Southern Hospitality.(South Carolina citizens go out of their way to help during an automobile breakdown)(Brief Article)

During the holiday season last December, Michael B. Merrill, pastor of the Parma Free Methodist Church in Hilton, New York, and his family decided to take a quick vacation to Florida. All went well until they reached rural South Carolina and their car's transmission suddenly failed. Pastor Merrill recalled in a recent account of their ensuing ordeal, posted on the web-site HeroicStories.com, how they limped to the next exit in second gear and "asked a bread delivery man if he knew anyplace that could help us and he recommended we try Orangeburg, 20 miles away."

The local dealer for their make of car told them that it would take several days, and $2,400, to repair the vehicle. While chatting with another couple who had also suffered a breakdown, the husband suddenly opened his wallet "and gave us several hundred dollars to help with our crisis. He refused to take it back, saying they wanted to simply pass it forward."

With help from several other strangers, Pastor Merrill continues, "we made an appointment for the next morning at a highly recommended local transmission shop owned by Johnny Bell. Also, the "motel gave us a half-price rate," a "car rental place gave us their weekly rate for just ...