On my way home today I saw a truck pulled over and a woman walking away from the truck. Then there was smoke and moments later, flames under her truck.
She was on her cell to the NM State Police and her family as I walked up to her. In tears, she told me her truck lost power and started smoking. In her utter panic, she told me she is a teacher’s aide, has five children – one of which is autistic, and has a disabled husband. She was en route to one of her children’s sporting events some sixty miles away. She was so distraught – as any of us would be while watching our automobile go up in flames. My concern was for her to realize “it is just a truck, you are safe and unharmed.” Another concern was for a forest fire to erupt as a result of her exploding truck.
As we waited for the fire department and police to arrive she said, “This is going to be trouble. My drivers’ license is suspended. I didn’t pay a ticket because I didn’t have any money.” She looked at me through tears and with such intense desperation. I told her, “Tell the truth – don’t hold back anything.” I hugged her, and then asked if she believed in God. She said she did. So I asked her if she wanted me to pray with her. Oh, was she happy. So we hugged and I prayed saying Jesus knows her, knows her situation and predicament – to help her to thoroughly tell the truth and asked Him to help her through paying the consequences of some difficult decisions and actions.
We then waited … the police came, got her information and she told them the truth – Thank You Jesus! In time they realized there was an outstanding bench warrant for her arrest for failure to pay her fine and appear in court. Her fine was $500, the failure to appear was $308. The tow truck operator added insult to injury by saying he required cash to tow her truck “wherever she wanted.” It was awful and getting worse. She had no money and had no way of getting any money.
Eventually they arrested her – handcuffs and all. But they did let her alert her family to come to her rescue. The last thing I heard her say to her children on the phone was, “We will pick you up after the game. Mommy is all right, everything is all right.” It is my prayer that she was able to do just that and that she will, in fact, be all right – that she will be given a way to pay her fines and find some encouragement through a reminder that God is with us through the most pressing circumstances.
Her name is Elaine Baca. She endured some very difficult trials today. Please join me in prayer for this woman. She is carrying a load of burdens. That she may turn her eyes upon Jesus is my prayer.