Gus

I can't remember how much I've shared about our quest for a car. Forgive me if I repeat myself.

These faces pretty much describe how it has been going. :-)

First, we had a lead on a cheap, rebuilt transmission.

We could get it and have it installed for around $500.

Evidently God didn't want this to happen because that weekend the man's garage burned to the ground with "our" transmission in it.

Couldn't get much clearer direction that that. :-)

After talking to a few mechanics we respect, we gave the car up for lost and donated it.

Now what?

Dustin's Grandma offered to loan us money for a new one, so we started looking.

Not wanting a huge payment every month because the funds just aren't there, our selection was limited.

It seemed everything we called on had just been sold or was junk.

Dustin had very little time to look as he was either working or helping me.

Frustrating.

If my grandma hadn't loaned us her van in the meantime it would have been much worse.

Praise the Lord for grandmas!

Still unsure what we were going to do we headed out to Chicago.

While there, we received an e-mail from some friends we met in college ministry days.

They had a car they were going to get rid of. Nothing fancy. It got you from point A to point B.

If we still needed a car they wanted to give it to us.

There is nothing better than free.

Yesterday we went to their house and picked up our new '93 Dodge Shadow. :-)

Is it fancy?

No.

But beauty is all in the eye of the beholder.

To us it is an amazing little car because it is an answer to prayer.

We asked God for a car that got us from point A to point B.

He provided in a very unexpected way.

A way that didn't put us under any more financial strain.

A way that built our faith in the fact that He is indeed watching out for us.

Including tax, title, license, and new windshield wipers (which cost ten times what the car did) we spent a whopping $44 yesterday.


Here he is. I affectionately named him Gus.

You have to name old cars, it is a rule of mine.

New ones, no.

They don't have enough personality.

They are shiny boxes that house smooth running motors.

Nothing unpredictable about them - not that I mind that.

Old cars.... they have seen a lot.

They have quirks.

Gus, even though I don't know him very well yet, feels like a quirky car. :-)

A quirky car that is a huge blessing.

Thanks Jeff and Anna for meeting a need!