This past weekend was eventful to say the least!

After living in our trailer full-time for a year, we have felt strongly that now’s the time to head to North Carolina. We’ve been spending time with family the past month, and on Friday we hit the road for a 4 day trip to North Carolina!

Or….. so we thought.

We drove a little over an hour, and as we were going up a hill, the truck pulling our fifth wheel suddenly blew a ton of black smoke and my husband heard a popping sound. Apparently the turbo charge clamp had blown off. I had to visit 3 different auto stores before finally finding the right part 2 ½ hours later, while my husband and little boys waited on the side of the freeway. Needless to say, this was definitely not the start of our epic trip I had planned. Little did I know that this same part would blow off 2 MORE TIMES, causing us to have to pull over each time. Luckily it didn’t need to be replaced each time, just screwed back on.

By this point, we were just trying to make some kind of progress, and we were pushing to get to Rock Springs, WY where we planned to stop for gas and food before continuing on our way. It was starting to get dark, and I realized the runner lights on the trailer were not working (which is illegal and highly dangerous). We figured a fuse had blown in the truck and so we spent more than 2 hours working through the truck fuses and trying everything else we could think of. At 11:30 p.m. we were finally ready to just call it quits and decided we would just pull over at the local Walmart so we could at least get some sleep and start again tomorrow.

Well as we loaded everyone up and were ready to take off for some much needed rest- the truck wouldn’t start.

I was losing it. This truck has never caused us issues, and then to have 3 separate issues in one day?? We had only made it about 3 hours away from our starting point, yet had been on the road all day! Because the truck wouldn’t start at all, we had to find a local motel and leave our truck and RV at the gas station. It was midnight and this was far from my ideal.

I was absolutely discouraged and overwhelmed. We felt like we were doing the right thing- so why was everything going so wrong?? My pregnant hormones were definitely not helping and I just sobbed and sobbed. I felt completely hopeless.

The next morning I texted my family and asked them to please join in prayer and fasting on our behalf. I needed to be uplifted, and we needed help.

That morning, a good man came by our truck while my husband was working on it and gave us the number of a local mobile mechanic. This mechanic helped us find a company that could tow our RV to a local RV park so we could have a place to sleep and he worked with us to get the truck diagnosed and the right part ordered. We would have to stay in town for a few days until the part arrived, but at least we could stay in our RV!

Sunday morning my family joined me for a fast and it is amazing how different I felt Sunday morning compared to Friday night. Sunday I felt completely at peace. We still didn’t have all the answers or even know when the part would arrive, but I didn’t feel alone. I felt that God was still watching out for us, was mindful of us, and I could feel His comforting Spirit.

I share this experience because it confirmed for me how spiritually powerful fasting can be. Fasting is the act of going without food and water for 24 hours, and praying for something while doing so. As my family and I joined together in our fast, I could feel how much God loves me. Even with all the obstacles, I knew without a doubt that Heavenly Father loves me and has a plan for me and my family. I felt the peace that we can only feel through our Savior, Jesus Christ. And I’m so grateful for the comforting Spirit I received! My hope was renewed, my faith restored, and I’m ready to continue onward, whatever obstacles may occur.

I have a testimony that fasting and prayer are real and they work. We have a Heavenly Father who loves each of us- we are each a beloved child of God, and He is so aware of the details of our lives. We can turn to Him when we feel hopeless, depressed, discouraged, overwhelmed, and He can help us feel comfort and peace. I am so grateful to know that He lives!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com