We had spent a lovely day in the sun and sand at Isla Mujeres just off the coastline of Cancun. As we got off the ferry we were anxious to get back to the car and into some air conditioning. Because although we love our time in the sun there is also something to be said for that shock of cool dry air when it hits you through the vents of a car. It's like a bit of relief from the monotonous screaming sun rays. When we got to the end of the boat ramp we waited as Chris looked for the keys. After a few minutes of searching he declared to all of us that they weren't there. As he ran back onto the ferry to look around I ran out to the parking lot to catch Ross and Nora and let them know what was going on. We didn't want to be stuck there without them not knowing where we were. We did not have use of our cell phones there in Mexico so it would be very difficult to get in touch with them. I managed to catch them before they left and they were able to take the girls with them back to the hotel. They also left Carmen's cell phone with us so that we could get in touch with them if we needed to.
With a sigh of relief that the girls were being taken care of I headed back towards the ferry to see if Chris had had any luck finding the keys. He hadn't. I looked through his backpack in hopes that I would find what he had missed. Nothing. We thought back through the events of the day trying to remember when they possibly could have fallen out. We remembered a time on the beach when Chris went to put something in his backpack and decided that was when it happened. The problem was that it was a 45 minute ferry ride over to the island and there would not be another one leaving that day.
Chris decided to go out to the parking lot and look through the windows of the car to see if they were in the ignition, on a seat, somewhere. As he went to the car I sat next to the beach and prayed. I asked Heavenly Father to help us. To help us find the keys if it was at all possible. I told him that it would be very difficult to get the rental company to help us since they were difficult to rent from in the first place. That I knew they would charge us the $500 deposit they insisted we put on our credit card before we could rent the car. I asked the Lord for help in helping us solve this problem we had. And I ended the prayer in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I opened my eyes and Chris was walking swiftly towards me. I could feel that he had some good news although I wasn't sure what it was. He told me that he had tried the doors of the car and that the car was unlocked but that the keys were not inside. Although our problem wasn't solved I felt for some reason that we were closer. I mean, hey, we got inside the car. I also thought it was interesting that the car wasn't locked because Chris never forgets to lock the car, never.
So as Chris reaches me at the beach he tells me what he has discovered and asks me to come look inside also in case he missed anything. I go and start looking in every nook and cranny possible. As I'm doing this Chris walks around to the back of the car. About a minute later he says, "hey, darilyn, guess what I found?" And he shows me the keys in his hand.
We had learned when we first rented the car that there was no way to open the trunk from the inside of the car like there is on most cars nowadays. But for some reason Chris felt prompted to walk back to the trunk and lift up on it. It came open and there sitting all by itself in the middle of the trunk were the keys. It was a miracle!
I immediately bowed my head and thanked my Heavenly Father for his mindfulness of us and for his help in finding the lost keys. Then we called Ross to let them know that we were on our way.
That miracle as we would soon find out, ended up being an even bigger showing of the Lord's hand in our life.
The next morning as we went to get into the car for our day's adventure Chris wanted to show the girls about how the trunk would open by just lifting up on it. He went to open it and it was locked tight. Then as I approached I tried the same thing, nothing.
It was then that we realized that indeed we had not been given a car with a faulty trunk but that we had been witnesses and recipients of the Lord's hand in our lives.
Miracles really do happen in this day and age.
I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who knew that we needed help and was able to help us. This experience strengthened my testimony that he is aware of each of His children and loves each of us deeply. I am grateful that I was taught at a young age to call upon the powers of heaven through prayer and that I have a husband who is worthy of the priesthood he bears and able to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
