray Lake Resort State Park in Arkansas and heard there was a sunset cruise, I knew how I would be spending my evening. I was the first on board the boat (see pictures under Arkansas – Degray Lake Resort State Park ) and got my favorite seat - the back of the boat.
The rest of the passengers boarded and as we waited for the boat to launch, we began talking. It was a small boat and everyone could hear everything so it wasn’t long before the entire boat knew I was a traveling author and missionary. As usual in these circumstances, the people on board fell into two categories – those who wanted to talk to me and those who avoided me like the plague. In total, there were 13 people on board – eleven passengers, one captain, and 1 park interpreter. I’ve learned that in situations like this, the people who avoid me usually eaves drop. If I can find an enthusiastic Christian willing to share his or her testimony, I encourage the telling of their story both because I enjoy hearing it and it serves as a testimony to those listening. Occasionally, the quiet ones are moved and will later talk or ask questions.
There were actually five enthusiastic Christians on board – six if you count me. The park interpreter shyly told me she was a Christian and about to go on a mission trip to Brazil. I told her I’d pray for her. A couple, two years from retirement, told of their love of Christ and the church. Then I met Cherry. She was the most enthusiastic of all. “Yes, my name is spelled and pronounced like the fruit. The worst part is that my last name is Pickens. My mother gave me the name Cherry but I picked up the Pickens all by myself.”
I first noticed Cherry as she leaned comfortably against her husband Jeff, snuggled under his arm, to watch the sunset. Cherry surprised me by reporting that she had 3 grandchildren. “You look too young to be a grandmother,” I gasped.
“My daughter and I both started young,” she said. Then she sighed. “When my daughter was fourteen, she had a rough year. She lost her grandfather, grandmother, and father. She was the one to find her grandmother dead. It damaged her and when she was sixteen, she got pregnant with my oldest grandchild.”
“So Jeff is not your daughter’s father,” I said. Somehow, I had thought they’d been married their entire life.
“No,” she sighed. “My daughter’s father was an alcoholic.” She went on to tell me about meeting Jeff and dealing with his struggles with alcoholism. I looked at clear-eyed friendly Jeff and couldn’t imagine him having a drinking problem. Cherry must have guessed my thoughts. “He’s been sober for seven years.”
Impressed, I asked if he was in Alcoholics Anonymous. “No,” she said. “He says Jesus is the best sponsor a guy can have. When my daughter got pregnant and Jeff’s drinking grew worse, I got down on my knees and surrendered. God took control and worked everything out. Jeff found Jesus. He started going to church and was baptized. My daughter straightened her life out. She’s married to a wonderful man and is a good mother to her children. She is close to God and active in her church.” Cherry looked fondly at Jeff. “I never dreamed things could turn out this well. Only God could have worked everything out so well.”
As we got off the boat, I said goodbye to my new friends. Cherry and I lingered at the docks talking and finally walked to the cars together. When we got there, the parking lot was dark and everyone was gone. Jeff walked up to us and said, “Guess what. I locked my keys in the car. I must have thought I was going swimming or something.”
Confused, I asked, “If you’d been going swimming, how would you have gotten back in your car with it locked.” Jeff didn’t answer. “Do you have a cell phone to call AAA or something?” I asked.
Jeff looked at Cherry. “We need to get back to the lodge to get my second set of keys.”
I thought about it for a second before offering the ride. Nancy is going to kill me. Nancy is my best friend and she hates it when I let strangers in my car. She is convinced an ax murderer with duct tape is going to be the end of me. Once fears start, there is no end to them. If I were an ax murder, I’d get to know the single person on the boat and then pretend I needed a ride. I reminded myself that they were a normal looking couple and we had talked about Jesus. But they already knew you were a Christian writer. Maybe they were trying to find something in common with you. Besides, weren’t Bonnie and Clyde a normal looking couple?
Briefly, I wondered if Cherry had stalled me talking at the dock to ensure that everyone else would be gone. This is ridiculous! I said to myself firmly. I knew my fears were running away with me and have always known that helping people carried risks. Why was I suddenly fearful? God, am I supposed to offer these people a ride back to the lodge?
You can probably guess God’s answer. “Would you like a ride back to the lodge?” I offered.
Cherry and Jeff had probably noticed my hesitation and were grateful for the offer. “Are you sure you don’t mind?” they asked.
As long as you don’t kill me, I thought. What I said was, “This is my job. God sent me here to drive you back to the lodge. I used to be impressed with myself until I heard a book reviewer talking about my book on the radio. He said, ‘Cheryle travels all over the country helping people and offering them what ever they need from her car.’ I went to laughing when I realized that was what my father did all the time. He’s always helping people, giving them what ever they need. I wasn’t near as impressed with myself after that.”
“It’s wonderful that you have a father like that,” Jeff remarked. I completely agree.
On the way back to the lodge, God sent a delight. “Look!” I said excitedly pointing. “Deer! Two of them!” We had a wonderful time talking about the wonders of God. I was relieved when we arrived at the lodge and no knife or gun had been pulled out. God must have known what He was doing when He placed me in a position to help Jeff and Cherry. “I’ll wait while you get your keys and take you back to your car,” I heard myself say.
When we got back to their car, Cherry said, “We really appreciate your helping us. Would you like us to follow you to your campsite?”
“No,” I laughed. “I get nervous about backing up at night but I always manage to get into my campsite.”
On the way back to the campsite, I passed the Visitors Center. In the parking lot were the two families from the boat that I had not talked with. I remembered reading my park activity sheet and knew they were waiting to go on a Wildlife Caravan. Groaning that it was going to be even later before I got to put Happy happily in his camp slot, I pulled into the parking lot, rolled down my window and said, “I don’t have a reservation. Is there room for me?” The two park attendants from the boat said sure and I climbed in the van.
We spent the most wonderful hour together. I lost track of the number of deer we saw darting through the woods. As we bumped along the dirt roads through the woods, I asked nervously, “You have driven on this road before?” The park attendant just laughed.
As the park attendant shined a spotlight into the woods, many sets of brightly colored wild eyes reflected back at us. An anteater ambled along the road. “I’ve never seen one alive before,” I said excitedly. We saw ‘possum and raccoons. I told some of my wildlife stories from my travels and the children on the van were fascinated. We drove out on the golf course and got out of the van to name the stars. Quietly, I began singing, “God’s friendly stars.” As we stood on that quiet dark golf course staring at the Milky Way, screech owls delighted us with their calls.
The best part of the caravan ride was that I was finally able to get to know the people I had not met on the boat. The pump had been primed with the stories they had heard from the faithful Christians on board and they asked questions about my travels. I never found out what their spiritual beliefs were but gave them a card with a quarter in it. I left that caravan with hope for everyone on board.
It was 11:00 and I understood the saying “dark as midnight.” I called Bob for moral support and he stayed on the phone until Happy was parked. My campsite had drop offs on both sides and little margin for errors. Wonder of wonders - it went in the first time. I parked and set up in under five minutes – a new record.
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