Coasting Uphill

During the transfer on October 22, 2015, we experienced the continuing blessings the Lord sends to his missionaries. Driving north on I-5 about 3 miles from Grants Pass, OR, we ran out of gas. The van, pulling the mission trailer, came to a stop as far out of the lane as the road allowed. This resulted in a distance of 5 to 7 feet from the many semi’s and tractor trailer rigs that were zooming past at 65 miles an hour.  We contacted missionaries in Grants Pass to bring us some fuel, and when it arrived we thanked the missionaries who volunteered to put the gas in but declined and Elder Phipps, one of the senior missionaries took the gas can and made the attempt.

In order to access the gas cap, you have to have the driver’s door opened, so I held the door against the constant pull of the wind created by the traffic as Elder Phipps tried to get the gas poured into the tank. It seems with this late model van, there is a special funnel that you need to get the gas in the tank. We couldn’t find it, but we tried as best we could, and despite our efforts, the gas only ran back out and onto the ground. Giving the can back to the elders, Elder Phipps asked them to get more gas, and suggested to me that we try the engine. It started and we moved back onto the road way, almost immediately we ran out again. We were coming around a corner and I decided to just let the van coast until it stopped, hoping to find a better place to work on the problem.

When the van finally came to a stop, I turned to Elder Phipps and asked him if he had just seen what happened. He had, and was trying to process it. The van stopped running as we came around the corner, but continued to roll, uphill pulling a trailer for about 300 yards. It coasted at a constant rate until it arrived at a wide area where we could safely work. As I sat there, I had the impression, almost hearing the words, “okay, you are now safe, solve the problem.”

While Elder Phipps worked on the problem of how to get the gas in the tank, I contacted the missionaries in Medford and asked them to come and get the two sisters we were trying to deliver there, and we already had missionaries from Grants Pass to help with the Elders going there. Elder Phipps discovered a method that opened the access pipe to the tank, and when the gas arrived, was able to slowly get some gas in the tank. The Medford elders arrived, baggage was transferred and we were all on our way, humbled and amazed at what had just transpired.