How God sends his angels

I was going out to a friends dinner invite on one December evening. However, when I went to start the car, the battery was dead.

I called CAA and an automated message said, that due to high call volumes, it will take a long time to respond. Also, priorities are given for those on the highway or pets locked in the car etc… Those were heavy snow days, and CAA was busy with clearing up vehicles, which needed immediate assistance.

So I pressed 2 (if your car is at home) and the message was "we are unable to service your request as our priorities are for those in danger or on the highway, however, you may contact another service agency and then claim the fees."

That was a disappointment, but I asked the Lord to help me and send his angels.

I wondered whom to contact now as an alternative. My friend suggested to get a neighbour to give a boost, but at the time there was nobody around.

So I decided to call CAA again. The system checked my car model and returned with "Sorry we can only do a boost but cannot replace the battery, do you want that?" Wow, something better than nothing. "YES!"

The estimated wait time was 20 minutes, but within 10 minutes I got a call from CAA telling me he is already downstairs. I thought he was outside security, so I said I’m coming down to let him in. To my surprise he was past security, right at my building door. He also had a smaller vehicle which made it easier to enter the underground parking where my vehicle was.

I realized later that the weather was not as bad as I imagined, and there were actually no highway jams or emergencies that I knew of or heard over the radio. It's possible that the computerized message was simply not updated due to the holidays.

Anyway to get back to CAA, when we drove underground and he looked at the battery, it was covered with battery acid. Told me it was eight years old, hence the leak. He tried to clean it but the screw holding it had dissolved. Then he gave the battery a boost, but it did not respond. He concluded that the battery is dead and that I needed a new one. I asked him if he had them with him. He said “Yes we do”.

(Remember the computer message saying, we won’t be able to do a new battery… hmm…)

He said yes we do and surprisingly it was brand new and for the model of my car. He installed it, did all the diagnostics, and said “You are good to go.” He was a real angel and very kind, even cleaned around the battery area.

I recollected this entire episode from the first call to the last fix and can only conclude that it was none other than God sending his angel despite all odds.

But the story continues…

I needed a special screw and nut to hold down the battery, and though the guy had one, it was not the right size. So he asked me to get one, sooner rather than later.

After two days, I purchased one from Canadian Tire, but when I tried to fix it to the battery, it was too short. So I had to return it to the store and then look for another one that would fit.

I was wondering where to look next.

As I was waiting to return it, I saw a familiar face in line. I approached him and said, "seems like I’ve seen you before". He looked a bit puzzled and said, "No, I don’t think so". Then it clicked. He was the same guy who installed the battery.

I got an opportunity to ask him, where else I could find that particular screw and nut. He gave me a few options.

What are the odds I would meet him in line after two days? That was God’s angel again.