Grateful for Friends

It has now been about a month since I wrote here. I have been present on js although most of the time I have remained anonymous. The last time I wrote I talked about the demise of my faithful truck. The best plan I had at the time was to sell the truck for what I could and use the money for a down payment on something else. Even then I had no idea how I would afford the payments and I honestly didn't know what I was going to do. I was never without transportation though thanks to friends and family. Some of the men at my church were helping me get the word out about my desire to sell the truck. I gave permission for them to tow it to a location where it could be looked at. One of them said that he wanted to make sure that nothing else was wrong with it before we sold it so I gave permission for them to do that. Then I didn't hear anything for about three weeks. One day my friend James called me up and told me that they were ready to tell me what all was wrong with my truck. He offered to take me over so that we could discuss our plans after we found out the news and I accepted. I was very nervous and began thinking about all the things that I had worried about on my trips to and from New Orleans. I was afraid that there was too much wrong with it and I would not be able to sell it. When we reached the shop, Tommy came out and asked me what the truck had been doing when I had the trouble and I began to tell him. He cut me short and handed me the keys and asked me to try it and see if it would do it for me now because; he said, he couldn't find anything wrong with it now. As it turned out, he and all the men in the mens ministry from my church as well as many other benefactors who I don't know, all got together and fixed my truck. They put in another engine, fixed the clutch and the brakes, and put on new tires. James said that while Tommy was at it he just tightened everything that needed it. Now it runs beautifully, as well or better than it did when I bought it.

After I started it and they told me what they had done; I didn't know what to do or say. I walked around it 3 or 4 times and they just stood there watching. Finally it occurred to me that that they might think I was looking for something wrong with it, so I just thanked them and go in and drove away. I had no idea where I was driving to. I was just at a loss. I called my mother and told her and she cried the tears that I could not seem to be able to. I was simply amazed. Even today, two weeks later, I open my door in the morning and look out and say, "There's my truck!" It is an amazing thing to think that so many people went to so much effort, trouble and expense for me.

RW