His has a name and a good heart
August 12, 2009 (Wednesday)
I met the Good Samaritan last night. His name is Hector. Here’s how it happened:
I went to Pearland and had dinner with my son, the Birthday boy, his wife, Janet, their son, Michael, and their daughter, Jennifer and her husband, Stephen, visiting from San Diego, California, where he serves in the U.S. Navy. I started home in my car at 7:00 p.m., making sure I got home before dark, because I don’t see well at night. On the way home, on the Gulf Freeway, I hit an object on the roadway and suddenly a perfectly good front left tire had a rip across the side of it, forever ruined. It should have blown out, but it kept rolling by the grace of God. I began pulling over toward the shoulder, but it was narrow so I kept going to an exit, where I found a quiet street, parked at the curb, then proceeded to change the tire, using my jack and spare for the first time in fifteen years. After some difficulty, I got the damaged tire off and the spare on. But when I let the car down with the jack, the spare was nearly flat. I saw a man in a driveway and asked if he had a pump. He didn’t, but took me in his truck to an auto parts store a mile away, suggesting I buy a can of stuff that puts air and sealant into a tire. I did, we returned to the car, injected the stuff into the tire, and it had enough air then to go back to a service station near the auto parts store for tire air. In the process, I saw my cell phone was missing from its holster on my belt. I searched high and low around and in the car, assuming I lost it in the process of fixing the flat. Could not find it, came home and got here at 9:00 p.m. Got a phone call from Troy Conner, reporting a call from my cell phone. The Good Samaritan found my phone in his truck, then used redial to find Troy. I called my cell phone, talked with the man’s son, who insisted they bring the phone to me, across town, since I can’t see well at night and they were going to be away from home today. At 10:10 last night, the Good Samaritan, his son and wife drove to my house and delivered my phone, absolutely refusing any reward for their good deeds. He said, “Today it is you; tomorrow maybe me. We are friends now,” and at my request he shared his name and phone with me. So, just remember, the name of the Good Samaritan Jesus told us about is Hector. Please, don’t try to tell me the Lord didn’t help me last night. He did. And so did Hector.