Week Home

One of my typing memory verses is Proverbs 27:1, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." Due to this and other teaching, I always try to say I'm planning or scheduled to do something and not to say it will happen. That especially came true this week.

Sunday, my parents and I were getting in the van to head to church. Dad was just putting the lift up and it stopped moving. He tried all the controls every direction, but it wouldn't budge. After about 20

minutes of messing, he was able to get mom and I free of the van, but the lift was far from being functional again.

I was scheduled to volunteer a shift at the Iowa State Fair Tuesday morning, but dad already concluded Sunday that the lift wouldn't be a quick fix. Fortunately, another volunteer I know was able to take my shift.

As the week progressed and dad continued to diagnose the problem and find a solution, the news kept getting worse. The model of lift I use is no longer manufactured and parts are not available. New lifts for full-size vans don't allow me to sit up front like I do now, so that wouldn't be an option either. I was also hoping to head to the fair for a fun day Thursday, but that came and went as the lift saga continued.

Thursday evening, dad ruled out one possible problem and figured out one particular motor was causing the issue. After help taking it apart, he could easily see some electrical contacts had worn away over the years and was the culprit. After retrieving the equivalent part from my old van lift in storage, he had everything working again by Friday evening.

It proved to be a full week of trusting God and what he had planned. I miss not being able to help during my shift, but I'm very thankful that dad has been given the mechanical knowledge and ability to fix pretty well everything I use. We went from possibly needing to look for a new van to simply swapping out parts that were already on hand.

Living the quad life has challenges like this week, but I'm thankful for having reliable transportation once again. Hopefully this week will be a little less eventful, but I'm not the one in charge.