Levi and Kevin have spent quite a bit of time in the driveway lately, working on an old Chevy Suburban that we've acquired. Kevin is in the process of trading out his Navigator for an older Suburban with a "bigger engine" (as Samuel loves to say!) In spite of its many broken parts (some of them quite endearing ~ like a driver's seat that rocks back and forth as you drive . . . and some of them just down right funny ~ like having to roll the windows down to reach outside and open the doors!), it is better equipped to haul the travel trailer than the Navigator was. So, we upgraded our sleeping quarters and downgraded our driving digs . . . which probably means we came out even!
Nevertheless, one fun side benefit to this has been having some extra opportunities for Kevin to indulge Levi in his love of working alongside his dad and learning to fix things. Levi enjoys many free time activities, but he will drop WHATEVER he is doing (at any hour, in any weather!) when the opportunity arises to help Kevin with a repair project (in the house, on a car, in the yard, wherever). A few months ago, the lock was broken on our bathroom door (and people kept getting stuck inside accidentally!). Kevin bought a new locking doorknob and handed the package to Levi. Levi replaced it himself in a matter of minutes. We find ourselves frustrated from time to time with his lack of enthusiasm for schoolwork, but really appreciate his willingness and enthusiasm to learn and serve in so many other ways.
When Levi was about five years old, I noticed that he could fix things that I couldn't figure out (clocks, vacuum cleaners, fans, etc). We could see, even at that age, that God has uniquely gifted him to understand how things work and to take great delight in using his mind and hands together to get a job done.
