For simplicity I’ll break this up into a few sections, namely: The Flight Home, The Rescue/Stimulus Package, The Rescue Package for the Rescue/Stimulus Package.

My flight home was fine but Brandon could not take me home so it ended up in an adventure, read on for more.

The Flight Home

My flight home on the Virgin Blue E190 was long and unstimulated. The flight was delayed 45 minutes or so because of luggage rubbish, but luckily I landed back in Brisbane just before the big electrical storm hit.

After I landed I quickly called Brandon my housemate who was going to take me home as he works in Brisbane, but he got distracted by his Sunshine Coast bound girlfriend and would not be driving south tonight. Girlfriends are cool … and distracting lol.

I had $5 to my name after a big weekend in Townsville and got a little worried about how I might get home. I considered jumping the train but got all convicted about breaking the law.

The Resuce/Stimulus Package

So Ash, the other housemate and good mate comes to my rescue, albeit 3 hours later. His arrival is marred by Gateway traffic and a lack of change for the Gateway Toll Booth so he travels through the inner city bypass and roadworks send him astray and he ends up lost. Eventually he reaches Brisbane Domestic Terminal and rescues me from the cold wet confines of the pickup/dropoff zone.

Ash and I are both exhausted and hungry at this point, food and home is on our minds as we go through the toll booth with my remaining pocket change completing the transaction.

The toll booth is still in the rear mirror as the engine makes the sounds no man wants to hear on a 100 km/hr motorway with no side roads or any room to pull over  on either side of the road. The fuel tank is empty.

[caption id=“attachment_236” align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“Empty Tank Light - Don't Ignore it Boys”]Empty Tank Light - Don't Ignore it Boys[/caption]

The Resuce Package for the Rescue/Stimulus Package

My mind jumps into problem solving mode. By this time we are rolling at about 40 km/hr with the hazard lights on, nowhere to put the car, there is only lanes at this point. The toll booth is too far back, semi trailers are speeding past at a frightening speed.

At around 30km/hr I jump out of the passenger seat and run to the back of the car to start pushing it uphill while it still has momentum. The storm has not completely passed by this point, the raining is falling heavily and cars and trucks are speeding past frightening the life out of me. Thankfully Ash was already in the left hand lane out of at least three lanes. We push the car under the Lytton Road bypass and the Port of Brisbane Motorway onramp to the Gateway is a few hundred meters ahead of us. [Google Map].

My brain spends the whole time trying to figure out how I could get out of doing this, which thankfully kept it distracted from the onslaught of traffic which I was certain would be the end of us.

[caption id=“attachment_237” align=“aligncenter” width=“480” caption=“We found refuge under the Port of Brisbane Motorway onramp to the Gateway Motorway”]We found refuge under the Port of Brisbane Motorway onramp to the Gateway Motorway[/caption]

Ash successfully parks the car in a moderately safe zone and also proves he is a scout at heart. He had a fuel tin in the boot ready for an occasion just like this.

So we get out Google Maps on the iPhone and find the nearest service station is apparently only 500m away (it turns out to be about 2km on the offramp to Wyndham).

[caption id=“attachment_238” align=“aligncenter” width=“384” caption=“The walk to Wyndham Shell Service Station”]The walk to Wyndham[/caption]

[caption id=“attachment_239” align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“We followed signs …. and wonders”]We followed signs .... and wonders :P[/caption]

Ash and I discussed what we could learn from this …. at first we thought God might want to bless everyone driving on the Motorway with a good laugh for the night or maybe he was going to put us into some weird yet wonderful situation where we could shine and be awesome!

[caption id=“attachment_240” align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“Service Station found! Yay for Google Maps”]Service Station found! Yay for Google Maps[/caption]

But we soon found there were lessons of trust to be learnt, to not trust in our money, our experiences or other housemates but to trust in God and God only, not even Google or Michelle Poulsen (ed: haha) …. we saw an ambulance along the way and we realised we weren’t really that poor or suffering, others were worse off than us tonight. Our leather shoes were well shaped to our feet now, the clothes we were wearing were cleaner … plus Ash and I have a better heterosexual relationship now.

[caption id=“attachment_241” align=“aligncenter” width=“276” caption=“Filling the Jerry Can … fuel was under $1 tonight!”]Filling the Jerry Can ... fuel was under $1 tonight![/caption]

[caption id=“attachment_243” align=“aligncenter” width=“480” caption=“Mark 9:41: I tell you with certainty, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to the Messiah will never lose his reward …. There you go Indian Shell boy … never lose your reward! .. oh, thank you!”]Mark 9:41: I tell you with certainty, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to the Messiah will never lose his reward .... There you go Indian Shell boy ... never lose your reward![/caption]

Good thing the rain stopped as we got back towards the car …. would’ve hated to have gotten wet then …..

Ash proves once more that he is ready for any fuel disaster by showing off his fancy funnel and coke bottle contraption.

[caption id=“attachment_242” align=“aligncenter” width=“300” caption=“Fancy fuel thingy”]Fancy fuel thingy[/caption]

[caption id=“attachment_244” align=“aligncenter” width=“480” caption=“Mission Complete … fuel enters the car … lets go home!”]Mission Complete ... fuel enters the car ... lets go home![/caption]

God is a bit of an expert at making good things out of crap things. By 10pm Ash and I were home, dry, with some home made Ash Punch special Spaghetti Bolegnaise and a DVD spinning in the Playstation 2.

What did we learn …. heaps …. but most of all …. quit worrying and trust in God. It’s an age old message that gets thrown around like fat on a butcher shop floor, but it is the truth, it is a principle to living life on earth. Anything else that challenges that statement falls over everytime. Trusting in God is not a fancy saying that goes in books or on the bumper stickers on cars, but it’s an ever present eternal truth.

Trust in God. That is all.