Unexpected Turns

I borrowed a friend's truck and headed out of town with one of my little sidekicks. We were excited and a little nervous as we drove out to the remote cabin, which included an outhouse, but no running water.

I made sure to plug in my cell phone since it was 15% when we got in the truck. My foster daughter looked forward to playing in the woods and doing crafts in the cute little one-room cabin, while I would begin editing my book in preparation for recording the audiobook. 

The last time I headed up the narrow road covered with slick packed snow, my minivan spun out as I tried to round the first sharp turn uphill. With snow piled high on each side, I ended up having to back down the windy road. I made it back to the main road with my daughter walking along, directing me as I went. 

This time, I was nervous as I came to that first sharp bend again. I started to pick up speed, hoping I'd be able to make it up the steep hill. Then with a last-minute hesitation, I slowed just in case another vehicle might be coming down. About 10 feet before the turn, a truck came around the corner, and I had to veer right into the deep snow to avoid hitting it. 

After passing me, the man in the truck paused and watched as I tried to pull forward and then backward. He drove off just as I got out to see that the snow on the passenger side was almost up to the hood and ran the length of the truck. 

We were stuck, and the other truck was gone. 

I looked in the back of the borrowed truck and was thankful to find a pair of heavy gloves on the otherwise sunny day. This was going to take a while, and I hadn't planned on being outside. There wasn't a shovel, but there was a plastic two or three-person sled in the back. I pulled out the sled and started digging out the front tire. When I tried to go forward or backward, the tires just spun in the powdery snow. I took a break from scooping to show my daughter how to snap off the tops of bushes sticking out of the snowbank across the road. I piled the branches on the powdery snow under the front tire for traction.

I continued to shovel out the truck with the sled, and I realized that I needed something lighter if I was going to finish the job. Usually, my husband takes care of any car needs, but as I walked around the back of the truck, I felt like a strong Alaskan woman. It was a beautiful sunny evening, and the sun was going to take a while to set. My daughter continued breaking off branches for the tires, and I felt a sense of determination as I realized, "We can do this."

I saw an empty box from a 12 pack of sparkling water in the back of the truck, and I dropped it on the ground and intended to crush it with my winter boot. As my foot came down on top of it, both of my feet went out from under me on the icy hill. I felt my forehead and cheekbones hit the ice with the weight and force of my whole body behind them, and I felt my face smash flat on the ice. It happened so fast; I didn't even put my hands out.

My cousin, a nurse practitioner, says I go "crazy calm" in emergencies. It's true. It's like time slows down for me. I won't tell you all the gory examples, but they are impressive, even to me.

I couldn't have just done that without breaking my nose, I thought.

I was slightly dazed as I pinched my nose to stop the gushing blood. I couldn't see through all the blood, so I closed my eyes when I saw my daughter walking toward me. 

"I need you to turn the truck off. Get my cell phone from the front seat and the towel from the back seat." 

Amazingly my daughter acted as calmly as I was despite my racing heart and all the blood. She did all I asked quickly. Later, she told me she wasn't scared.

"We are going to walk down toward the highway, and when we have cell service, tell me, and I'll call for help."

I was shaking slightly and taking big breaths as we walked. My forehead stung from the wet blood on it in the cold. 

"Theres’s two bars," she said.

I took the phone and saw that it was at 3%! I called my friend, praying that she would answer the phone. She is often busy. She knew what road I was on, and my husband had never been there before. Praise God! She answered the phone. 

"Tell Jerry to come get me."

"Robin, what's wrong?"

"Think I broke my nose. I fell on the ice, and the truck is stuck in the snow. My cell phone is almost dead."

She hung up and called my husband, and I got a text a minute later.

He's on his way.

We continued to walk down toward the highway until we saw a truck headed up the hill toward us. I waved at him, and he pulled to a stop.

By now, we were about half a mile from our truck, and it was out of sight. 

The man was traveling alone and looked like one of the rugged Fairbanks residents that lived in a dry cabin (with no running water) all year. In his early thirties, he had a beard that touched his chest and looked like he hadn't brushed his teeth in a couple of weeks. 

"My truck is stuck in the snow, and I slipped on the ice. I think I broke my nose."

"Let's see what we can do," he replied.

He headed up the hill while my daughter and I walked back up. I don't think he asked if I wanted a ride, and I wouldn't have wanted to climb in his vehicle anyway. 

When we got up the hill to the truck, I explained that I didn't have a shovel; all I had was a sled to dig. The man popped a cigar in his mouth and picked up the sled. 

"You can sit in my truck if you're light-headed. It's warm," he stated.

I sat in my truck, which was also warm.

I climbed into the drivers' side, still pinching my nose with the towel. Every time I tried to let go, it would begin bleeding again. I held the top of my head with my other hand at the intense aching pain there.

Thank God for kind strangers! He had me scooped out in 20 minutes. We were on the road headed back toward town when I came upon my husband. I flicked my lights at him as the sun had continued to set in slow Alaskan style. I pulled over long enough to roll down the window and tell him I was going to the ER. He followed me there. Later, he said that it scared him when he saw me.

As I bumped my way down the icy highway toward town, I realized that my nose definitely hurt, but it probably wasn't broken. I also become aware that the place where my forehead stung in the cold began to hurt more, and I probably had a gash under the thick blood. 

Praise God for a kind nurse and NO broken nose! Five stitches and a concussion discussion later, and I was FINALLY on my way home to bed before midnight.

A week later, I still feel like a sleepy Frankenstein with an aversion to light, but I will be fine.

Events like this make me wonder. 

Was this just an incident of life? Maybe. 

Was this Satan trying to hinder a ministry? Maybe. 

Did God send help? Definitely.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9