God Will Make A Way

The weekend of June 25th Joel made his 3rd trip to Montana.  He was SO EXCITED to have his Dad be the one joining him that trip, but earlier in the week his Dad slipped a disk in his back and so was unable to go. Very sad.  The request was made for another traveling partner and our good friend and neighbor, Tony, came through!!   The trip was a struggle from the start.  The load was heavy and the truck (albeit an F350) was definitely feeling the strain.  About 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, the truck began spewing white smoke and Joel and Tony immediately exited the interstate and the truck died.  Died right there in New Salem, ND.  If you know anything about North Dakota, you know that there is pretty much nothing, pretty much everywhere. But thanks be to God!  In New Salem there was a gas station, a small cafe, and a very LARGE Holstein on the hill to look at for entertainment.

Joel was beginning to panic after calling a couple Montana connections and not being able to reach them.  Tony (who turned out to the be the PERFECT traveling companion because of this) calmly stated, "It's a beautiful day, there's nothing we can do about this right now, but what we can do is get a cup of coffee and sit here on the back of the truck and enjoy the day."  So that's what they did!!

Tony just enjoying a day in North Dakota!!

And I called a rancher by the name of Donny and explained our plight. He told me to call the boys and let them know he would be there in about 3 hours.  Because you see, they were still 200 miles from our home!!  Donny drove 3 hours to pick them up and hauled our trailer with his truck to our house and let the exhausted boys doze as he drove 3 hours back.  He had his wife pick him up at our house and told Joel to use his pickup for the remaining days.  The next day Joel and Tony unloaded our flatbed and headed back 3 hours to New Salem where they loaded our truck with a chain and binders.  After an hour and a half of work, they had the truck halfway up.  That's when a "good samaritan" stopped and pulled the truck up the rest of the way using a series of chains and his truck.

Joel and our "good samaritan"

A sad day for Ford lovers!

Then the boys headed home and dropped the truck off at the Ford dealership.  Donny had been busy thinking while they were gone.  He told Joel that he had a semi that he wasn't going to be using until fall. He told Joel to take THAT home to bring the rest of his equipment out. When Joel protested that he actually had 2 more trips, Donny replied, "I know that.  Get your stuff out here right!!"  So once again God provided above all that we could have asked or imagined.  When there seemed to be no way, He once again stepped in and made a way better then what we could have made for ourselves!!

***I almost forgot the best part!!  Joel and Tony were sure that the head gasket had blown and we were told that when that happens it often ruins the engine.  We felt certain we were looking at a $5,000-$6,000 repair bill.  But it turns out the boys' guess was wrong!  And it was instead the exhaust gas cooler, a repair that costs $2,500.  Expensive, yes!  BUT so much BETTER then what we were expecting!!  Exceedingly abundantly above ALL we could ask!!


Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.  Amen.                                                    --Ephesians 3:20, 21