Today was the day that I was to get the trailer axle repaired at Trailer World in Bowling Green. I was there early, before the gates were open, just as I had been told to do when I called them on Saturday. They came out and talked with me and then I sat there for two hours. I finally went in and spoke with the service manager, Quinten, only to be told that they weren’t going to try and repair it. I guess they figured I could read their minds so they didn’t come out and give me that information.
I went to the next place (where Quinten sent me) and sat there for another hour before the guy told me that he couldn’t do the job either. This was getting a bit frustrating and I could see the day flying by and still not getting this job done!
I finally was referred to a place called Embry’s Garage and they were great! The took one look at the axle and said it would be an easy fix. Everyone else said the axle was so damaged that it would have to be replaced. Randall, the mechanic at Embry’s, said that the axle was in good shape and all he had to do was install a new assembly. Good news! They not only fixed the axle in great time but also repaired a small oil leak in my engine AND walked me through those “unknown” engine parts for my CDL exam. Speaking of which, the “general knowledge exam” is going to happen on Monday, February 27 and the “road test” is set for Tuesday, February 28 bright and early! I’m still studying hard and Cindy’s quizzing me as we drive down the road!
Overall, it was a good day. I learned much about myself today. I realized that life throws you some curves sometimes (anyone who reads this blog will realize that I’ve had my share of them in the last week). But I also learned that my faith can (and does) sustain me through those difficult times. God is very much in control of my circumstances. Today was a perfect example of that. If either of the first two repair shops had fixed my trailer, they would have destroyed and thrown away a perfectly good axle. I eventually ended up – a bit frustrated by the process – in a place where they took the time to fix it and fix it right. THIS was the right place for me to be. I wouldn’t have recognized God’s favor IF I hadn’t experienced the frustrations of the other two shops.
Tomorrow we perform in Mt. Carmel, IL and my day starts early again at 7:45am with a radio interview for our show Friday in Holdrege, NE and a newspaper interview at 10am for our show in Hutchinson, KS.
I’m going to bed!