What This Car Means To Me

You may not believe this, but there are still some very generous people left on this planet.

Take the Thoelkes. A handsome, godly pair of grandparents, members of Antioch community who prayerfully decided to give us their old car once I passed my driving test last year. Yes, not sell, not lend-- GIVE. As in, for free.

Last Thursday, they drove the car all the way up to our house from London and gave us the keys. It's a lovely car. Well-kept, low mileage, trouble-free engine. We love it!

You cannot imagine how ecstatic we were. Because it was given to us for free, we were able to spend the money intended to buy another car on a trip to visit family in California last month! That was a real blessing from the Lord. As expats, it was wonderful to be among loved ones again, to see our children playing (and fighting and making up) with their cousins, to share quiet moments with our parents, siblings, in-laws and friends. That trip deserves a blog entry all to itself!

I drove our car for the first time the day we got the insurance papers, and yesterday I drove the whole family for the first time, and it was meaningful because our first drive was to the Church. It was appropriate, I thought, to make the Church our first stop, as it was God who made it possible for us to have this car, and we wanted to thank Him and to offer the Lord back what this car will allow us to do:

• This car will allow me to serve my family in harsh weather, so they need not walk through rain, hail or 30mph gusts of wind. This morning, there was snow and bitter cold, and as I drove B to school for the first time, I praised God in my heart that he did not have to walk 20 minutes in this weather anymore. B is so thankful to God for our car, and so appreciative of my new driving skills, that just to see him so happy and grateful is more than enough to overwhelm me.
• This car will let me serve God more, as I become more mobile to go to choir practice, volunteer for parish rotas, become more involved in our local community. I plan to sign up for these services soon, and hopefully it will help me to make new friends in our parish.
• This car will let me serve others, as I give people a lift home when they need one. I plan to keep a booster seat in the boot all the time, so I'll always be ready to give lifts to other kids when their mums are busy.
• This car will let us become more active members of Antioch Community, and perhaps even become part of weeknight sharing groups, hopefully soon. I hope I'll be more confident driving on the motorway, so that I can be brave enough to drive on the M1 even at night.
• This car will let me bring my family to so many beautiful places in England. Villages, shops, the countryside. Oh, I have a mental list of all the places where I will drive them! Oh Lord, let it be summer soon, please!

In other words, this car is far more than just four wheels and five seats to us. It opens up for us a completely different world with exciting opportunities and things to explore. We cannot thank God enough for sending the Thoelkes to us, and for this car, which will change the way we live our lives from now on.