Mission & Transmission

One of the challenges in "coming home" is that there is neither a home nor a car to get around. The Home Mission Assignment is always laced with some anxiety over where to live and what to drive. It really tests our faith against God's assurance [Matt.6:25]. It's one thing to arrange a rental solution for a week or two, but what about for months on end?

Well, after a few seasons as a missionary, eventually I thought I had this part figured out. Once I bought a used Toyota 4Runner in great shape for a few grands, then after 6 months of daily drives as well as going cross-country both ways, I was able to unload it for $500 more than the price I paid for it. It was an awesome deal. Not only did I not pay anything for car rental, but I had the peace of mind as an owner and got a few extra bucks at the end as a bonus!

So, I thought I'd do the same this time around. After searching Craigslist for days, I bought the cheapest family car available with ample room for all the stuff we needed to carry around. It's a '06 Honda Odyssey, and the price couldn't have been better. But just days after cash was handed over, we had to get the A/C pump and lines replaced. It was not cheap. Then this week the transmission went out on the freeway. It was a bit dangerous as the girls were in the car as semi trucks whizzed by while we crawled with hazard lights on. But once their safety was assured, it dawned on me that this is going to be a costly problem.

So, what's the lesson here? Well, it's not about how better to arrange the car situation next time around, or how not to buy a lemon. I could have bought a brand new car (if I could afford it), but there's no guarantee that I wouldn't still run into car troubles. The point is to be reminded that our lives are in God's hand. Missionary lifestyle does highlight the precarious nature of God-dependency. But beyond the immediate sweating, the vulnerability, and frankly the sad and pathetic appearance of it all, the one who is holding us securely in this world and beyond the grave is our Almighty Redeemer, Christ our Lord!

{2Cor.4:16-18] 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.