Sharing Vehicle Preparedness and More on ALR Podcast

In Episode 57 of the Armed Lutheran podcast,  Aaron Israel gave us a tip about being prepared for emergencies while we’re in our vehicles. I want to add one thing to his tip. When you prepare your vehicle and emergency kits for the vehicle be sure to test them out. Learn how to use them. Ensure you know what to do with those items when needed.

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When I was a young girl my dad taught me how to change a tire. Over the years, I’ve needed to change tires several times. Even one time when I was eight months pregnant with my daughter. It’s an essential skill to learn. Dads, and moms, please teach your daughters, and sons, how to do this.

One day my daughter and I were out hunting in an area with no cell service. That’s where many of the best hunting spots are. We got to our hunting spot before daylight. As we unloaded and were preparing our gear, I noticed the tire was leaking and going flat. I looked at it, and with it being so early in the morning and chilly out, I said, “Let’s go hunt a while and then we’ll come back and change the tire.”

We hunted in the morning, came back, and had a snack. Then, I pulled out the lug wrench, jack, and other items and prepared to change the tire. This is where we ran into a few complications. The lug wrench that came with my Toyota Tacoma didn’t fit the lugs on my tire. Yep. both were stock items that came with the vehicle. No aftermarket add-ons here. They didn’t fit.

This lug wrench was just a single bar. When he taught me, my dad said, “Get a star; it’s better for leverage.” Here’s another tip.  A “star,” also known as a 4-way, is excellent because it fits multiple-sized lugs.

It’s not fun to hunt where there are a lot of people. We decided to limp the truck out of this dusty jeep road far enough to get a few bars of signal and send a text message. We got a message from somebody. While waiting, a wildlife officer came and asked about our status. She got her lug wrench out, and it didn’t fit our lugs either.

Eventually, the day went by, and we got a star wrench. We got the lugs off. We got the tire changed, and everything ended up okay. My daughter learned how to change a tire. Since then, she’s also needed to utilize the skill.

The story’s moral is that dads and moms need to pass on these skills. Teach your children to be self-sufficient and independent. Please, learn how to change a tire. Get your gear ready. Test the gear before you need it. Always be prepared.