Damsel in Distress

I was scheduled to praise sing for Bible study last night.  Practice started at 6:30 so I left our house shortly before 6:00.  One difference this pandemic has brought is traffic is much lighter in Southern California, but people are driving much faster. 

I made it to Burbank and stopped at a light about a half mile from the church.  And my car promptly died!  It completely quit running.  Nothing I did could get it to start back up.  My hazard lights wouldn't even come on. The light turned green and I started sweating, I knew people were going to be getting angry that I wasn't moving.  Of course a few honked and then blew past me.

The sweet girl directly behind me pulled up next to me and asked if I needed help.  I told her I would call our roadside assistance.  While she was talking to me my phone rang.  It was Sis. Michelle Miranda, they had driven by me on their way to church and stopped just on the other side of the intersection.  Her husband, Bro. Gonzalo, pushed my car through the intersection and safely to the side of the road.  I thanked them and let them know I would be fine waiting for roadside assistance.

I got on the phone and the wait began.  I was on hold for more than 20 minutes before talking to anyone.  I finally gave all my details and a tow truck was called.  ETA 75 minutes!  Of course I had to stay with the vehicle.  And it was getting dark out.

Where was Les in all this?  He was still working.  He still lines up his day with Hawaii, which means working 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. most days.  I sent him a text message but knew he was on his weekly one on one call with his boss.  He called a little after 7:00 and after chatting for a few minutes decided to head my way.

 

Finally loaded on the tow truck and on it's way.

More than two hours after my car conked out, the tow truck finally arrived!  I was able to go home with Les while the tow truck driver took our car to our mechanic.  Les went down and talked to them this morning and now we're waiting on the verdict.

One of the last things I said to Les last night was, "Thanks for coming to get me, I really don't like being a damsel in distress!"  It's not that I'm "Mrs. Independent, I Don't Need a Man."   I'm happy to let Les help and protect me, I just don't like being stranded on the side of the road!  Les reminded me that I have rescued him more than once when he's been stranded on the side of the road with his bike.

That led to a late night discussion of the meaning of "damsel in distress" and trying to figure out if there is a male version.  From Wikipedia, "The word "damsel" derives from the French damoiselle, meaning "young lady", and the term "damsel in distress" in turn is a translation of the French demoiselle en détresse. It is an archaic term not used in modern English except for effect or in expressions such as this. It can be traced back to the knight-errant of Medieval songs and tales, who regarded protection of women as an essential part of his chivalric code which includes a notion of honor and nobility."

 

The male version of damoiselle is damoisel, which means "young man who was not yet a knight and aspired to be one."  The French word damoisel translated to English is damsel.  So a damsel in distress can also be a man!  

The conclusion of this whole convoluted matter is simply this - we all need help sometimes!  While finishing up this post, I remember something I posted a few years ago about Mr. Rogers.  He said, "There was something else my mother did that I’ve always remembered: “Always look for the helpers,” she’d tell me. “There’s always someone who is trying to help.” I did, and I came to see that the world is full of doctors and nurses, police and firemen, volunteers, neighbors and friends who are ready to jump in to help when things go wrong."

I can't imagine a more fitting time than now that we need to look for helpers.  In this troubled world, look for the helpers.  Whenever possible, join the helpers.  And if you can't find one - BE the helper!

Settling Back In

You know life is an adventure, right?  Well ours continues! Our flight, along with our 226 pounds of luggage, arrived without incident on Friday night.  Bro. Flores kindly picked us up and we were home around midnight.

After a few false starts, with flat tires and other issues, Les left for a bike ride on Saturday morning.  I HAD to go to the grocery store.  We had purposely cleaned out all perishables before we left in early December, to avoid anything taking on a life of its own, but that left us with very little to eat.  I made a short list and got in the Saturn.  Click.  Not even a groan - our battery was dead!  Thankfully, we have another car, so I did get to the store.  I'm thrilled to be able to use my crock-pot again.

We did very little on Sunday - went to church and napped.  It was good to be back in Victory Tabernacle and hear Pastor White preach.

Yesterday, Les spent a bunch of time going back and forth to the auto parts store.  He finally took the battery to be tested.  It wouldn't hold a charge at all, so it was time for a new one.

We are mostly unpacked, although suitcases are still out.  I went through two months of mail - all our bills come via email, so it was lots of junk, magazines, and Christmas cards!

We are slowly settling in.

No Way, Murphy!

We are wrapping up our time in Hawaii.  A week from Friday, February 7th, we will fly home.  Les will continue working for DRC and will make periodic trips back, but not for any extended stays.  We have enjoyed our time here and we are looking forward to being home.  We never got "Island Fever" and if it was God's will, we would stay.  We have truly learned to be content in both states because we have each other, a great God and great churches in both places - and that's what really makes a place home. 

 

Of the many things that we need to do before our return, we need to sell our car.  We listed it on Craigslist Monday evening.  Someone looked at it last night, but was running some kind of scam, so we walked away from her and went to Bible study.  (It was another excellent lesson - "The Dumbing Down of the Church.")

