SS 15 “Mark the Mechanic”

This week, I shared an old but not forgotten Salvation Story with my son, who wasn’t born when this happened. I just wanted to make sure he’d heard it because it was so incredible and encouraging. I trust it will be for you as well. It still makes me laugh and always makes me smile long after I think about it.

Mark was married to a dear friend of mine whom I met while working in Prolife in Southeast Florida. At the time, she wasn’t married, but I knew she had given birth to a baby out of wedlock who was severely handicapped and was taken from her and put into care because she was a very young teenager.

We'd lost touch after I moved, but one day, Ariel showed up at the church we were attending in the Florida panhandle. It’s the same church that the dentist and his wife from Chapter 7, "My Boss & His Wife," were going to. When we met again, I was thrilled to see she had met a wonderful, loving, kind man who was not a believer. They’d had a little boy, and she was eager to tell me how Mark loved her daughter like she was his own. He'd applied to the courts to have her come and visit for weekends and loved caring for her. Naturally, I instantly fell in love with him as well because my sweet friend deserved such a kind husband.

On this particular day, Mark came over to our house after I called him about my van, which was not working. I described everything that it was doing, and he replied, “Erin, it doesn’t look good. Even though I haven’t seen it, I can tell you right now it’s the transmission that will need to be replaced.“ Mark then quoted me the approximate amount, which was thousands more than we had with four small children; one was our new baby girl.

Shortly after our conversation, one of his mechanics dropped Mark off so he could drive it to the station while the mechanic followed him in my van. What he didn’t know was that my van was anointed. It was a gift from my mother after I had cared for her when she had a severe fall while working. When she got the settlement, I was pregnant with my third son, and she bought the van for cash because she knew I wanted to fill it with children. And that's what I did—seven children and my mother spent many lovely times in this anointed gift!

Just as he was backing out, I called out, “Mark, stop!” He rolled down the window, and I said I needed to pray over the car that God would heal it. Mark laughed as always when I spoke like that and said calmly, “Erin, trust me. It’s a bit too late for God to heal it.” I assured him it never was too late. So I walked over and put my hands on the hood of the car as Mark sat there looking at me as I simply said, “God, please heal my car.“ Mark laughed again and then pulled away.

Less than an hour later, I got a phone call from Mark, who said, “So, something interesting…“ I shouted, “Oh my goodness, MARK!! GOD healed my car!! Right, isn’t that what you’re going to tell me?!” Mark stopped me and said, “No, no, God didn’t heal your car. Can you just let me finish?” I apologized and then listened, but I was giddy with excitement, knowing He had.

“So, as I was trying to say, when I asked our transmission mechanic to look at it, he agreed it needed a new transmission. But as I was walking away, he said, 'Mark, give me a second. I want to check something first.' A few minutes later, he came into the office and said it was fixed. The transmission mechanic said something told him "to check the brushings." The mechanic checked them, cleaned them, and then took it for another test drive and said, 'It’s running beautifully.'”

Again, I shouted, “MARK, God healed my car!!! You know He did!” But he kept explaining it away, and I sensed I needed to drop it. I’d played my small, insignificant role (because my Best Friend knows I love sitting in the front row and watching Him perform miracles). The next Sunday, I was literally seated in the front row, and when the altar call was given— I saw Mark walking down the aisle crying (and so was I)— especially after I turned around to see my sweet, dear friend, Ariel, weeping.

As with my dentist and his wife, that evening, shortly after the curtains opened, I saw Mark, dressed in a white gown, professing his faith as I watched him baptized.