This was the day I had been looking forward to for the past year. Everything I’ve been focusing on and working towards. But it seemed like the enemy was doing everything he could to keep me from getting here.
Because we’re still in a worldwide pandemic (in case you forgot), we were required to get a Covid test within 7 days prior to arriving at Launch. I was tested on Monday, needing to get my results by Friday. (They said I’d hear back in 2-5 days, so I figured that would be plenty of time.)
Well, Friday came and still no word. I had driven to Atlanta the day before to pick up my squadmate, Alayna, at the airport. She spent the night with me and the plan was that she would ride down to Gainesville with us. Starting around noon, I began calling DHEC (SC’s health department) to try and get some answers. Out of about 30 calls (seriously), I got an actual person twice. Every other time the call would drop or I would get a message saying the inbox was full and to call back. Thankfully, one of the women I spoke to was able to help. She offered to call the DHEC office I visited to see if I would be able to pick up my results in person instead of waiting on an email and then call me back with an update.
One hour went by… After waiting for almost two hours, I still had not gotten a call back. My mom tried calling, I tried calling, and no response. We finally had to leave and at least get Alayna to Launch, since she had her test results and was still needing to be there between 4:00 and 5:00 PM. I had been told that, per Covid guidelines, I was not able to launch with my squad until I had written documentation of a negative test. We started driving the two hours to Gainesville and about 1 hour in, at 4:00, I received a call that my test results were available at the office in Pickens. We quickly turned around and started backtracking, trying to get home before the office closed at 5:00.
With about 10 minutes to spare, we pulled into the DHEC parking lot and I was able to get my proof of negative test results (all the years of Dad watching NASCAR finally paid off!) We made a quick pit stop at the house to grab a bite, let the dogs out, and grab the forms I realized I also was missing (whoops lol). As we started back down the road, behind schedule but with everything required, we discussed the Lord’s perfect timing. Was it a stressful day? Yes. Was I ready to give up hope? Also yes. But, I realized that God gave me extra time with my parents that I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten. Alayna got to ride around most of upstate SC and hear about our history and culture. We drove through Clemson University and talked about the religion of college football. She got her first taste of Firehouse Subs when we stopped for dinner. We discussed all the things that are so uniquely Pickens County that I love so so much, and made plans for Alayna to come back for a longer visit once we return from the Race.
Maybe the delay in my test results was the Lord redirecting us to avoid a wreck or some other disaster. Or maybe he just knew we would need that extra time together before I launched. Either way, I got to see God’s faithfulness and perfect timing in a time I least expected it. I got to share in His goodness with my family and make a very special memory together.
