“Where are you going?” He asked, then said, “did you notice you have a flat tire?”  A flat tire? Yes, the last of the air was rushing out. I had just left the school headed to town to get some much needed supplies. Since I had been gone for so long there was a lot of things that needed to be done and a trip to town was one of them. So turning around I made it back to the school and began to fix my tire. I had another tube for it so I put that on.

But shortly after starting out again on the rough roads,the tire blew again. So I went on to the next village to ask if anyone could fix it there. “No, we don’t have anything to fix it with here.” was the answer from everyone. So I continued on my way. In town I had the tire fixed and ordered a new stronger tire so that I won’t have to go though this again. Already I had gotten two flat tires in one trip!

I was just praising God for being with me on the way out as I thought about how as I was rounding a corner and looked ahead, I was just in time to see a tiger standing in the middle of the trail! When he saw me he turned and ran quietly of into the jungle. Or, when the chain came off the bike and locked up the rear tire and almost broke the chain. When that happened, God was good and I was near a creek where I could wash everything and fix it and make it out with out too much trouble.

So after buying everything I needed I came back and got the weed eater that I had brought from my parents place and a can of gas and headed up the road towards home. Just as I turned onto the road heading up here there was another explosion and my tire went flat. It was already getting later in the day, so I went back and fixed it with a totally new tire, thinking that I didn’t want this to happen again. So, after getting it fixed I started up the road again. Up and down the hills, through the rivers, through the mud, then just after I passed the ranger station, it happened again…the forth flat tire. I couldn’t believe it! Is the road really that hard on tires or what?

So after pushing it back to the ranger station I took my backpack, the weed eater, and the gas and started up the road. It was already late and I knew I would have to walk the last bit in the dark. When I got to the next village, it was already after dark, so I left the weed eater and gas at a friends place and went on with just my backpack.

As I was struggling up the last mountain I couldn’t help but think of just how good God was in letting the tire go flat at the only place along the road that I could leave it with safety! And, for giving me strength and determination to say that failure is not and option. We all face difficulties but do we allow the difficulties to overcome us, or do we overcome the difficulties though Jesus Christ? Every time we face problems they are for our good that we might trust in the only one that can save us from them. 

This is a time of thanksgiving where we are thankful for the harvest that the Lord has given us. And I look forward to the day when we will have that great thanksgiving party in heaven with our Lord and Savior. But are we thankful to God when in the middle of gathering in the grain the clouds burst forth in a down pour? When things are falling apart all around with tigers, snakes, flat tires and trouble on every side? Are we secure and have our faith wholly in Jesus? Or do we only thank him when things are going good when there is no risk of failure? We may never succeed if we only act when there seems to be no risk of failure. Our God is the God of the impossible and he delights to help us do the impossible…that which he has told us to do.

I hope everyone has had a great thanksgiving and is thankful to God for everything that he has done in their lives. And don’t forget to thank him for bringing you through the trials too!

          Travis