What Just Happened?

Yesterday I was sick all day with some kind of stomach bug. YUCK! My mom and I both had it and knew if it persisted through today neither of us would get to go to church. Thankfully, we both woke up feeling much better, not 100%, but able to put on a dress and sit for three hours.

I got up early, prayed, got ready, and went to pick up my kids. We went to church and had a nice time. It's fast Sunday, so we got to hear a bunch of testimonies. I enjoyed it a lot. I taught the lesson in CTR 4 about knowing that Jesus Loves Me, and each one of us. Before I started I took the opportunity to share my testimony with my class. I testified of the power of prayer and the truth that God is there and hears us. He inspires us. He wants to help us. I told them about an experience I had yesterday with my cousin. She has been visiting for a little while and yesterday she was flying to California for a job. It was about a half an hour before she was supposed to leave and she could not find her phone. We looked everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE! and it was no where to be found. Finally, my mom said, "okay, we've put in our effort, it's time to pray." She prayed and as soon as she was done, my dad saw my cousins bag on the floor and suggested we check it. She had already checked there, but she did, and pulled out her phone! 

God answers prayers.

After church we walked outside around the building to our car. We got in and buckled. Part of Eva's buckle was bothering her so I pulled into a space by the exit of the church parking lot to adjust it for her. I got back in and slowly backed up, waiting for other cars around me. I went to the driveway and I was going to turn left, so I could drive down the street I live on, but then I had the thought, I should just go out to Lindsay, I need to take my kids back to their father right now anyway. 

So I turned right. 

I stopped at the light, glanced right, looked left. Traffic was clear so I proceeded to turn right. Then a loud sound happened and a guy was rolling off the hood of my car. He was yelling and swearing, and I felt terrible! I got out, and already Brother Clouse was there, taking care of the guy, calming me down, and directing me where to move my car. Other loving ward members came to take care of me. People who witnessed the accident reassured me that it wasn't my fault. The guy dislocated his shoulder and was taken away in an ambulance. He was walking and was shaken up. He also had a backpack with him that the officers went through, finding at least a couple of women's wallets/purses. I know I heard the officers saying they were going to run the bike through their system.

The guy got a ticket for riding his bike on the wrong side of the street. I did not get a ticket for anything. The officer told us (me, and the small group of people who stayed with me), that I did nothing wrong and that I didn't hurt him, he hurt himself. 

I know it's terrible, but I feel like I was supposed to turn that way at that time. Even though it wasn't habit. Normally, I would have gone a different way, but this time I turned right, and stopped someone who likely had stolen from others. I hope he's okay, and I hope this is the end of it for me. But I also hope that the valuables that were found in his backpack get back to their rightful owners. I didn't want to help catch a bad guy. But I wasn't going very fast. 

While it was traumatic for all involved, hopefully it will turn out to be a blessing. The sisters who stayed with me told me I can use this experience as a teaching example. Why we should follow traffic laws. Why we should wear a helmet. But I also think it will be helpful to illustrate these principles on a spiritual level. Why we need to put on the armor of God and follow the commandments. 

Why we need to choose the right.