We couldn't post this blog until you knew we were safe in Canada. Didn't want anyone to worry. It was the most memorable part of our trip. Probably too eventful for our liking, but it was a good experience to know God answers prayers and protects us at all times.
March 6
Again, the morning started with a dead truck, which then resulted in a slow start to the morning. The Kingfisher maintnance department came down to our apartment to boost the car, and eventually around noon we were able to get going to Lake McKenzie to checkout what we missed yesterday.
We got to Lake Mckenzie, and yet again it was overcast on the island, so it didn’t look as spectacular was I remembered it when I was here last. They have built up a lot of the beach, in comparison to 2000. The winds were high, so the lake was a bit choppy. Either way it was still pretty to look at, and as clear as I remembered it.
We went for a quick swim, but didn’t last too long, as Pearl is not a big fan of the wind. We then ventured off to Eli Creek, trying to beat the high tide and catch the photo opportunity before our time on the beach was up. We made it, and the boys ran up the boardwalk and wadded through the creek on the way down.
I told Tyson about the sand dunes in which they apparently shot Star Wars and so he really wanted to see it. I couldn’t remember the exact location, but knew it was close to Eli Creek. Dan asked a bus driver and the driver thought it was near Lake Wabby located in land a bit. So, we hurried off the beach and made our way in land. Lake Wabby was on the way to the Kingfisher Resort, so we thought we would stop by on the way back.
I tried my hand at driving on the island. I think I did okay, a much different experience than driving on pavement… that’s for sure.
Pearl by this point had had the biscuit. It had been about 6 hours driving for her and she was tired. So, I opted to stay in the car with her, while the boys took off to the look out. It was around six o’clock and the sun was starting to set. I was getting slightly concerned, as they had been gone for awhile and the car was starting to sound funny, funnier than usual.
We still had to keep the car running all day to ensure it didn’t die again while we were out. There were no booster cables, so it meant if we turned it off than there was a chance there wouldn’t be anyway for someone to help us, if we needed a boost.
My mind started racing, with thoughts of what would happen if the car broke down or the sunset, and we didn’t make it out of there. Pearl and I went for a walk to the information sign about Lake Wabby lookout, only to see that the point was actually an hour to an hour and a half walk away. I got worried looking at the time, knowing the boys would still be gone for a while. I figured they hadn’t read the sign, and as they ventured out there, they would have thought they had too much time invested in seeing the sand dunes, to turn around.
Eventually, they returned by this point- the sun was clearly setting and I was worried and short. Dan couldn’t understand my attitude, and normally I wouldn’t care. But under the circumstances, with two children, night falling and a lemon of a vehicle, I was worried. I told Dan we didn’t have time to be upset with each other, but when we made it back to the apartment I would be!
We started our trek home, and quickly it became darker and darker. The battery on the car was unreliable to start, but we thought we would have enough juice to use the headlights to get back. We figured out this was not the case, when a few kilometers into the trip, the truck started to sputter and the lights went dim. We moved forward slowly. As things got dimmer, which made the trip more scary… I began praying aloud saying “In the name of Jesus, we need light”. I couldn’t pray anything else, as it’s all we needed for the moment. It was pretty scary as I took note of the terrain when it was light out, commenting to Dan how steep the banks were. We managed to get to a fork in the road with a sign saying “Kingfisher Bay and Eastern Beaches”. That’s where the car died. The lights shut off, the power windows were left down and the key wouldn’t turn over when we tried.
It was then, I changed my prayer and spoke out the words of Wayne Hoyles’ sermon from the Sunday morning before we left, which was about, the God of the supernatural and provision. I started asking for the supernatural, “send an angel or divine light, provide us with a way out”.
Despite having the sign, we had no idea where we were and how far back it was going to be to the Kingfisher. Immediately, we tried calling “000” (Canada’s equilivant to 911) with our cell phone. It wasn’t going through. We called the number if 000 didn’t work, and found out there was no cell phone reception in the area where we were. In hindsight, thinking there would be reception in the middle of a deep rainforest on a sand island, may have been silly thinking. However, desperate times called for desperate measures. And, this is when Dan wanted to run for help. I think it was the man in him, wanting to “do” something, despite nothing could be done. I said “Absolutely not! There are dingoes and snakes out there, you don’t have a flash light and we have NO idea where we are”
We continued to pray, as we sat for about forty minutes begging God to send an angel, as we resolved we would be sleeping in the truck for the night, with the windows down. It was one of the most helpless feelings either of us, have ever felt. As we cried, I was so thankful to believe in a God who is a protector and who cares for us. One last time, we called out for God to send an angel for us.
Out of nowhere, a massive bright light came around a corner about 200 metres in front of us. All three of us, started yelling for help and jumped out of the car running towards the light. It was a big Toyota Prado that had it’s halogen bright lights on. It slowed down and we ran faster, yelling louder. It stopped and there were three men in the car. The driver rolled down the window and crying I said, “We need help, my baby, son and husband are stranded with a dead car”. He said “She’ll be alright, mate”
He followed me to our truck. The inspected it, tried doing as much as they could with jumper cables and tools, but to no avail it wouldn’t start. These men were Australian blokes, Rod, Adam and Luke- out on a beer tour through the rainforest on their way to pick up Rod’s daughter at the Kingfisher Bay barge.
They said they would take us back to our hotel, and we could leave our vehicle off to the side of the path. We all plied in to the their truck, Pearl and I in the front passenger seat, and Dan and Tyson in the back with Luke and Adam. It was cosy. And for some reason, I felt safe with these guys. Normally, I wouldn’t get in a car with some one who has a beer in their hand while driving, nor would I take my children into this situation, however given the circumstances… it seemed like the more reasonable option.
The drive back to Kingfisher was at least a fifteen- twenty - minute drive. Rod’s truck was so powerful, and it was able to get through the toughest of terrains with no problems. It was a completely different experience from driving our vehicle for the past few days. While driving, we talked about Aussie culture, and what there is to see in Canada, exchanged stories about Vegemite and continued to extend our thank you’s for stopping. These three Aussie blokes were our answer to prayer.
My favourite part of the whole story, was after the last time I prayed for God to send an angel, the headlights appeared, and like I said they were ridiculously bright- almost blinding. When we arrived back at our apartment and debriefed the story together, Tyson said “Morgan was praying for angels and then this bright light came and at first I thought it might be them!”
We said, “They very well could have been. God can send angels in any form.”
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