Hartwell, GA - Part One

 THE BREAKDOWN

On October 26, 2024 Diana and I loaded up Ranger, Sammy, and Ruby, hitched up the RV Toy Hauler to our 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 truck and headed to Georgia for two weeks of volunteer work at Heart Well House 1.  Folks from the Ekklesia of Columbia City, Indiana volunteered to take their Tear Drop Camper, Motor Home, and Toy Hauler to Heart Well House 1 for two weeks of work on refurbishing the home for trafficked girls.  That Saturday we drove from our home in Columbia City, Indiana to Nashville, Tennessee.  We had planned to stop for the night at the Love's Truck Stop in Nashville.  However, by the time we arrived the parking spaces were all filled.  So, we drove on to Murphysboro, Tennessee.  There we found a Walmart parking lot and Boondocked for the night.  The next morning we headed out planning to arrive at the Heart Well House 1 by afternoon.  

About an hour out of Murphysboro the truck's transmission started having a problem.  The automatic transmission did not want to shift out of fourth gear.  I stopped the truck, turned off the engine, and then restarted it.  This seemed to have fixed the problem.  But just a few more miles down the freeway it happened again!  We pulled over at a turn-out place, stopped the truck, and prayed asking the Lord to help us. The Lord certainly was watching over us, because right where we pulled over there was an exit that that led to a Truck Stop.  The truck parking area was nearly empty as it was now mid-morning.  All the overnight truck drivers were already back on the road.  We backed into one of the empty parking spaces.

I went inside the Convenience Store and told them our situation, and asked if there was a mechanic on duty.  They said no, but there was a mobile mechanic who comes to their Truck Stop to work on the semis.  I got his number and called him.  He came to our truck about an hour later.  After diagnosing the problem he determined that it as a solenoid inside the transmission, and told us that he could not repair it.  I asked him if there were any garages nearby who worked on transmissions.  He gave me a number of one and I called them.  They said that they could not do any work inside the transmission case and gave me the number for Stan McNabb Dodge Dealership, in Tullahoma, TN about 15 miles away.  Their mechanic's shop was closed on Sundays.  So, first thing Monday morning I called the the Dodge Dealer.  Neil, the Assistant Service Manager said he did not know for certain if they could fix it or not. I told him of our predicament and that we were on our way to Georgia to do volunteer work on a home for trafficked girls.  He promised me he would do everything possible to get us back on the road as soon as possible.  So I unhitched the the R.V, and on Monday, October 28, leaving Diana, Sammy, Ranger, and Ruby sitting in the R.V. at the Truck Stop, I drove 15 miles through the mountains in fourth gear to the Dodge Dealership.

I left the truck with their Service Department and Neil had one of their drivers take me back to the R.V. at the Truck Stop.  They diagnosed the problem and determined that it was indeed a solenoid in the lower pan of the transmission.  Unfortunately, they did not have a replacement part in stock, but he did locate one at another Dodge Dealer in Huntsville, Alabama.  He sent their driver to pick up the needed part. We sat at the Truck Stop all day Monday and Tuesday as they repaired the truck.  On Wednesday, October 30, our truck repair was completed and the driver from the dealership came to take me back their Service Department.  The bill was $4,200.00 for parts and labor!  I asked if this was for an entirely new transmission?  He said no, that would have been over $9,000.00!  After sharing our breakdown with the Ekklesia without asking for financial help, through several folk's generosity we received $3,800.00 covering 90% of the mechanics repair bill!  Praise Jesus! 

Here is a short video, taken at the Truck Stop where we were parked for three nights: