Trials, Trials, and blessings in abundance

I thought that I would start with an update on our car status. It is as much for your entertainment as it is for our records. We like to keep this blog as kind of a journal of sorts. So here goes.

Thanks to help from Erin's Grandparents were were able to put an engine in the Mazda and get the Passat's engine reworked. It was nice to see both cars up and running. It was nice to have a willing brother in law that works on cars for a living. To be honest, we underpaid him for his work. We really can't afford his services and we are grateful for everything that he does.

This was not to be a time of celebration with our cars though. It became clear that the clutch plates on our mazda decided to die. So......we are getting clutch plates for Christmas from my parents. At least it's better then socks. The passat's ABS control module decided to fail as well. Our brakes work, but we don't have any anti lock. That scares me a little going into the winter season. We are still working that out.

One might say "What else could go wrong!" DON'T EVER SAY THAT. We spend Thanksgiving with my family. On the way down Parley's canyon our tire went flat. I have changed my share of tires in my life. I got to thinking that I just changed one last month. Then I remembered that I never did get the tire fixed. The tire that I changed last month was sitting at home still flat and our spare was still on the car. It was a full sized spare and just like the other tires so we didn't bother with it. We sat on the side of the road as a family and waited for Erin's dad to bring us a tire.

One might say again, "What else could go wrong!" I would like to find that person and staple his mouth shut. This morning on the way down Provo canyon my mazda decided it didn't like one of my spark plugs and spat it out. I didn't know cars could do that. So I had to wait for Erin to bring me some tools to put it back in. It ran fine afterward.

So what do we learn from all of this. Erin and I talked about it a couple nights ago. We learned very well how to handle car situations and the importance of Road side assistance. The most important thing that we learned is that our Heavenly Father has not abandoned us through our trials. Yes we have problems, yes my cars brake down, and yes we have trials that would make the normal person cringe. Through it all there is a way provided for us to overcome it. Never were we left by the wayside to die. We have always been taken care of. We know that the Lord's hand is in our lives. We are grateful for the problems that we have because they continue to build our testimonies.

When we have car problems, we have learned to laugh and bring a good book to read together while we wait to be rescued again. Erin's dad is getting pretty quick and saving us. We are blessed beyond what we deserve. If ever you think that Heavenly Father isn't there, start counting your blessings. You'll find him.