Central and South America
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
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ADDITION TO THE MISSIONARY VEHICLE FLEET: 1995 TOYOTA 4RUNNER "REVELATION"
I'm so thankful for
all that God has done, and continues to do! God has recently blessed me
in a huge way with my first vehicle that I have purchased myself: a 1995
Toyota 4Runner. I have been working a full-time job and have been
avidly saving my paychecks for this particular vehicle for the past 6
months. When figuring out what I wanted for my first vehicle, I knew for
sure I wanted a few different things: a small-midsize SUV, with 4x4
ability, and a V6 motor that had plenty of power, but also more
economical than a V8. I also wanted something that was both safe and
reliable, and preferably had somewhere close to 150,000 miles on it. The
Toyota 4Runner fit the bill. My budget was also within the $3500-$4000
range. So when I nearly had the maximum amount of money I wanted to
spend on the vehicle saved up, my dad and I began searching on
Craigslist for a 4Runner, the same website where he found a great deal
on his Chevy Suburban that he purchased nearly a year ago.
As
we were searching, there were many ads we had to weed through. There
were many 4Runners for sale within my price range, all with 250,000,
sometimes even over 300,000 miles on them (which although I didn't want
that many miles, goes to show their reliability)! It was beginning to
look like I might have to consider another vehicle, when finally we came
across an ad for a 1995 model with only 169,000 miles on it for $2000.
It had a few dents in the rear, but everything was listed as being
mechanically solid. It also was for sale locally, in the Concord area.
So my dad and I called the seller up (his name was on the ad as Eddy)
and met him the very same day. My dad and I both test drove it, to make
sure everything was mechanically in good shape, and sure enough it was.
We walked away only paying $2000 for the vehicle, which is amazing!! The
only small hangup with the vehicle is that it has a salvaged title
because of the slight rear end damage to the tailgate. Apparently the
insurance company of the previous owner deemed that replacing the
tailgate (even though it's fully functional) cost more than the trucks
overall value. This is the reason I only paid $2000, as I had to pay
extra to make sure it passed a brake and light inspection before getting
it registered with the state. Eddy was very helpful, and while he was
helping us take care of all the DMV paperwork my Dad and I were able to
share with him that we're missionaries, taking care of the needy people
all over the world and bringing them the Gospel. Not only was I
purchasing a great vehicle, we were also able to minister the love of
Jesus to the guy selling it to me! After replacing the front brake pads,
and replacing the lenses for the front blinkers, as well as all the DMV
fees, etc., all together I paid only $2800 for this vehicle, which is
well under what I was expecting to spend. God is so good, and often
blesses us far beyond our wildest imaginations!
I've
named the vehicle Revelation for a few reasons. My dad purchased a 1997
Chevy Suburban nearly a year ago, and when he purchased it, he named it
Genesis, as a symbol of the fresh beginning in his life back in the
States for this season (although we will be making trips overseas), and
also that we'll be able to bring people all over this country, Mexico
and abroad the fresh life in Jesus that they've never known before. When
I purchased my vehicle, I wanted to name my vehicle Revelation because
together with my dad and his family, we want to bring the full Word of
the Lord, from Genesis to Revelation, everywhere we go, especially into
Mexico and Latin America. I also named it as a symbol, android a reminder to
me, that everywhere I go in that vehicle, I want people to come to a
revelation of Jesus through my life. As there is no other life to live,
than to have Christ live in you, and to shine brightly for the world to
see, so that they may come to a relationship with Him. I am planning
with my dad, to caravan with our vehicles together into
Mexico to bring one of the last remaining unreached tribes in Mexico
(the Tepehuan people) the good news of Jesus' love! We also plan on
hopefully taking the Gospel further into Central and even South America
with these two vehicles.
And
while I am where God has me at the moment, working a full time job at
the local Chick-Fil-A, being involved in the worship ministry at our
church, and going to community college this fall, this new (to me)
4Runner is a great vehicle to get myself from point A-B. Again, God has
been so good to me and my family, and I can't wait for all the
adventures that God is going to take me on in my calling to be a
missionary to the nations, including the ones that He will be having me
take in this 4Runner! Stay tuned to this blog, as there will be
more blog posts with exciting stories about our missionary journeys to
wherever the Holy Spirit takes us!
Jonas Young
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