We are constantly amazed by the faithfulness and goodness of God's provision, as we seek to obey and acknowledge Him in all our ways. Our van has been acting up for a while, and it recently decided to have a major tantrum. Turns out, the computer was starting to go. Of course, the van is old and has many miles on it, and so pouring money into a major repair like that just didn't seem wise. However, we have many trips to make between here and Salt Lake City or Logan -- and all of them are over steep mountain passes, which our van struggles with on a good day. We'd been starting to save for a replacement vehicle, but this tantrum suddenly sped up the timeline!
After spending time in prayer and seeking much counsel, we applied for a loan and planned a trip to Salt Lake to go car shopping. But God had other plans . . .
On Sunday morning during prayer request time, our pastor announced to the church that we'd be heading to Utah that afternoon to go car shopping. He also mentioned that the church would like to help us out financially, but it would be a few weeks before they could do anything. After church, another member requested that we stick around for a few minutes. He ran a quick errand and, when he came back, asked us to step outside. We did, and he handed us the keys to a used Toyota Sienna!
He owns a body shop in town and the minivan had basically "dropped in his lap." After Pastor's announcement, he felt God impressing him to give it to us. Interestingly enough, it "just happened" to be one of the models we were considering purchasing! It is older, and it does need some work to be fully drivable (which he's offered to do for us), but there doesn't seem to be anything major wrong with it. We are hopeful it will last until we can save up to purchase something better for our long-term needs, perhaps later this year as we begin travelling for deputation.
We still visited a few car dealerships since we had to be in Salt Lake anyway for a doctor's appointment, and looked at two specific models we're interested in; but it was such a relief to not have the pressure of needing to buy something on the spot! We are also very grateful that God allowed us to avoid going into debt for a vehicle purchase, and made it very clear what we were supposed to do for a replacement at this point.
We are so humbled by the extent of God's provision and His perfect timing, and so grateful for the generosity of our fellow church members. We are also very grateful for those who prayed fervently and faithfully for our situation. God certainly answered in a magnificent way!
For the Sake of His Name,
James & Elizabeth Johnson