When we prayed for divine protection for our 550 mile drive through the night to surprise my mom with a visit, we never guessed that the divine protection would include being pulled over in the first ½ mile of our trip, when we weren’t even on the freeway yet. Oh, did I mention that within seconds of being pulled over, we were swarmed by 3 (yes, three!) back up cops? There were 4 police cars (one was a huge SUV of some sort that looked even more impressive than the cars), and 4 cops circling our little 1990 Camry with untinted windows. What must onlookers have thought?
It turns out that the previous owner once reported the plates as stolen, then found them and put them right back on. The DMV never thought it was important to tell us this when we transferred the title or paid our registration. The cops, however, thought it was very important. Apparently when they come upon a vehicle with stolen plates, there is usually a hardened felon inside. The standard procedure? Call for lots of backup (no. kidding.) and order the occupants out of the car and to the ground at gunpoint!
The divine protection came in the form of some very nice sheriffs who 1)saw the toddler in a car seat and a couple of dumbfounded parents, 2)forewent the gunpoint removal from our car, and 3)even helped us out with tons of advice and a business card/badge number should we be pulled over again during our road trip. They even let us know that if we took the plates off right then, we might be pulled over, but at least not likely dragged from the car with guns at our heads while Pink looks on.
See? Divine protection in the form of a swarm of cops ready to defend themselves against an unassuming family trying to surprise Grammy with a visit for the weekend. And somehow, in over 1,100 miles along California freeways, some of which are famous for having 6-10 CHP staked-out, looking for a “kill,” we were never stopped again the whole trip. God is seriously creative.
Need I add that Beloved is headed straight to the DMV after work to insist we receive new plates? Um, yes, we will be following those nice sheriffs' advice.
6 comments:
Oh my word!! Really! I'm sure it was SO not funny at the time- but what a great story. Wow! You poor things...I'm glad they decided to forgo the gunpoint part. Glad you're home safe! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. :)
good grief!!! you can't make that stuff up!!
glad you're okay!
No, you definitely can't make this stuff up! And to be perfectly honest, it was kind of funny at that time. Ludicrous, but funny, as I was shushing Pink and telling her that the nice officers were helping us.
WOW- I am so glad that this story had a happy ending and God was watching out for you! I had no idea that stolen plates would get that kind of reaction.
Beloved says I exaggerated, so I'm officially clearing up the record.
We wouldn't have been "dragged" from the car at gunpoint. We would merely have been "ordered" from the car at gunpoint. There you have it; the rest you can take to the bank.
I call getting out of a car with your precious little one at gun point "dragged."
What an adventure! I would've been anxious for the entire drive license plate or no!
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