Well, It's all over...

Elder Liechty,

I am sorry to report that your driving privileges have been suspended for the remainder of your mission. If missionaries are involved in any preventable accident that requires a claims adjuster or that could lead to litigation or action against the Church, they automatically lose their driver certification and are not allowed to drive again during their mission. Any exceptions must be approved by the Missionary Department after all the facts have been reviewed. Your certification has been revoked as of 22Dec2010.

While you are waiting for your car to be repaired, no car will be reassigned!!* While waiting for the repair of your vehicle, you and your companion are essentially walking*. Once the vehicle is repaired, Elder Stokes will be the designated driver.

Elder Paulson

*Emphasis added

Sooo.. while driving down a unlit gravel road covered in snow and ice, late at night, somewhere on a farm in backwoods Saskatcha'bush'... I some how crashed our car in a ditch. Oh yeah. And it was overcast too.

And now that its happened, and I have officially lost my driving privileges and every ounce of pride I once had... I have nothing to do but laugh with 'em.

It was stupid. But it makes a GREAT story.

We got stuck. We got REAL stuck. Not just "grab your ford pick up and a ratchet tie" stuck. Im talking tow-truck-rocking, more-damage-getting-out-than-

in stuck. It was bad... I mean good! Stuck real good.

I tend to exaggerate, I know. But trust me, although I AM exaggerating, im doing it that much.

And yes we caught air. At LEAST a few inches.

I told the police i was going about 50-60 ks. (not to fast.. for a back road) But that was just a guess. I had no idea how fast I was going. Probably closer to 60 than 50.

Anyway. We were coming back from a lesson that lasted far too long, with a less active member who lives much to far away from our home. The only reason we were visiting him was because it was on our way back from the baptism.

It was about 9:00 and we still had 45 min till we would be home. Anyway. He lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere. And we were driving down his... driveway? (its like a road leading to his house, but its half a mile long." Well, thats supposed to lead us back to the road that takes us to the main road. Problem is, his driveway? "T"s when it comes to this road. I didnt see the "T" soon enough. And... Breaks... Slide... Ditch... Crash...

You get it.

many phone calls later we were on our way home. The member and his wife were SO helpful and I will always be grateful. We were given permission to drive one of their cars home, after a failed attempt to get our car out. He even went to get his bobcat.. and he got it stuck! there is a LOT of snow out in the middle of nowhere.

So. the next day we came and got everything sorted out and got the tow guy and figured out a ride for us and it took the whole day. Super lame, and gave me a head ache.

So the week was lame. Because we had to walk.. But we were still able to do a bunch of stuff for Christmas and people have been nice to take us places. Its been good. I feel bad.. but not that much.