Cars, Cars, Cars

... and more cars!  You can't outgive God, I always hear, but incredibly enough, I sometimes forget this and get doubtful, whiny, or possessive again.

This summer we are heading to the U.S. again, and due to the travel advisories near the Texas border, we decided it was prudent for us to fly up.  After sending a prayer letter asking if people might have an extra car to lend us, THREE of our grown children offered us vehicles.  The one who didn't (Chris) had already given his car to his sister out in California. What a sweet blessing these kids are to us and to each other!

The truth is that we have some sort of special "car dispensation" - a Loker vehicle blessing that has been passed down to the next generation, and in turn our kids are also holding loosely to their cars and using them to bless others.  I love this!

The Monte Carlo

It started back in 1985 when Jim gave away Chevy Citation since we only needed one car between us.  My folks had traded my Chevy Chevette for their Monte Carlo (an upgrade for me!) so my dad could give the Chevette to someone else who needed it.  Then we donated our Monte Carlo to Wycliffe for some fellow missionaries who needed a vehicle while in the U.S.

Arriving in Guatemala it became apparent that we would need a car.  That little detail had failed to be communicated to us before we left for the field.  I would be lying if I didn't admit to feeling a bit peevish about having to BUY a car after having just given two away. If only I could have seen the future....

Dusty, trusty Subaru

Our first car on the field was a little 5-passenger, standard transmission, Subaru hatchback.  Maybe you read about how I learned to drive a stick shift when Jim was sick with hepatitis.  Yeah, it was that little car.

We drove that car up on furlough in 1990-1991, where people all over the U.S. were amazed to see the Guatemalan license plates.  Often our geography-ignorant fellow Americans would exclaim, "I didn't know you could drive here from there!"  Yeah, well, what can you expect?  They probably were confusing Guatemala with Guam or something.  (Some of my friends still think I was in Taiwan for a year instead of Thailand after college.)

One of the rattle bangy Broncos

Anyway, when Hannah was born in June 1991 (21 years ago!), we outgrew that little Subaru, and the kind people of Bethel Temple raised money for us to buy an 8-passenger Dodge Ram van.  After that, some of the details get a bit sketchy in my memory.  I know we sold the Subaru to someone before we were given a good deal on a blue Bronco.

Once in Mexico we were blessed with a succession of vehicles.  We gave away the blue Bronco and got a white (blanco) Bronco, and later we bought the 15-passenger van (with some help from my dad) once we outgrew the 8-passenger van.  The old Dodge van we donated to a pastor who worked along the border between Texas and Mexico.

Tim and the Trooper

Somewhere along the way we gave away the blanco Bronco and got a red Isuzu Trooper, which eventually became Tim's first car. 

Most recently someone gave us a Toyota Landcruiser (our favorite and best car ever) and a Suburban - our two current vehicles.  The old 15-passenger van, sadly, died at our last border crossing into the U.S., and we sold it to a junk yard for scrap.

What is really super cool (if you are still with me after this long explanation) is how the blessings continue.  A mutual friend gave Tim  a car after he got married five years ago, and now he is offering that one for us to use this summer since Tim is getting residency in Canada and needs to either import the car or get it out of the country and back to the U.S.

Chris's old, Hannah's "new" Neon

"Our" California car

Mike could write his own blog post someday about the various cars God has blessed him with, and how they have been used to bless others.  Back in 2010 when we found ourselves in California for the summer due to circumstances out of our control, Mike "just happened" to have an 8-passenger Ford Expedition someone had given him - that was perfect for our unexpected summer as a family of seven again.

Now we are looking to be in the U.S. again, as I said, but the least of our worries is where we will find a car to use.  At the same time, I look at the two cars we have here with their high mileage,  and start to doubt God can do it again.  How silly is that?

Trusting God should be so simple.  He has always provided for us in the past.

Now we are attempting to raise more monthly support, and this tiny whiny lying voice in my ear says, "But what if God doesn't pull through for us this time?"

Ridiculous!  Either He's in charge or He isn't.  (And He is, right?)

The Landcruiser - the ideal car for Oaxaca, in my opinion