10-4 Magazine November 2024

10-4 Magazine / November 2024 69 He also told us a story about a trucker who had parked in Rosedale, waiting to deliver his load. The driver woke up feeling cold water, and opened his curtain to find the cab was filled with water. He had no choice but to stay, because the water around him was so swift, he would have drowned had he got out. The truck, trailer, and load were a total loss, but the driver survived. We would like to tell you about our friend Lefty. His nickname comes from the fact his right arm is gone. When he was 14 years old, he was the victim of a hit and run accident, but that did not stop him from getting his CDL when he was 18 years old. Over the next 25 years, he enjoyed driving trucks, operating heavy equipment, and even drove a tow truck for a few years. But, after driving for 25 years, they changed the rules for amputees a few years ago, which made it harder for him to keep his CDL, so he no longer drives. And if all that is not enough, he is currently battling skin cancer. But there is no pity party from him, only determination to beat whatever life throws at him, with the motto, “God has a purpose for me being here.” Amen. We have friends and so many other people across the country pitching in and collecting loads of supplies and hauling them down to the affected areas. When a disaster strikes, Mickey Gwillim of Carlinville, IL is always one of the first to fill a trailer with donations and take it wherever it needs to be. Pastor Gary Sheets of the Blessing of the Trucks and Pastor at the Middlebury Church of the Nazarene is working with Pastor Scott Thompson and the University Parkway Baptist Church in Johnson City, TN, collecting drinking water to deliver to the affected areas (one load has already been delivered). Our friend and fellow 10-4 contributor Trevor Hardwick, in conjunction with his church and help from his friend and our past 10-4 cover trucker Gus Hulstein, are also filling a trailer with supplies to deliver. Individuals, churches, and various organizations across the country are collecting loads of donations to send to people and families that have lost so much or, in many cases, everything they own. They are working off lists of what people need besides water, food and medicine. Now that it’s getting colder, blankets, warm clothes, and outerwear have become a higher priority. It makes me proud as an American to see people everywhere stepping up and giving whatever they can. We’ve heard and read so many stories of people who have been affected themselves, telling people bringing them supplies, to give them to someone else who needs them more than they do. That’s pretty awesome. Our friends Rick and Linda Widdle took a load to North Carolina, and before they got there, he couldn’t believe people were turning away donations. But, when they got there, they totally understood. Parking lots by churches and other types of businesses where stacked high with cases of water and other supplies. Many places where the donations are going have no room to put things, because they are not set up for this kind of large-scale operation. But, it’s not keeping themfrom doing the best they can, putting together supplies, and using any means available to get them to the people in isolated areas. Now there are warehouses being used as hubs for donations, and this will make it easier to store, separate, and put together what people need most.