With a car full of luggage and a caravan attached, we set off for a family camping trip during the recent school holidays.  As is custom each time we leave on a long trip, we prayed and asked God to look after us on our journey.

Port Augusta was our first stop for the night. As we neared the town, a very occasional flash of all the dash lights appeared and then disappeared.  As we left Port Augusta the next day, the same thing happened, but it became more frequent. I worked out that if I revved the car higher the dash lights would disappear, so I kept driving keeping the revs up high.   

My research suggested that the alternator may be dying, which would not be great in the middle of nowhere! We pulled into Kimba, a remote town which claims to be the centre of Australia from East to West.  They have a pink Big Galah, some beautify silo art and a handful of shops that all seemed to be closed.  The friendly man at the petrol station had a quick look under the bonnet and pointed in the direction of a large shed where I could get some country advice.  The guy in the shed sent me across town and down a dirt road to an auto-electrician who predominately worked on trucks.  As I entered his disorganised workshop, I held out little hope that he would be able to help us in our predicament. The gentleman came out and asked what I needed before disappearing out the back for a while. He returned with a brand-new alternator for my car.  How fortunate we were.

This is where I should have just fitted it then and there. I decided to try and drive the remaining 250km to the caravan park at Streaky Bay so the family would be more comfortable while I fixed the car. A dying alternator shouldn’t do too much harm I thought, so we continued our journey. 20 mins out from Streaky Bay my wife started to complain about a gas smell. It got stronger and stronger and smelt just like rotten eggs. I pulled the car over and looked under the bonnet only to discover that our car battery was swollen and venting acid out each side.  The dying alternator was over-charging the battery which caused all the problems.  The battery could have exploded or started a fire.  Fortunately, I had a second battery, so I prayed hard before lifting the bulging battery out of the car and swapping it with the good battery.  We drove slowly and carefully for the last 10 minutes to town, each of us hoping and praying that we would get their safely.

We arrived safely and thanked God for not only helping us get to our destination, but for keeping each of us safe along the way. How easy is it to forget on uneventful journeys that God is there with us?

God promises to be with us in Proverbs 3:26. It says “God will be right there with you; He’ll keep you safe and sound.” (Message Bible) 

 

Chaplain Phil