GOD is so good. Lately, I have been really digging into my faith. I have been studying the Word with some real ferocity. I study when I get up, after breakfast and before I go to sleep. I also have been listening to some great teaching while on my daily walks. Those walks have grown to 6 miles each afternoon/evening and that has given me a lot of time to listen to some great teaching and have REAL time LISTENING to the Lord through prayer. I can really look back to last summer as a big change in my "Study Habits".
Last Summer, our first after retirement, was amazing. Since we had been planning our retirement for two years, it was so awesome to see everything unfold right before our eyes. One of our MANY planned Summer events was taking my granddaughter on her SENIOR TRIP. We have a plan to take each of our grandkids on a special trip between their junior and senior year of high school. We had been planning our trip out west for over two years. The trip was the most adventurous and wild trip we have ever been on.
THE plan was to pull the fifth wheel to San Fransisco, Yosemite, Sequoia, Utah Canyon lands, Grand Canyon and then home. Those are all areas we have visited and I would say some of the most beautiful areas in the world. We completed the trip but it went NOTHING LIKE THE PLAN.
We started out late in the afternoon and our plan was to stay in a "Walmart Campground" just west of St. Louis the first night. The planning for this trip was EPIC. I wanted to make sure everything went perfectly. I had a lot of work done to my truck and knew the trip through the mountains would need great brakes, tires, and a well tuned vehicle. So we got everything done and took off with extreme confidence we were going to have a great time.
As we started the trip, I noticed a vibration that continued to increase with intensity as the day progressed. At first it was just an annoyance and then it became worse and worse as we went. By the time we arrived outside St. Lous, it was really bad. I was pulling off the exit ramp, heading to Walmart and I could hardly drive the truck. We pulled off for the night and I told Stephanie I would check everything in the morning. We went to bed safe and secure in a Walmart Parking Lot.
The next morning THIS is what I found ........
5 of the 8 lug nut fell off as I removed the hub cap, sheared off by the vibrations and weight of pulling the camper. ONLY ONE OF THE REMAINING LUGNUTS WAS TIGHT! We could have been moments away from catastrophy!
YIKES!!!!!!
I praise God every day that he watched over us. I can not even imagine what happens when your front wheel falls off pulling a 20,000 lb. fifth wheel. When I was taking these pictures, I was uncontrollably shaking. But, GOD is good. While I was taking these pictures a local man offered to help me. He stayed with me all day. He drove me to get the tow truck. He knew of a hole-in-the-wall truck repair shop. He drove me everywhere. He was an angel sent by the Lord. I contacted my Ford Dealer, who is amazingly awesome. They believe the torque wrench they used did not get the bolts tight and they should have had me check them early in the trip. They, Family Ford in Bluffton, paid for everything. The Truck Repair Shop, dropped everything to work on my front wheel hubs. They searched everywhere for the right parts and were also sent by the Lord. I was so filled with the presence of the Lord that I just had to pray with them PRAISING GOD before we left. Family Ford helped find a new wheel at a local Ford Dealership since the old wheel could have been damaged with the loose lug nuts. Everything was back together and we were on the road early that afternoon. For the next 700 miles, I checked the lugs religiously.
So many people discount God. So many people believe in LUCK and chance. Since I turned my life over to the Lord, HE has promised me he LOVES me and will watch over me. THIS MIRACLE from the LORD is just one of the many that have occurred in my life. God is ALIVE. He is working and he wants nothing but the best for me. Yes, God could have prevented this from happening. He has the power to move mountains. He certainly could have prevented this. But, sometimes he shows himself through the turmoil and the stresses of life. I can't imagine the protection he has provided that I am unaware of. Stephanie and I have traveled thousands of miles by motorcycle and pulling our campers. We have had problems (God doesn't promise a trouble free life), but he has always provided ways out of the trials. His Love, Grace, and Mercy are truly amazing. I am confident GOD is watching and he has sent angels to watch over each step I take. How can I not devote everything I have to such a loving and caring GOD?
Nope, that's not the end. The trip was just beginning. Believe it or not, the story gets even crazier. STAY TUNED!!!!!!!!!
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