“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Heb. 1:14
We had not expected to meet an “angel” the morning we left for Austria. As Americans living in Czechia, it seemed like we were always going to the government visa office to renew our permit so that we could legally stay in the country. We’d bundled the baby in warm clothing and tucked her in the car seat covering her with blankets. It was winter and snow blanketed the rolling hills and fields all around us.
We lived in a small town in Vysocina known as the Czech highlands. Our drive to Vienna would take about 5 hours but with the baby, we gave ourselves plenty of margin to be at the Czech embassy by 9. The law required that applications for visas be made outside of the country and our best option was the embassy in Vienna.
We had just started up a hill in the dark cold night when suddenly we heard something pop and came to an abrupt halt. My husband went to look at the damage and told me we had a flat tire but not to worry because we had a spare and he would take care of it.
I stayed close to the baby and after a while, Jimmie came back into the van and sighed. He could not get the lugnut off the wheel. He did not have the right wrench to do it. It was the early years of our time in Czechia and we struggled not only with the language but having all the necessary tools.
Angel on the snowy hills of Visocina
So there we were in the middle of nowhere with not a soul in sight. If we did not get moving soon, we’d miss our appointment and we’d jeopardize our visa renewal. I’d like to think that at this point we prayed and I’m sure my husband must have prayed because he is always praying.
Jimmie went back out again to see if he could get the tire off. A few minutes later, a car pulls up behind us and even though Jimmie can’t speak the Czech language, he shows the older man our problem. Turns out he had just the tool we needed!
Before long, we were headed down road thankful that God had sent that man at the right time just when we needed him — around 3 am. Most everyone who’s gone to Czech will tell you that in general Czechs are reserved especially the older generation. But this man was kind enough to pull over and offer his help.
We made it to Vienna in the nick of time and once again our visas were renewed by the grace of God.
Another angel?
Years later, another similar incident happened during wintertime except this time we were in the city. I was driving home in the evening with one of the kids in our small Skoda (a Czech make) when our car skidded on black ice right up onto the curb hitting the bushes.
I was stuck and could not move. Onlookers in cars stared at us and kept on moving. I thought eventually the police would come and aid us. Suddenly, an elderly man who was walking on the sidewalk came over and tried to push the car back onto the road but it was no use. I gave him the car keys and he tried to no avail. Maybe it was the sight of an elderly man stuck that prompted three young men to pull over.
In less than a minute the car was unstuck. After thanking them all, I got in the car and looked for the elderly man who I assumed had continued his walk but he was nowhere to be seen. He simply disappeared into the night and I wondered if God had once again sent us an angel. But in all likelihood, they were probably just ordinary people God used to help us, but then again only in heaven will we really know.
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