I guess it was my recent accident that got me to thinking about cars. I'm glad God sees people as a higher priority than vehicles. In my case I walked out alive from a very dead vehicle, thanks to God's mercy. My old dead SUV had over 140,000 miles on it ... averaged 23,000 miles a year; most of those miles were driven in Tijuana, as a missionary. Very hard miles!
To be honest, my vehicle was pretty well thrashed; (beat up) from off-road and bad road conditions. The poor live in impossible places ... hard to get in and hard to get out places. Narrow twisty dirt 4X4 trails. Plus a car plum full of people. ( 11 in my little SUV? Often that was the load.)
Jesus said, "The poor we will have with us always," but Jesus did not say it was going to be easy getting to them and their needs.
I look at the happy child above, and he has eternal value ! He's invaluable ! A human life is irreplaceable.
But a car, van or truck has a dollar price tag. It's replaceable.
Yet my beat up Nissan Xterra SUV was a valuable tool. In that car I went to the need. I wonder how many needs I met in those seven years that I had my SUV ... in those hard 140,000 miles.
In Spectrum (Our ministry in Mexico) we are committed to going to the need, never demanding the need come to us. In His Gospel we see Jesus going to the need, never demanding the need come to Him. Jesus was on the road with his Gospel of compassion. (redemption) We're on the road with His Gospel and compassion. (However I don't remember Jesus having to pay for gas!)
One thing for sure, Spectrum's nine old cars and vans in Mexico fit in well with our culture ... but are totally undependable!
Our prayer each trip we take: Lord please get us there and back!
So your prayers protect our vehicles and even make the gas go further ... thank you!
