A Divine Appointment with an Angel
Aka, The Northwoods Good Samaritan.
This story is near and dear to my heart, and I make a point to share it almost every December.
Back in December of 2001, on the icy, snow-covered roads near Hayward, Wisconsin, a young mom with her preschool children in the family car was heading home to the nearby town of Drummond. She spotted an older man with his car's hood up along the side of the road.
It was a typical bitterly cold December day, but despite having her young kids with her, she felt compelled to stop and see if she could help.
As she pulled over, the old man approached her car. She cautiously locks her doors and rolls down her window slightly to ask if she could help. The old man does not speak, tries to open the door, then reaches inside his coat, making her more than a little uneasy.
The old man pulled out a small keyboard from his jacket and played a pre-typed message explaining that he had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and couldn't speak. He then typed that he needed a ride into town. The young woman opened her car door for this stranger and drove him home.
This old man was my father, Walter Larson, and the young woman was Jen Herricks — the Good Samaritan of Northern Wisconsin 2001.
I wonder how many cars drove by before Jen stopped. How many macho Northwoods guys in their 4x4 trucks zoomed past, too busy to help an old man stranded in the cold? Maybe none, or perhaps many, but it doesn't matter — my dad was cared for by someone with a warm car full of her kids, and a kind heart.
Jen later told my mom she thought my dad was an angel. Hmmm, a good guy for sure, but an angel?
Maybe an angel was standing alongside my dad that cold December day. Or perhaps it was the peace Dad demonstrated just months before passing on to Heaven. Either way, this was undoubtedly a divine appointment for my dad with an angel named Jen.
I love the Gospel passage in Matthew 25:35-40: “You fed me when I was hungry, you clothed me when I was naked.” If the Gospels were in December 2001, they would add, “You gave me a ride when I was an old man with a broken car on a winter road in Wisconsin. When you do this for the least of my people, you do it for me.”
So, Jen gives my dad a ride home. He offers her money; she refuses. They go their separate ways. Nice story, but...
IT’S NOT OVER!
A few weeks later, my folks received a Christmas card from Jen, wishing them the best and praying for them. A nice touch, but again... This story IT’S NOT OVER!
Just a couple of short months later, my dad passed away from his battle with ALS. The funeral was a celebration of the good man my dad was and his reward in Heaven. IRONY— or PROVIDENCE — has it that Jen and her family began attending my mom and dad's church in Cable, Wisconsin around the same time without realizing the connection. After a short time, Jen discovered my mom attended the same church. They reunited and became friends... great friends.
When Jen came to visit Mom,
it was with hugs and kisses reserved for family. Her kids called her Grandma Nell. This friendship gave Jen a seasoned Christian woman to talk to, and Mom’s companionship with a young woman growing in passion for God.
Even after Jen's family moved
70 miles away, their friendship continued. Then, a few years later, my mom moved 150 miles to Minnesota, where my family could better care for her. But their friendship didn't miss a beat. Jen would plan weekend visits, bringing her kids for sleepovers filled with board games where everyone joined in.
My mom passed away in December 2016, but you can't take away the blessing of their friendship, sparked when my dad's car broke down 15 years earlier.
Today, Jen and her husband, Todd, serve the Lord in Uganda with their ministry, 'Woven2gether'.
Serving expecting mothers, values the born and preborn, and builds strong families while sharing the Gospel.
Note: In December 2022, Jen and Todd adopted Caleb Kica Herricks while serving in Uganda!
Thank you, Jen and Todd. May God bless and use you both in ways beyond your dreams.
And I'm sure as I end this blog... this story IT’S NOT OVER!
Blessings, Jeff
Please share in the COMMENT SECTION below YOUR STORY where God has blessed you with unexpected friendships.
