Surprised at the DMV

Who says, "Nothing good happens at the Department of Motor Vehicles"?

If you're like me you dread having to put together the necessary paperwork in order to get in line so that you can get a number to be in another line and wait...for a long time until some kind employee of the state looks at your paperwork only to tell you that you don't have what you need, and will have to return again with something else when you get it together.

Today I ventured out to obtain a Nevada state driver's license so that we can enroll our oldest son into school. Thankfully, in Nevada the person you encounter in the first line, who will give you a number for the next line, checks to see if you have your papers in order.

I didn't. One paper was missing an official seal. Another version of the same document had the seal, but wasn't an original. My third trip to the car to look through my medical file brought victory, though, and I was able to get into the second line.

Just then Angie called. She had finished grocery shopping earlier than expected and needed me to swing back by the store in order to take her and the children home before the frozen garlic bread cooked itself in the Nevada heat. No problem. With hours to wait I'd be able to make that trip and return to the DMV in no time. Problem. When I returned an hour later my number had been called just three minutes earlier. Thankfully, another citizen had left their upcoming number crumpled up on a counter top so I was able to use that without having to start completely over.

I would soon discover that God was at work. When I woke up I would not have expected to see God at work in the dreaded trip to DMV (except in the miracle of just getting through the ordeal). I would not have expected to see God answer a prayer request we've had for some time. But, God was at work.

Just after I took my seat I was joined by a young couple with their baby boy in his stroller. We began to chat. I learned that they are one of the many thousand families moving to Nevada this month. They moved to Vegas in order to begin teaching at the Andre Agassi College Prep Academy, a school that Andre began in order to reach out to at-risk youth in his native city. The answer to prayer came in discovering that this husband and father will be teaching African drums at the school, and at a community center on Sunday afternoons. He agreed to provide private lessons for our oldest. This has been one of our prayers, that we would find a percussion instructor.

We are praising our Lord for this connection, and praying that much more will come of it as we join the drum circle at the community center in a couple of weeks. Pray that many opportunities will open up for us to share the gospel to God-prepared hearts as we look to begin many new relationships in North Las Vegas.