The Big Truck

I write this story so that my posterity can share in my testamony of the power of prayer.

I believe it was the year 2004 My wife Carly and I had decided after much tribulation to follow our spirits and move to where I served my mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The area I served in was the Idaho Pocatello Mission which Encompassed West Yellow Stone, Salmon Idaho, Idaho falls, Rexburg, Black foot , Pocatello, and the Burley area to give you a geographical location. We were relocating because I had just endured major business problems caused by poor local econmic climate that was combined with the events of the NY twin tower terrorism of Sept 11. All of these combined to cause out of work individuals to enter into the landscape and service business. This caused mass underbidding in the industry which led to everyone loosing large contracts to inexperienced business people who neither carried business insurance, busness licences or taxes. As a consequence I began to pray and decided to return to where I remembered being the happiest in my life. This happened to be when I was a missionary. So We  prayerfully set a goal and got our affairs in order and left Mobile Alabama headed across Missisppi taking the southern route to avoid the mountains because it was Christmas and we wanted to avoid the Ice and Snow. For the relocation we rented the largest 26 ft diesel  truck and pulled a 16 ft enclosed trailer. We were loaded down to the max. As we made our treck across Mississippi and entered into Lousianna I neglected to follow my rule and let the truck get below a half of a tank. Time passed and the truck began to run very low on fuel. It became a very serious moment and I decided to take the next exit I came upon. Well as fate would have it, I made the wrong decision and turned the Road train of a truck heading away from the gas station. When you are driving a rig that is approaching 50 ft in length you need a country mile to turn it around not a country road. So as we are traveling out into what looks like the boon docks We see a little church on the left hand side of the road with a large flat Majestic field with a convienient drive off of the road. I saw the opportunity to pull the truck across the field and enter the parking lot for which there was no curbing. I neglected to take into account the fact that we had just endured a week of heavy rains and Lousiannna is loaded with clay instead of sand. For those of you who have never experienced clay. When dry it is hard as cement but when it becomes saturated It is very sticky, very heavy and very soft. Well this field was made up of such a material covered with beautiful grass. As I pulled onto the field I quickly realized I was in trouble.
I immediately shifted the truck into a low gear and we were able to make it all the way across the field until we were about 15 ft from the safety of the parking lot when the truck and trailer sank about a foot into the clay. I jumped out of the truck and quickly realized I was in trouble when immediately 10 pounds of clay bonded to each of my shoes. I got a shovel to try to help my situation when my wife with panic in her voice asked. Dewayne what are we going to do? I answered " I dont know" I said just get into the cab and pray. No sooner had she offered up a prayer to the Lord and finished and opened her eyes a young man pulled up into the parking lot with a Brand new heavy duty Dodge Dualy wheel  Deisel truck with a huge chain in the back. He offered to help us with a smile.
We hooked the chain to the big truck and I put it in gear and with the help of my new friend we pulled our load to the center of the parking lot. I immediately hugged him and thanked him. And when we were back into the truck we offered a prayer thanking the Lord for his tender mercies on us that day.