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Recently we were the recipients of a substantial blessing, you can hear Bob Barker saying it, “A neeeew CAR!” (well “new” to us anyways). Last year our family vehicle began making some troubling noises and days later Emily and Micah were stranded along side the road while the van sat overheating and nearing “the end.” I showed up only to muster a few more miles out of her until she coasted to a smokey stop about 1 mile from the mechanic. The diagnosis “a dead engine.”
Now how to get another car? This is one of the most formidable questions to ask on our island. In fact, we literally don’t know how Bahamians can afford it (you should see some of the nice cars on this island). The government doesn’t charge income tax over here or sales tax, but they do have import duty, and on a vehicle it runs you 85% of the worth of the car (not “cost” of the car but “worth” and that value is determined in a manner that sometimes appears quite subjective). When you add up the shipping, freight, and tax (not to mention repairs etc), you are literally purchasing whatever car you buy TWICE!
Since our missionary budget doesn’t have major expenses built into it we knew that a replacement car was going to be a matter of prayer. And so we prayed and prayed… Micah was even praying – he just loved his old van that we went camping in that one time! But it seemed like nothing was happening and at every avenue of opportunity the only answer was waiting.
This short article is just a post to acknowledge God’s providential provision and deepest gratitude and lesson learned that it takes an entire church community and network to make something like receiving a new car happen. Since we have only a meager amount of money to afford the car we depended on God and His people for aid. In what turned out to be almost the very last chance, we got an email from a new church relationship that there was a family that had decided to donate a van to us. At almost the exact same time an old college roommate emailed with a donation to cover the shipping costs. A day later, our home church had a check ready for the “best case scenario” for the duty costs covered for us.
However, once the van was appraised our “best case scenario” was gone and it was back to prayer to clear this new “miracle car” from customs. Then in the course of a few days our other home church and some dear loved ones said they’d help us finish the costs to move the car off the dock and into our front yard.
Now its here, and in the blink of an eye, this new blessing was carting around students and family up and down the island, being used for the exact purpose God knew what we needed! We thank and praise Him for what everyone did to give us this blessing. And if any of you come and visit, we promise you won’t have to ride in the back of the truck bed!
God’s ways are not ours, and yet His promise to provide for us is resolute. Its in the trusting that we learn what faith feels like and its in the receiving that we’er moved to speechless humility. Thank you to everyone who helped make our new car possible.