As I woke up it was nice to know that I have a day to rest and work on the rig. It was a beautiful morning, so I decided to take that back tire off the camper and put the spare on until I get to a tire shop. It’s getting tiresome having to stop every 15 miles to pump air in it. It must be so full of nails and screws from running on the shoulder of the road. It’s the back tire that catches all the nails and screws, because the front tire flips everything up in its path.

I took it off and tried to find where the leak was by pouring water over it, but I couldn’t find it, so I put the spare on as a precaution.

It gets real hot out here but cools down at night. They expect 95 + degrees today!

Last night Dennis and Elizabeth Mattics; a local couple, stopped in to see the tractor and ask about our mission. His sister went by and saw the rig and said to Dennis you need to stop by and see this.

This morning while I was putting the tire on, a gentleman by the name of Jeremiah Gaynor stopped by. He’s a local fireman and said his uncle Dennis called and said he needs to stop in and see this rig. While he was looking over the rig he happened to look down and he said, “Ivan the hitch on the camper has a crack 6 inches out from the main body of the camper.” After checking the other side it also had a crack. The first one had a opening of a quarter inch on the bottom and only holding on the top side. Wow my heart sank! If we would of not seen this it could have been bad if that would of broken loose off the main body, the camper would of been sliding down the road.

Jeremiah said, “I work at a machine shop and am a professional welder. Let’s take it over to my uncles farm and pull it in his shop and I will weld it, and butt a piece of angle iron on each side for extra support.”

No one can ever tell me there is no God, as He sent an angel to me, in the form of Jeremiah. Had this young man not stopped by to see the rig, this may have gone unnoticed. God works His wonders in mysterious ways, and I thank him and give Him the glory for this miracle today.

You see, I pray every day for safety and for God’s help and protection leading me on the way. My God is a faithful God and one that is more powerful than any other.

Yesterday I had 118 miles to travel, because there were no campgrounds 50 miles from where I was planning to stop for the night.

I felt God was in total control, in bringing me here and having Dennis and his wife stop in last night. My team members are so grateful too. I was overcome with emotion last night and could not explain what could have almost happened, if not for God’s intervention.

I putted over to Dennis’ farm, just outside of town and pulled in. Jeremiah was there waiting and went straight to work. I tried to help where I could. We worked on it all day. It was a hot 96 degrees and I was wet with sweat. We took the gas tank off and pulled it out of the way so we could weld behind the frame and not get blown up.

While we were working on the hitch I looked back and noticed another tire was worn down to the threads and was starting to split at one place. Jeremiah said there is a tire shop out in Cheyenne Wells. We looked at the map and I decided to go that way. It also has less traffic  that route 287, which is a heavy truck route down to Texas.

I putted back to my campsite tired and hot, but very thankful for Jeremiah and also to Dennis for being able to use his shop.

I was out checking the oil on Johnabilt and another couple stopped in. They saw it on Facebook that I was in town.  I was telling him about my day and that I needed new tires and that I was planning on stopping in at Cheyenne Wells for new tires. He said, ”That’s right beside a John Deere dealer I work at. Please stop in.”

Praise the Lord for putting people in my life at the right place and at the right time. That hitch could of broken off out in in the country, with no shop for 100 miles or worse, going up a mountain and my spare gas tank would of been dragging on the road and could of started a fire.

I wasn’t able to blog right away, because I was so shaken. Oh how I realize that God is in control and how we all need to let Him lead our lives.

Last week was a rather rough week but we are back and ready to move on. We’ll put this behind us and take one mile at a time, remembering that God is in control and that we need to give everything to Him and continue on our mission of bringing awareness to our Veterans and First Responders for the many sacrifices they make for each of us every day.

Never forget that we are enjoying our freedom because they are willing to sacrifice, so we can be free.