Because I Have Been Given Much.

"Because I have been given much, I too must give...

I cannot see another's lack and  and I not share."

This is my dad's favorite hymn. And he truly lives it's message. If there's one thing I love about my father, it's his giving heart. We know that if we ever see a person in need on the side of the road on a road trip, that he will stop. We have picked up plenty of strandeds on the freeway, towed many boats on the lake, and taken people grocery shopping who are in need. 

Our trip to the cabin for Easter was no different. Low and behold we come across a man pushing his bug up hill on the side of the freeway just before Mesquite. We stop with the intention of giving him a simple tow, but probably due to my dad's soft spot for bugs (we've owned two in our day), my dad couldn't just leave him. He lifted up the back and got down to business. After a trip to Walmart and a 3 hour delay, we got him up and running! The man was on his way form LA to NE because his good friend had recently died and owns a VW shop. The man was trying his hand at fixing up bugs, like they did in the old days, in his friends memory.

We received this email from him a few days later:

Good Morning Steve,
     Happy Easter to you and your family. I made it home safely last night about 8pm with no further issue. My little car ran great all the way home. Left Mesquite Friday morning and drove through to Denver. It even handled the mountain passes surprisingly well. The hotel in Mesquite had a bomb threat by Bundy's militia men due to the fact that the BLM had been staying there. Interesting and a little unnerving but I decides to stay anyhow. I'll be looking at my wiring over the next few days. We have it hooked hot to where the bug starts just fine, but does not turn off with the switch. To get by until home I simply let my foot off the clutch with my foot on the brake and killed the engine. I averaged 65mph at 34mpg. Quite pleased. Such a great experience and adventure. Some of the most amazing scenery I've ever seen. Very happy that I was forced to stop Thursday night or I would not have seen the Virgin River Gorge in the sunlight. Breathtaking. I want to give you my sincerest thanks and appreciation for your kindness and assistance. It is a breath of fresh air to know that in this world there are still good people like you and your family out there. I paid it forward in Utah in an area where there were no services for over 100 miles. A kid younger than I was on the opposite side of I70 trying to flag down vehicles, but none had stopped. Desolate area with his very elderly grandfather in the car and they had run out of gas. Luckily for them that I had a gas can with me and that I had told myself that I would not pass anyone broke down after encountering your help. I gave them a couple gallons of gas and watched them drive off down the road. It felt good to help someone in need. Good to be home and thank you again for everything.
Sincerely,
Adam S.

Omaha, NE

I hope to be as selfless as my dad. There were a million things I could think of that I would have rather been doing that night, namely, seeing my son who I hadn't seen all week. But sometimes we need to put other's needs in front of our own. My dad has been a great example to me of that. And the sweet follow up we received in return touched my heart. Serve someone. You never know how it may touch their lives, and it's especially great when they pay it forward! 

God is good. 

"When ye are in the service of you fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God."

Mosiah 2:17