On our way home we heard a thump, thump... we had a flat tire!!  I couldn't believe it.  It felt like a Murphy's Law moment!

Les pulled over, changed out the tire for the spare - which was also flat!  We limped to the closest gas station.  Something was wrong with the spare, it wouldn't hold air at all.  Les pumped up the tire and found the valve stem was broken.  Now what? Sis. Marybeth from church just happened (?) to pull up.  She sweetly loaned us her spare.  We made it home safely, about two hours later than expected.

I was at Lex Brodie's when they opened at 7:00 this morning.  We knew our front left tire was bald - ten months of going one direction in a parking structure will do that to a tire.  I told them I needed to replace the tire, have the flat and spare fixed.  I explained that we were trying to sell the car and I didn't want to spend a lot of money!  Less than $80 got me a new tire, two fixed flats, tires rotated and balanced.  Take that Murphy!

Wordless Wednesday

Uh oh...

Isn't she lovely?

We finally got a car!  And would you believe it's another Saturn!?!?!  Our original Saturn is almost 21 years old, so we feel pretty good about getting another one.

Of course this one has lived on Hawaii for quite a few years.  The sun, rain, and salt air really wear the cars out around here.  Our '92 model has lived in the garage, this '02 model has not.  We have no rips or tears in our interior...  this one is pretty worn out!!

A couple from New Life had loaned us one of their cars so we could get around and do some car shopping (thanks Bro. and Sis. Hicks!)  We checked out one car on Saturday that ended up being a lemon.  We got up Sunday morning and drove 34 miles to the town of Waianae. Les test drove it and said it felt just like it should.  The engine seemed fine, tires are good, registration and safety are up to date, and it was within our budget.  SOLD!

We decided  to drop the Hicks' car off at the church, since the church is between Waianae and our condo.  Les drove the Hicks' car and I drove our "new" Saturn.  After about 5 minutes, it started making a horrible sound!  My heart sunk.  Had we been ripped off completely??  I began to pray:

Lord, You kept our other Saturn running for over 20 years.  I know You can take care of this one, too.  You know what's wrong and I'm asking You to fix it by the time we get to the church.  And please bless that young couple, even if they did try to rip us off, if they needed the money that desperately, bless them anyway.

My heart rate returned to normal, while the car kept making the huge racket.  When we got to the church, I turned off the engine and the sound was still there!  Okay, so it's not the engine, what is it?  I walked around the car (Les was pulling stuff out of the other car) and finally found the noise.  It was the automatic locks.  The lock on the back door, passenger side, was stuck and kept trying to get unstuck!  If I held the "lock" button, the noise stopped.  Les found  if we push the lock and unlock at the same time, that made the sound quit.  Whew!!  So now we have wheels! 

Christian Stewardship Seminar

Our church has been blessed to have Bro. Mayer from Buford, Georgia with us teaching about Christian Stewardship.  The topic is so important, but one that many try to run from.  Christian Stewardship is more than just tithes and offering, as Bro. Mayer puts it "Stewardship is About Relationship."  When we finally get that God owns it all, we will change the way we handle our finances.

Our session on Sunday evening concluded with the topic cars.  Buying a new car on credit versus buying a used car with cash.  The savings over the course of 5 years is tremendous.  Conservatively, about $30,000!  Les and I couldn't help but chuckle about our darling Saturn.  You know, the testimony that we drive?  We did the best of both when we bought our Saturn - we bought it new, but we paid cash for it.  TWENTY YEARS and over 300,000 miles later, we are still driving that car!  I've said it before and I will say it again, God has blessed our car to keep running.  He was rebuked the devourer in regards to our car many, many times.  His faithfulness never ends.

Bro. Mayer is a school teacher and is graciously using his Spring Break to be with us. And for a topic that can be very cut and dry, he has made the sessions extremely interesting.  His interpretation of some of Jesus' parables has brought new insight.  I thought it was funny that a couple of the ideas he gave regarding saving money at the grocery store (don't go hungry and always take a list) were the same ones that Weight Watchers advocates!   Save money and your waistline, win-win!

Happiness

My friend, Bekki, blogged yesterday about 50 things that make her happy. I decided to make my own list. Like Bekki, my husband and my Savior are at the top of the list, everyday.

These are not in any particular order, just as they popped into my brain...

