An Oklahoma Sleepover

I'm learning that the most challenging things are usually the most beautiful.

I packed up my car 103% full of clothes, food, shampoo, toilet paper, cash, water bottles, etc. from friends/strangers of my Alabama community and myself. I mapquested Oklahoma City, OK from Auburn, AL and wrote down the directions on a purple piece of construction paper with a silver sharpie.

I left around 3:42 am and drove into OKC about 6:30 pm. Something about road trips by myself is my favorite. I loveeee the solitude and intimate time with Jesus. When I got a couple hours from OKC my heart started to freak out. It began to hit me that I had NO idea what I was gonna do once I got there, where I would be staying, or who I'd be connecting with.

The whole time on the road, all those worries were in the back of my mind. Funny enough, God kept sending me reminders along the way. The words "Trust Jesus" were spray painted on the overpass and the random gas station lady told me: "Trust and follow Jesus". Even if I forget to remind myself of the truth, God will remind me through any other means necessary. 

Something happened once reality set in of all the unknown two hours in front of me: I NEEDED God.
My heartbeat increased like a stampede of the buffalo in view from my windows. I began to pray. But not like a "I need to set aside time and talk to Jesus about my day and the things going on in my life and try not to get distracted as I do so" kind of prayer... But intentional and incessant pleas for provision.

"I know that You will provide exactly WHAT I need, WHEN I need it." I kept saying that over and over again no matter how much my feelings disagreed. Despite my exploding nerves as I drove in solitude, I had so much PEACE. I couldn't figure out why. But now, looking back, I see it was because as I prayed in desperation, I was closer to God than ever before. The closer I am to Him, the more I experience what He is: Peace (The opposite of worry).

Little did I know that arriving in OKC was just the beginning of that desperation. Getting ANYWHERE was a process, a detour, and an inconvenience. I stopped just about everywhere for directions, help, a connection, or some kind of answer... The whole time praying: God, you brought me here, please give me what I need, when I need it. Churches, Starbucks, hotels, Schools.. anytime I thought an answer was there, it fell through.

When I drove on the overpass and saw the destruction to my left and to my right, it felt anything but real. Then I prayed that dangerous prayer: "God, break my heart for these people who have lost so much; let me take some of their burden." Funny how He does indeed answer our prayers.

It was almost midnight and I was beyond discouraged, exhausted, and ready to give up. Literally EVERY hotel in the area was completely full because of the tornadoes. (Except for ONE super sketch Motel 6 that was covered in drunk men with white vans). The last one I tried was La Quinta Inn.

They too were full, but the lady at the front desk was working that time by no mistake. I think she noticed my makeup smeared eyes from tears and overall defeated exterior. I finally decided the only option was to sleep in my car. Linda had a raspy voice that broke into laughter at the end of every single sentence. I loved that. She gave me a big hug and told me that some of the best nights of her life were spent sleeping in her car, so I should be excited for the adventure. She showed me exactly where to park my car where it wouldn't get towed, led me to a big bathroom to get ready for bed, and told me when Continental breakfast took place and to help myself. She walked me outside and asked for me to join her on her smoke break for a bit. We talked about life and laughed a lot.

I told her about what I prayed upon arrival and we laughed together as we both quickly realized that God definitely answered my prayer in a way that I wasn't quite ready for. I told her about Jesus and how much He changed my life. She encouraged me so much and I immediately realized God's purpose in it all.

I crawled in my backseat surrounded by trash bags of clothes and bananas. Covered in the residue of road trip grime, I made a bed out of the clothes I had packed. I got out my journal and Bible and began to have some of the best time with The Lord I ever have. He really had turned my sobbing into laughing. I had so much joy that I couldn't stop thanking Him for the crazy and exhausting journey so far. It was the best sleepover I'd ever had.

I fell asleep surprisingly quick on my pillow made of hoodies, but woke up with a loud pounding on my car. It was hailing so hard that I was nervous my sunroof would shatter. The sky was that freakish orange color and thunder and lightning were crashing all around me. My car was vigorously shaking in the wind and I could literally see a destroyed neighborhood across the highway in front of me. My phone only had 7% power so I called my dad in a frantic tear fest asking him to check the weather in Moore, OK as fast as he could. He said no tornado warnings but that a pretty nasty storm was definitely in the area. YA THINK DAD???

I felt relief knowing that a tornado was not on the ground, but was still pretty terrified sitting in my car with an almost dead phone in the middle of tornado alley. Once again, I began to pray. I opened my Bible and the page fell on Psalm 103.

13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
    tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows how weak we are;
    he remembers we are only dust.
¹⁵ Our days on earth are like grass;
    like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
¹⁶ The wind blows, and we are gone—
    as though we had never been here.
¹⁷ But the love of the Lord remains forever
    with those who fear him.

 I clutched my Bible against my chest and held onto those verses with it as I lay back down asking God to keep me safe. The sun eventually rose, the sky cleared, and I heard birds singing and it was the best sound on the planet. I couldn't help but smile and laugh as I thought about the night before. God DID provide everything I needed. He provided exactly what I asked for: to break my heart for the people who lost their homes. I only experienced a tiny taste of losing a home and fearing a storm, but I experienced something even better: Reliance on Jesus, time with Him, laughter with Him, sobbing with Him, and at every single stop I made, God sent me a stranger that needed hope.

Our journey walking with The Lord never goes quite how we plan, but it always goes the way that He planned. He knew that on June 4th, 2013 I would be having a sleepover with Him in my car eating chocolate animal crackers, laughing hysterically, crying incessantly, and He knew THAT would be the day He captivated my heart even more.