The lights went green, yet the truck wasn’t going anywhere. The gear stick went limp, so we jumped out, put out the emergency triangles and lifted the cab.
I scrambled underneath, amazed at how hot the road surface was underneath me. With the heat of the truck engine & gearbox above me it was like being in a grill. I found the problem quickly, though typically it was nearly impossible to get to, right behind the burning hot exhaust and of course – we had no tools!
A personal boast – I did actually pray very quickly, a testament to just how hopeless the situation seemed. Although God opened my eyes 24 years ago (and has been faithful in crazy ways daily since), it *still* is not natural for me to ask for help. But this was different – I also quickly text my wife asking for prayer.
Malachi (my 15 yo son), started lifting the cab working from the top, while I was underneath. Shalisha (my daughter), kept watch on traffic (as our location was inherently dangerous) and scoured the back of the truck for tools. We ended up with a tyre lever and a crescent. After about an hour, we were able to get the selector on enough to select *a* gear, to at least get the truck off the road.
We put everything back together and moved the truck 50m and could get it half off the road. It was looking obvious that there was no way we could fix it properly unless I could remove part of the exhaust. To do that I needed to cutters which we had in the truck.
I asked Shalisha to go get them, and while she was gone she dug through some items we had just picked up and found another tool – one that made the job actually possible! To think we ended up with the exact tool we need for this job is another testament of God’s provision – something we specifically prayed for this morning before we left.
We managed to put the selector on properly, put it all back together, but had to find something hold the exhaust in place. “Shalisha, pass me some fencing wire”. We were next to a farm fence, Shalisha, determined not to damage the fence looked on the ground at the first post and found one single piece of wire which was perfect for the job! Seriously?
Just one problem, the selector still wasn’t working – we only had one gear, but it was enough to limp us 3 kms to where we could get completely off the road and even found a little spotted shade: BLISS!!
We pulled it all apart again, repositioned the selector and this time it was as good as new….YAY! 🎉 It had taken us two hours, so trying, so uncomfortable, so painful, but it’s amazing what you can do, when you have no option! If I am ever to get stuck on the side of the road, I *only* want it to be with my amazing family! Yet again, I could not have done it without them…
There was still another 5 hours of driving with no air conditioning and various other issues, I can honestly say it is *amazing* to be home with cold water, loving wife & some shelter (and most of the supplies we set off to pick up)!
No matter what valley you find yourself in, no matter what mountain range is ahead, turn to the One who made both. He will never let you down.
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Romans 12:12 (NLT)
ThankYou for Your faithfulness Lord, thankYou for getting us home, thankYou for giving us strength to deal with the pain. Help us to rely on You and give You thanks through all things.