Hidden Acts of Service

A recent message about Hidden Acts of Service has changed my mind about this blog.  I hope to continue to assist people along the road when I'm driving, but when I do, I will do it privately.  

Thank you readers for being a part of this journey.  This blog was an exciting experiment, but it confused my motivations and made me question the reasons why I did it.  My goal was never to glorify myself, and yet I had to fight that temptation.

I really recommend the video.  Check it out.  I wish I could embed it, but follow the link and watch for yourself.  It is very well done!

Aloha and Mahalo, the end of the road has come,

Rich

Been a while...

I haven't written for a while now. I had a crisis of confidence in my motivation. Am I doing this for the wrong reasons? I still don't know, but this morning I was nearly forced to stop, so I did. It felt good.

As I approached the middle street merge area, I saw a young lady on the side of the road, her car's hood up and she was on the cellphone. I was late for work and in the center lane and although I felt sorry for her I wasn't planning to stop.

Then the blue Acura in front of me stopped dead in my lane. Soon his hazard lights came on and I realized he was having trouble. I kicked on the amber flasher and got out to check on him. Right then someone else came to help to so we pushed his car off to the side of the road, getting him out of the dangerous traffic. I ran back to my truck and got it off the road too and checked on both stalled cars.

The Acura just died. He had gas and battery and was not overheating and he just called his dad to help. I walked over to the young lady and inquired if she was OK, and likewise her dad was on the way. As is typical, there was really nothing else I could do.

I said my "goodbyes" and "be carefuls" and got back on the road, very late for work now, but I called the boss and he said "no problem."

It's frustrating not being able to always solve the problem. I keep lots of resources with the truck (tools, water, gas, a battery-jumper, air compressor, duct tape) but if there is something mechanically wrong with the car, a call and a tow is about all that can be done. I was surprised how many times people with cellphones just wave off help. It happens a lot!

Maybe I'll start to stop again (that sounds funny). Stay tuned.

Ouch

Teaching about Giving to the Needy

Matt 6:1-4

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

2-hours waiting for help!

I just pulled over to help a young nurse that had blown out a rear tire near the airport. (She told me her name, but now I've forgotten.) She called her brother to come help, but they were having problems understanding each other in regards to her location. Her cellphone was nearly dead when I arrived.

I offered to wait with her until her brother arrived, but started looking at the tire and asking if she had a spare. She did, but it was flat! I used my compressor to reinflate it and started to change the tire. I felt like a total rookie using her jack! I kept thinking I was doing something wrong, but I couldn't figure it out. Finally got the car jacked up, and her old tire off, and just as I was putting her emergency spare on her brother arrived! He took over lowering the car and I finally saw what I was doing wrong with the jack. I was so embarrassed!

I said my goodbyes (nearly forgetting my compressor!), they said thanks and I was back on the road.

Jeremy & Cisco

I just pulled over to help Jeremy and Cisco, because they ran out of gas, shortly after getting off the freeway. I was able to give them the gas they needed, but because the van was on a slope, it wasn't getting to the fuel line. We had Cisco back up to a flatter spot and then rocked the car while he started it. It took some coaxing, but eventually they were on their way back to Waipahu.

Nice Lady in Need

I just pulled over to help a Jennifer Wong, owner of CNA Senior Transport. Her vehicle had blown out a front tire on the driver side. She was in a very bad place and much too close to oncoming highway traffic to work on it. She had called AAA and because of her safety, she also called the police to ask if she should stay with the car or find a safer spot. I offered to stay with her until help arrived. Maybe my blinking light might help people see the situation earlier. We only talked for about 10 minutes before the helpful AAA tow truck rolled up and she started the paper work.

The van is used to help transport our senior citizens about town, and I guess when there was a problem, they had to transfer their client to another van. That could have been very difficult if they were wheelchair bound, but fortunately that was not the case, and they were able to get their client quickly under way again. She struck me as a very compassionate and intelligent lady.

During our conversation she asked me how I was funded. That kind of made me laugh inside. "I'm not" I said with a grin.

Black Jag

Hi Everybody, its 8 a.m. on September 11th Tuesday and I just pulled over to help a black Jaguar that was in distress. I was leaving Mililani and the person declined assistance. He had somebody coming already from Jaguar. He thanked me for stopping, so that's the latest! Aloha -Rich.
Click here to listen

Powered by Jott.com - Try it at 1 (866) JOTT123 -

Bad Crash

This accident stopped traffic for miles. I didn't stop because by the time I got there authorities were on the scene. It's hard to see, but behind the pickup is an overturned SUV! Yikes!

Smoke... Not Good.

I came across this elderly couple with the hood up in the parking lot of Zippys. They were on the phone and had someone coming. There was unknown smoke coming from the engine compartment. Known or unknown, smoke is NOT good.

Nothing I could do to help...again. Anyone else seeing a pattern?

Good Samaritan's final act

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A central Iowa woman said she saw a Good Samaritan dying two hours after he had helped her fix her flat tire, reported KCCI-TV in Des Moines. Police said Rick Byrkett, 53, of Des Moines, ran northbound across Euclid Avenue and into the path of a truck. Amy Conlin said that Byrkett had spent the last hours of his life helping a stranger.

Conlin was on her way to a friend's house for dinner when she hit a median on the street.

"Right here, right there is where I popped the tire," she said, standing near the spot. Byrkett, who was walking by, stopped to help. "He came up and said, 'You ladies need some help?' I said, 'sure,' and so he changed the tire for me," she said. "He said he enjoys doing nice things for other people so maybe if he's in need, maybe someone will stop and help him out. That's what he said."

Fifteen minutes later, Conlin and Byrkett parted ways. Neither of them knew that two hours later, Conlin would be stopping for Byrkett.

"Yeah, I did stop because I knew. I knew it was him. I knew it was," she said.

Police said Byrkett had been hit by a pickup while crossing the street. Conlin was on her way home and drove through the intersection where the accident happened moments before.

"I yelled his name, and he grunted," she said.

Conlin watched him being loaded into an ambulance. He died later at the hospital. She said she's thankful she had a chance to know him even if it was for only 15 minutes.

"I appreciate what he did for me. You know, take his example and move on with his example to help others," she said.