I woke this morning just planning on snow blowing my drive way and taking it easy. But, the Blessings of God are UNMATCHED!!! You cannot outgive God--no matter how hard you try. Heres a story of providence: Many of you know I blew the engine on our trailblazer last Friday. It would cost between $3-7 thousand to replace. I was stressed because 1.) We need 2 cars, especially with Buffalo trips with Gideon and 2.) WE STILL OWE $4,000 on the Trailblazer!!!! Nicole and I applied for new car loans---and the bank we tried did not approve us (must be we arent millionaires?). I was very stressed this morning. I drove Ruthie to gymnastics in Coudersport at 10:30 a.m. simply not knowing what I was going to do. Ruthie gets done at 3:00 p.m. On the way home, I stopped by Kightlingers in Coudersport, who charged us $150 for the tow and the diagnostic checks. So, Im already into this $150 and nothing is even fixed or solved yet. I arranged to have my Trailblazer towed to my house. When I got home, My uncle Bill Wessels calls me. He owns Wessels Used Cars in Dillsburg, PA (4 1/2 hours from us). He managed to get us a car loan for a very low mileage 2012 Dodge Caravan. Our monthly payments are $200 LESS than the trailblazer!!! We couldnt believe how quick he did this--considering another reliable bank just rejected us! We were very happy about this, but then the problem was, How would we get the van to Smethport? This is where possessing a pilots license comes in handy. It takes over 4 hours to drive to Carlisle, but only 1 hour to fly it. Ruthie is at Gymnamstics, so we called my mother in law Elaine. She stated she could get Ruth from Cutting Edge Gymnastics. So, we called Ruths gymnastics coach, Pam Payne. Pam was able to get Ruth to Sheetz in Port Allegany by 3:30 p.m., and my mother in law picked her up there. I called Steve Jackson, the flight instructor for the Twin Tier Aviation Association, which is the flight club of which Im a member. He was scheduled to fly in the evening--but when he heard my predicament, he gave up his spot and allowed me to take the airplane with my family (Thanks Steve! Youre a true blessing and a life saver!). So, Nicki, Ketha and Gideon head to Bradford Regional Airport so I can begin to preflight the airplane. A new probelm: There is 6 inches of snow in front of the hanger, making it impossible to pull the airplane out. The men at the airport stopped what they were doing, and plowed us out. As they did that, Nicki took the kids to the bathroom, and I double checked my flight plan. When we returned to the hanger, my good friend and fellow pilot, Jim McCormack was there. Jim has been an avid prayer warrior for our son, Gideon. He himself just went through several traumatic experiences in the past few years, including seeing his son fight and beat a brain tumor, and then just last month, he had to endure the sudden and tragic death of his other son (completely unexpected). Despite all the hardship hes experienced, he still manages to be a huge support to others in need. We were able to talk to him, let him know how much he means to us, and tell him that we continue to pray for him. Jim helped me get the airplane pulled out, said hello to our children (hes a big fan of Gideon), and he made sure we were able to leave the airport safely. We were airborne by about 2:00 p.m. We had a 40 knot trail wind, and cruised to Carlisle in less than one hour. We safety landed at Carlisle airport, meeting my uncles worker at the airport who had all the paperwork I needed to sign by 3:00 p.m. We joked that Ruthie was still at gymnastics, and had absolutely the faintest idea that her entire family was in Carlisle! My dad and mom Judy Shughart Line met us at the airport. After signing the legal documents, Nicki, Gideon and Ketha drove to my parents house for lunch while I flew the airplane alone back to Bradford. I got the airplane put away, went to my mother in laws house by 5:00 p.m., got Ruthie, and I am now spending the evening with her. Nicki is traveling with Ketha and Gideon. As she drives our new van home (pray for her protection). Seriously, I woke this morning just planning on snow blowing my drive way and taking it easy. But, what a day! Now, pray we can sell the trailblazer! If I have either tagged you or mentioned you in this post, it is because I just wanted to say thank you for assisting us during todays events. You all are a huge blessing to us---and all of you helped us out so much! Thank you all!!!!
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 00:55:30 +0000
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