1. My family
2. Riding down Las Llayas Canyon on Myka after a long hard climb
3. A good run on a cool morning
4. Trying a new recipe and having it turn out great
5. Traveling and planning the trip
6. Chocolate - I could probably come up with 50 different chocolate things that make me happy, but I will just use one number
7. Reading a good book
8. Hearing from an old friend
9. Going to a camp or conference and seeing hundreds of Apostolics worshiping in one place.
10. Sitting in the sun when it's about 75 outside
11. Rainy Fall days
12. Taking pictures
13. Looking at old pictures
14. Finding shoes that I like in my size
15. Spotting wildlife in my backyard - especially when it's a bobcat
16. My new Kindle - so many books in one little place
17. Blogging
18. Watching my nieces and nephews grow up
19. Maintaining my weight for 5 years
20. The beach
21. Remembering Rod's incredible wit and sense of humor
22. Good hair days
23. Cute clothes that are also modest
24. Making new friends
25. Keeping old friends
26. A song in my heart
27. Ice cold tea on a hot day
28. A clean house (not the actually cleaning, but when it is clean!)
29. Good church
30. Discovering my family tree
31. Sincere compliments
32. Letting someone go ahead of me in the grocery store when they only have a couple items and I have a full cart
33. Getting flowers from Les
34. Good clean jokes
35. Sunday afternoon naps
36. Giving a gift that I know is going to be a hit
37. Waking up and seeing I have another hour to sleep
38. Diving into a cool pool on a hot day
39. Hearing my doctor say last week, "You're the poster child for good health!"
40. Revival in my own church and around the world
41. Our 1992 Saturn that keeps running
42. Giggling little girls
43. Smiling, happy babies
44. Comments on my blog (hint, hint...)
45. Talking to Dad on the phone every Monday
46. Popolo's Pizza (well just about any pizza, but Popolo's is my favorite)
47. My roses blooming by the front door
48. Reading by the fireplace
49. Warm flannel sheets on a cold night
50. My life - I am blessed and I know it.

How about you? Can you think of 50 things that make you happy?? Count your blessings!

Driving My Testimony

I have written before about our faithful 1992 Saturn. About a year and a half ago the odometer quit working at 292,941 miles. So while we don't know exactly how many miles she has, we know it's over 300,000!!


In 1999, our church started the "Millennium Fund" to raise funds for a future building. Our Saturn had about 100,000 miles at that time. Les and I committed to give and I prayed that our car would keep running.

A couple weeks ago we had her in for a tune-up. There were a couple other things that needed to be fixed as well. The total cost was about the same as a single car payment. When we got her back, she was just purring! I called to thank our mechanic (who is a neighbor and overall nice guy) and he said, "Maybe it'll last another 100,000 miles!"

It dawned on me last week - every time we drive that car it is a testament to God's faithfulness. Every time she starts up, it's an answer to prayer. People can't believe we are driving a 19 year old car, but I want to keep on driving her! She's like the widow's cruse of oil and barrel of meal that didn't run out (See I Kings chapter 17.) She's a testimony all her own!

30 Days of Thanks - Day #18

I am thankful for our faithful 1992 Saturn!

When we bought it brand new we never dreamed we would still be driving it - 300,000 miles later! It has served us well.

In 1999 we made a financial commitment to our church building program. Our Saturn had over 100,000 miles at that time. I prayed, "Lord, let this car last so we can give our car payment towards the building." Here we are more than a decade later still driving it!

290K!

Our faithful Saturn rolled over to 290,000 miles last night on the way home from church!

Midlife Crisis?

No, weren't not having one! But this is the car we drove for a day or so this week...


Our SUV was in the shop and they loaned us this!!


This thing was scary fast!! Especially when Les was driving...



I don't know if any other car will be as faithful as our Saturn, though!

Cash for Clunkers

I was reading in the Simi Valley Acorn the other day about the government's "Cash for Clunkers" program. I really thought there was a typo. They listed the suggested improved MPG as 24. Here is a chart that shows 22 MPG as the minimum fuel efficiency.


I'm just wondering if the government will pay us $4500 to keep our Saturn that gets 34 MPG...

It Keeps Running!

When Les and I got married we had 2 vehicles. Neither were new, but they were both paid for. During that first year of marriage, we decided to start saving for a new car and in June, 1992, we purchased (with cash) a 1992 Saturn SL2. This has been a faithful car! It now has 285,000+ miles!

Why am I mentioning our Saturn today? Last night on our way home from prayer meeting, we had to stop for gas. Our little 17 year old Saturn got 34.5 miles per gallon on the most recent tank of gas! That's right 34.5 MPG!!

I never dreamed our little car would last this long and neither did Saturn! When it had just over 100,000 miles it started having some engine problems. I broke done on the freeway going to work one morning. A few weeks after that I was in a slight fender bender (it's only wreck!). A few weeks after that I broke down again! But when the Saturn staff suggested it was time to get a new car, I said, "No, it's time you fixed what's wrong!" Actually, I wasn't that nice! After being towed in the second time, when I was told they had only fixed what they "thought" was wrong, and had not done a full inspection, I slapped my hand on the desk and said, "that is unacceptable!" It's funny now thinking about the reaction of two men as they stood up straight wondering what this little blond was going to do next!!

Maintaining relationships takes the same attitude. We've got to schedule maintenance - when was the last time you took your spouse on a date? have you spent one-on-one time with your teenager lately? Good, healthy relationships don't just happen - they take work! You can't ignore that squeak hoping it will go away.

When we see a life broken down on the side of the road, we've got to say, "that is unacceptable!" If we can "tow" them in to the "saving station", God can give them a new engine! Ezekiel 36:26 says, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."

One other thing - I have covered our Saturn with prayer many times. When we started our Building Fund ten years ago, Les and I committed to give, and give we did! I told God we couldn't afford a new car so He needed to keep the current one running! Well here it is this morning as Les drove off to work! Prayer works!