|
TESTIMONIES |
|
|
|
By JAY Wilber |
|
|
08βͺMARCH 2024βͺwww . cmausa . org
STRANDED BUT NOT ALONE
Faith and Endurance brothers and sisters , when troubles
β DEAR of any kind come your way , consider it an opportunity for great joy . For you know that when your faith is tested , your endurance has a chance to grow . So let it grow , for when your endurance is fully developed , you will be perfect and complete , needing nothing β ( James 1:2- 4 , NLT ).
God had been working on me for several weeks on these verses . Little did I know He would also allow me to face some troubles . It all started on a beautiful Monday morning , August 14 , 2023 . We had just finished a great ministry time at Sturgis , South Dakota . Jane and I rested on Sunday , loaded the bikes , and started our annual trip across South Dakota through the Indian reservation to the Minnesota State Rally . We were about halfway through our trip when I heard Jane say , " Oh no ," in the intercom . That was not a good thing to hear . Suddenly , she slowed down and was on the side of the road . I got off the bike and came up , and she said she had lost power . I looked at the instruments , which flashed neutral and then reversed . That was not good . So , I did the only thing I could and got my phone to call for help . Well , there was no signal on either of our phones . We each have different carriers , so this won ' t happen , but it did .
I had no choice but to leave her on the side of the road and find a signal . I had to go back about two miles to call . I could not find anyone with a trailer that fit her Can Am Spyder and her trailer . So , I needed a tow truck . In the meantime , I called Bob Chip at C & C Cycle in Chariton , Iowa , who services her bike , and shared what was happening . All Bob could do was help me find a dealer near us to take it to . I called Prairie ATV & Cycle in Pierre , South Dakota . They put me in contact with a tow truck company that was only 19 miles from us . I called , and he said it would be $ 450 to tow her bike 85 miles . I had no choice , so said OK . Mike came and loaded the bike , which barely fit . I followed behind them on my bike .
When we arrived , I went to pay Mike , and he said $ 250 . I asked why the lower amount , and he told me Jane had shared what we do and about Jesus and wanted to help . Well , God took over , and we prayed for Mike . When we talked to the owner , Abe , at Prairie ATV and Cycle and told him what happened , he went right to work on checking it out . We had to stay in town for a few days and checked into a hotel . The staff was great , and Jane passed out angels and prayed with the ladies . Abe ordered the part , but it was the wrong one when it came in . Abe called around and found a dealer in Rapid City , about 165 miles away . They said for some unknown reason , they got that part last week . Yeah , God ! The problem was it would take another day to get to Pierre . I called a CMA friend in Rapid City , Dan Kessler , and he went and got it and drove one way 165 miles to bring the part . When Abe put the part in it , that didn ' t fix it . Day 4 of our adventure was winding down , and there was no fix yet .
Abe said he didn ' t feel comfortable going any further because he was not a certified Spyder dealer .
I asked Abe what I owed him , and he said $ 150 for the part and one hour of labor . I said you quoted more than that , but he wanted to help us . God is so faithful . During the ordeal , we were posting our adventure on Facebook . We had many prayers and offers for help . We had three people with trailers on standby , just waiting for a call . I talked again to Bob at C & C Cycle , and he said to bring it to him . Bob was 560 miles away . By this time , we wouldn ' t make the Minnesota