From the Kindness of Strangers

I have finally made it back to Rexburg to continue my college education. And it is truly a blessing that I made it here.

This is the first time that I have driven myself to school without the assistance of either parent. And, boy, was I nervous! We finished getting my car up and running for the trip on Thursday, the day before I left. I also learned that day (a little late to do anything) that my car radio has some sort of security code that I didn't know about so my radio doesn't work. On top of which, I really need to get my brakes changed soon. Those were the least of my worries, though. All I cared about was that my car was up and running and I would be able to get to school.

Friday morning, I put my last couple suitcases in the car. My dad gave me a print out of the directions I needed in case Trixie Trixie (my gps) didn't follow the route I intended to take or didn't have a signal to direct me. My mom left for work when I left at nine to begin my excursion. I stopped by my former place of employment to pick up my last paycheck, dropped it in the bank, and was on my way.

It took a little bit to get used to driving Nemo again. He's pretty low to the ground and is pretty small so that was a change from driving either a mini truck or an SUV. After a little bit though, it seemed Nemo and I would get along our way just swimmingly.

I stopped first in Cheyenne, following my father's instructions to top off the tank even though I really didn't need gas yet. After a little stretching, I was back on my way and didn't plan to stop until Rock Springs. I was just starting to consider stopping in Rawlins for a quick bathroom break when all of a sudden,  Nemo starts to rock and swerve all over and I lose speed. I was really nervous because I knew I'd had so much trouble just getting my car up and running again. I pulled over to the side of the road to see if maybe it was just the road or, if my tire was indeed flat, if I could roll slowly the rest of the way to Rawlins. Well, neither of those were correct or possible.

I had a blowout. Strangely, it's the same wheel that I had a blowout on my first time riding to Rexburg back in 2009. I was looking at the tire and starting to panic. I hit full blown panic when, in attempting to contact one of my parents, I learned that I had absolutely no cell phone service where I was. Rawlins was still about 20 minutes away by car and I knew that if I had to walk out there to get help, I would never make it to Rexburg that night. I started to pray, or tried to. The panic had really set in so I really just ended up saying please really fast over and over again. Right as I was on the brink of tears and throwing up simultaneously, I saw a semi truck pull to the side of the road a little ways in front of me and put his hazards on. He hopped out of his car and started towards me.

I was so scared when I saw the driver because I started to assume the worst. Being in my panic-stricken state I don't know that I could manage much positive thinking anyways. As he got closer though, he started to talk to me. He asked me what the problem was and took a look at my tire. Then, he started back towards his truck to try to call someone to come help me out. He told me to get back in my car to stay warm. He also said something that really struck me and for some reason I knew things would be ok. He said "I promise you won't get hurt." Seems like a little bit of an odd thing to say because personal harm isn't normally a concern when you have car trouble but it was incredibly comforting. He called the state trooper and walked back to my car. He even gave me a Dr Pepper from his truck. He stayed there until the state trooper arrived and was on his way. My only regret in all of this is that I didn't get the truck driver's name. I would very much like to thank him for the kindness he showed me.

The state trooper was just as nice as the truck driver. His name is Lieutenant Flynn. (I'm hoping I'll somehow be able to find his address and send him a thank you letter.) He took a look at the tire then had me come back to his patrol car with him. He sat me in the front seat and let me use his phone to try to call my mom. While I did that, he ran my license and the California plate I had on my car, mentioning to the dispatch woman that I had a temporary in the window. I was still really nervous and was still pretty panicky. My mom didn't answer when I first called which I expected since it was a number she wouldn't recognize. Lieutenant Flynn put his phone in his pocket just in case she called so that we wouldn't miss it.

I couldn't remember if my spare was still in the trunk or not which is probably where part of my panic came from. Lieutenant Flynn helped me unload the things I had in my trunk so that we could check for my spare. I felt like I could finally breath when it was indeed there. Then, Lieutenant Flynn changed my tire for me. I don't know if he's required to do that sort of thing or not but it was really nice of him. It was cold and snowy so he got dirty kneeling in the dirt on the side of the road to change it for me. He was super quick, too. After I got everything back into my trunk, he sent me on my way to Rawlins, instructing me to drive slow with my hazards on so as to not have any issues with my very well used spare.

When I got to Rawlins, I pulled into the first gas station I saw that looked safe. I asked the girl at the counter where I could go in Rawlins to get a tire done and she directed me to Kilburn Tire just down the road. I pulled into the tire shop and, once inside, was greeted probably four or five times by different employees to make sure someone was taking care of me. A young man changed my tire for me in about twenty minutes or so. While I waited, I was able to charge my phone and was also able to use their phone to call my parents and update them on my situation. The people at Kilburn were all so nice to me. They also had this older big black dog roaming around the waiting room that sat by me and kept me company while I waited. After the young man finished with my tire I was able to get back on the road and it was all smooth sailing from there with only minor scrapes with weather as I got nearer to the Teton pass.

I'm so incredibly grateful for the kindness that the people I met showed me. They didn't have to do what they did and didn't have to be so nice about it either. I know that they were all an answer to my attempted pleading prayer. As I was on the road again, I said a thank you prayer for all the help and kindness I received. I know that my Heavenly Father watches over me and keeps track of me. He is acutely aware of the things I go through and I know this more now than ever before. And I feel his love for me and see his hand in my life every day.