So Friday evening I was washing my car and I was looking at my driver side rear tire and found a nail in it! So we took my car to Firestone to have them look at it while we would be in Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday for my cousin's wedding.
They were able to fix the tire without replacing it and we picked up the car Sunday afternoon. Then I left Sunday a little after 2 to get back to Champaign by 4:15. As soon as I got onto 294 I noticed a noise coming from the left rear tire. It sounded almost like a wobble noise and the faster I drove the louder and faster the wobble got. It was really weird!! I also noticed the car was jolting more....I wasn't sure what it mean, but I kept driving on 294 and then onto 57. The noise was so loud I couldn't take it.
I tried spending time with God by singing along with the worship music and praying to Him but it was impossible because I was so distracted. I tried to pray against the fear, but it wouldn't go away, and then I just started having visions in my head of something happening to the car, and something in my heart said "You need to pull over soon." So I pulled over at the first Rest Area off of 57.
I called my dad and told him what awas going on. He told me to check the wheel and I did, and it seemed fine, then I took the hub cap off. That's when I noticed three of the four lug nuts were loose! Firestone forgot to tighten the lug nuts on that tire and so I had been driving for 40 minute with a tire not all the way tight on my car! My dad told me I'd have to jack the car up and tighten up the lug nuts.
And....that's when I started crying. Yes, I was being a girl, but it's scary when you are practically in the middle of not being around anyone (I was an hour from home and an hour from school) and being all alone. I felt so helpless, I probably looked so funny to people passing by--here a girl on the phone trying to jack up her car. I did figure out how to use the jack thing and lift the car off the ground. But then there was confusion between my dad and I concerning the lug nuts and the threads, and I got frustrated and more helpless.
Then out of no where a car parked on the other side of my and a man came out of the car around the back and asked me "What's wrong? Do you need help?" Now the way this guy came to help me, it seemed as if he pulled off of the interstate into the rest area knowing I was here and needed help, because he got out of the car and went straight to me without hesitation. Of course I hesitated a bit, but he was so reassuring writing down his phone numer and address for me to give my dad if he wanted. I think the guy just wanted me to know he wasn't a creeper. He said that yup the lug nuts were loose and that is was good I pulled off the road when I did. The wheel could have come completely loose...and who knows what could have happened! I was so thankful for the help.
Once I got back on the road, it was sooo much better, no more wobbly noise. I'm so grateful God impressed on my heart the urgency to stop, and put that man in my way to help me. It wa a crazy story, but I know God was protecting me.
