Yesterday turned out being much more eventful than we had
planned.
Our long-awaited trip to Indiana was finally here. We were
sad to leave Pennsylvania but excited for our next stage in life.
We BARELY fit our belongings into our Toyota Avalon (a small
miracle considering how much we had) and started off on what was to be a 9- or
10-hour drive.
THEN, in the middle of Ohio, near the hick-town of
Mansfield, as I was accelerating up a hill, I heard this TERRIBLE noise coming
from under the hood. Claire didn’t hear it right away (it wasn’t loud per se), but I knew it didn’t sound
right. Luckily, we were just at a rest stop, so we pulled off. Looking under
the hood we couldn’t see anything, and after calling my dad and talking to a
man at the rest stop we thought it was nothing important, perhaps a fan
vibrating or something in the tire. Getting back on the highway, however, it
got even worse, so we immediately got off the next exit. This time when we
looked under the hood the problem was obvious.
A spark plug blew– there it was lying, broken, on top of the
engine.
Two unkempt old men, one smoking a cigar, pulled up in an
old, oversized, wood-panel-side sedan, took a look at the engine and by their
reaction we knew it wasn’t good. They gave us a number of a local mechanic who
had a “Wrecker” (I found out that meant “tow truck,” a term which I much prefer
to “wrecker” when it’s picking up my car). No one answered the phone so they
offered to go find this mechanic themselves.
As we sat waiting it started pouring rain. With our car off
and the windows up we were just sweating in the heat of our car, fearing the
worst. On top of this I had a headache that felt like a migraine.
Finally the “wrecker” came and (long story short) after
assessing the situation we decided to be towed the whole way out to our final
destination rather than stay in hick-ville Mansfield till at least Tuesday when
shops opened again after Labor Day (it probably would have been a bit longer
since most mechanics are patriotic and don’t work on foreign cars). Cost of
tow: $550 (and he even gave us a deal!)
So, for the next three hours we rode with one of the most
colorful/crass men you’d ever meet (the kinda guy you might expect to drive a
“wrecker”) to Winona Lake. Since the cab of the truck only had 2 seats, Claire
and I had to share one. Not very conducive to butt comfort. On top of all of
this, I had to pee like my life depended on it, and my headache was getting
worse.
Finally we arrived, exhausted, and pretty much went right to
bed (after moving in a few things to our new apartment). The next morning I
woke up, the headache gone. You know what my first thought was?
I’m so blessed.
I don’t know why God allowed this whole fiasco to happen.
And I don’t even know how much it’ll be to fix the engine (and I’m pretty sure
it’ll be at least 500 dollars), but this doesn’t compare to all the blessings
I’ve received.
I have a family and a wife who love me.
We’ve been SOOO blessed financially this past year.
We’ve been so warmly welcomed out here in Winona Lake and we
LOVE our apartment.
We have a bright, if uncertain, future.
And most importantly, we are loved and forgiven by God.
Nothing else really matters much in comparison.
We ask for your prayers as we adjust to life out here, and
for minimal cost in fixing our engine. I hope to keep this blog more updated to
keep you all posted on our Indiana adventures!
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you
meet trials of various
kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And
let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking in nothing.
-James 1:2-4
