Not Just Endure, But Endure Well

"After much tribulation comes the blessings."  However, we're not a tribulation-kind-of-a couple.

Two weeks ago we gave up our car to have a minor repair job. The trim on one of the back doors was catching on the front door when opened, causing the trim to come off.  The mission office elders told us: "You'll have your car back in four days".  "Four days just to fix some trim? Kind of a long time, but no problem...well, kind of  'no problem'. We'll try to endure".  We anxiously waited for the said Friday when our car would be returned.  "Sorry, no car until Tuesday."  You've got to be kidding! It's just a little trim adjustment.  Meanwhile without a car, we were holed up in our apartment working on member records. When we did get brave and venture out into the hot, humid world, we would always arrive at our destination literally soaked in sweat....even when using umbrellas. Not a pretty picture. But the fact that we arrived safely was a blessing:  1) There are no sidewalks anywhere.  2) The streets are very narrow and crowded.  3) Pedestrians are at the bottom of the "traffic food chain".  4) There are roaming dogs everywhere.  One morning one was trotting down the street towards me.  He didn't look very menacing, so I wasn't worried.  Wrong! He lunged towards me, growled, and then innocently continued trotting on.  I began sweating twice as much.

We needed transportation to the rural town of "Piddig" to give piano lessons on Saturday night, so the mission office elders loaned us their diesel pickup for the evening.  Not very dignified for a senior couple, but it got us there and back.

With much tribulation, we made it to Tuesday.  "Whew, we made it!"  Not quite! "Sorry no car until Friday." Again, "You've got to be kidding!" Like we said, we're not a tribulation-kind-of-a couple.  I have a feeling where there's murmuring during the tribulation, the blessings don't come. At this point, we stopped anxiously looking forward to Friday and said, "We'll believe it when we see it". So when Friday arrived and the word from the mission office was, "Your car will be ready tomorrow," we just thought, "Whatever!"  But our car was finally returned to us on Saturday.  Elder Eddington and I couldn't get enough of our blessed car!  Between piano lessons, we just sat in it, enjoying the air conditioning while eating our favorite pandesal treat. We bought them hot at a little bakery two doors down from the stake center.

Lessons learned:
1) Appreciate what you have.

We love our car!

2) Appreciate what the young elders and sisters do every day: missionary work without cars.
3) Continue to recognize that going on splits with the young missionaries is a blessing to us as well as them.  They appreciate having transportation.....especially air conditioned transportation.
4) Have a food storage program in place.  We filled our cupboards with a week's worth of food before we gave up our car....not dreaming we would need a two-week's supply.  It's almost impossible to fit two huge Americans into a tricycle, much less two huge Americans plus even one bag of groceries.

Food, glorious food!

4) Recognize that all tribulations do eventually come to an end.  If we endure tribulation well, we will be better off than complaining all the way.  But that's a lesson yet to be learned.  The mission office elders can attest to that.  I'm sure they were tired of hearing my complaints....especially since I wouldn't let it drop.  The other day the mission office elders and Elder Eddington were discussing whether or not the car needed an oil change. I piped up saying, "Oh sure, so we can be without a car for another two weeks?"

Love, Elder and Sister Eddington