So this has been a week full of many different adventures. So on
Tuesday we had our district meetings in Gainsville which is about 15 miles
away. Nothing special just another meeting. So after it was over we were in the
parking lot and i started the car no problem, pulled out of our spot and got to
the end of the parking lot where it meets the road. Now is where it really gets
fun. So we stopped, i looked to the left to check for cars then i hear beeping,
look down to see basically all of my warning lights going off. Power steering,
airbag, emergency break, check engine, traction control, fuel level, and
everything else that you can possible imagine, and the engine shut off....
So I turn the key to off, then try to restart it...nothing. Try
it a few more times, but with no success. So luckily we were with a bunch of
other missionaries, and in a church parking lot. So I put it in neutral, we hop
out and start pushing it back into the parking lot. Meanwhile we have the rest
of elders and sisters looking at us with a confused look on their face. So we
get it into a parking stall and we try to start it a couple more times, but
with no success. So i jump on the phone with our car guy and tell him whats
going on. He told us to get it towed to the nearest dealership to get it fixed.
Luckily we had enough car knowledge to pull of the battery cable
and put it back on to see if that did anything. Well it reset the computer so
we were able to start it up. So as we were driving to the dealership, i thought
to myself, If that happens again while i'm driving, were going to be in some
serious trouble. We got back on the phone with our car guy as we are driving
and he basically told us that what we were doing is endangering our lives as
well as the lives of the other drivers. I knew it was a bad idea but i did it
anyway.
We got to the dealership in one piece gratefully. So we go
inside and we are talking to one of the guys at the service desk and he said
that it will be a couple of days till they could look at it since they are so
busy. We went out to our car and started talking to the sisters that came with
us just in case we needed some help. They went and got us all cafe rio while we
started figuring out what we were going to do. We get back on the phone and our
car guy Elder Collins who said that he was going to make a few phone calls and
call us back in 15 minutes.
We got our cafe rio and the sisters had to leave so we were
their in a dealership parking lot eating Cafe Rio waiting for a call back. Keep
in mind that this is about 20 miles from Warrenton so were not in a very good
position. About an hour goes by and we are pretty frustrated with the whole
situation, so we figured that it had been long enough so we called Elder
Collins back and he basically forgot all about us. He is a senior missionary so
we think he forgot...annoying. He tried to get us a rental car, but since it
wasn't a recall they wouldn't give us one.
He told us to just leave our car their and go back to warrenton,
and give him a call tomorrow to see if he got us a rental car. We had to call
the second ward elders to come get us so we were sitting in manassas for a good
3 hours. Finally made it back to warrenton.
The next day we went to the church to do our Facebook time and
to make copies of the papers from the dealership to send to the office. We gave
him a call and he had already forgotten all about our situation. No rental car
for us. He told us to call our zone leaders and have them move one of the cars
in our zone to us. I wouldnt have cared about not having a car, except for the
fact that we have the biggest area.
Anyways, we got a car so were all good for now. It is now monday
and our car is still in the shop.
So why do i tell you this big huge story? Well its a miracle in
itself. So tuesday night when it broke down, we were planning on going about 15
miles away to marshal. We couldnt do that, so we needed a place to work that we
could bike to. We got there, checked on an unknown in the ward, but with no
success. So we decided to do some tracting. The second house that we knocked
was an older lady probably in her mid 50's. She told us that she was going
through a really rough time. She was getting away from a boyfriend that was
physically abusive.
Keep in mind we were going to be nowhere close to her house.
We went on saturday and helped them move a chair, a bed and a
couple of boxes. When we were at the house she was leaving she broke down and
started sobbing. Her 80 year old mother was with us and she tried to comfort
her. It was just a really bad situation. We loaded it all up in her moms truck
and went back to her house. Her mom is 80 but moves around like she is still in
her 30's. So we got it all in there and we were standing in the living room
with them. They knew that it was the hand of god working to help them. She gave
us both hugs....yeah...not really supposed to do that, but she was crying
pretty much and we were fine with it.
They offered us money and of course we refused. So when your car
breaks down, dont think that it is all bad. God is putting you where you need
to be to bless the lives of others. It is good to know that god trusts me
enough to be an instrument in his hands.
Cars still in the shop, but thats ok. This week we went to one
of our recent converts house 3 times helping him out with different stuff.
Yesterday we get a call from him during dinner and we figure out that he is in
the emergency room and he needs an escort to leave. We drive up there with
brother crosland and brother duncan just in time to see him pulling out. We
talked to him and told him that we would follow him home. As we were following
him home he was going all over the lines. Made it home safe, we tried to talk
to him, but he didnt want to.
We went back to dinner and spent the rest of the night there. The
duncans from ashburn came down and visited me. They brought me a 36 pack of dr
pepper since they missed my b day. It was awesome to see them again.
There is always more stuff i could say, but im getting tired of
typing. Its been a hectic week. We will see how this next week goes!!!
I love you both!
Love your son,
Elder Laing
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