Gifts of the Heart via Car Batteries

Last month I actually wrote 5 posts but am just now getting around to finalizing the editing of them. Here is one of them.

As a single person, one of my biggest fear is that of my car breaking down, especially in adverse conditions.
Recentlyin September, our stake had our (second) annual Gifts of the Heart, an event in which people in the stake donate various household and clothing items. The item are then up for grabs- for free- to local members, friends and neighbors.

This is a large endeavor, Friday Night people drop off their items, and then people come "shopping" on Saturday. So Friday I was lucky to finish work on time to get to the stake center to help set up items. I parked in one of the spaces near the building, in order to have an easier time in carrying my donations into the building.

Shortly before the stake center parking lot was "open" for donation drop-offs, our stake relief society president asked me to move my car, in order to clear the route of the drive through drop off. When I went to move my car, IT WOULD NOT START!!! The battery was totally and completely dead. And corroded, I soon discovered.

I had planned to have one of the sisters help jump start my car. And then I'd hoped to take it to the local auto store the next morning, before our event, to get a new battery. And if that didn't work out (ie if the car didn't start Saturday AM, I was going to get a ride to the stake center and then deal with the car after our event). That was my plan, and it seemed like a good one.

But someone made a comment that me worry that something else could be wrong with the car. So I asked one of the brothers in our Bishopric who was at the volunteer event, and who is known for being good at fixing cars, just to see what he thought about my car's predicamant, ie to see if he thought this was just a battery issue or if it could be something else (ie something very costly).

I felt such gratitude that he not only looked at the car but that he went above and beyond to help me replace the battery- that very evening. His called his teen age daughters and they brought his tools to remove the battery. He and another brother took quite a bit of time to remove the old battery. And then he drove me to Wal-Mart to help pick out the new battery. And then we drove back to the church parking lot and he installed the new battery! My car worked! And then he insisted I call him and his family to let them know I made it safely home. (I only live one mile from the church!) It is so hard for me to ask for and receive help from others. I like to help others but it is extremely hard for me to ask for help from others, and I sincerely appreciate his service and time in doing this, as well as that of his family.

I also appreciated the timing of the death of the car battery. I was able to get to our set-up and do my job, and I wasn't left stranded at work or worse on the road. I just wish there were timers that told you how much battery is left.

This whole experience is another reminder to me that I need to do better and develop my skills so I can improve in my ability to help others and so that hopefully one day I can likewise go the extra mile the way this brother did and  have more to offer others in my attempts to serve them.