Car update

As most of you know, God provided a car for me within the last 5 weeks along with everything else I needed to make it out to Ohio for this internship. Since receiving the car I thought that I would give a little update about it. I want to let everyone know how it is running and how I am using it for the internship.

The car is seeing its first of Ohio weather right now, otherwise it has been in a closed garage since getting to Cleveland. The first two or three times I filled it up I put mid-grade into it hoping to get better engine life and mileage out of it. I later found out the car runs best on regular "cheap stuff." I put Rain-X on the windshield this morning, just in time for the rain that is hitting hard as I type. In the city the car has been getting about 25 miles per gallon, and I haven't had the chance to do a highway trip without a ton of stuff in the car. I'll try and remember to check that when I go out to PA to see Rachel.

Now for the bad news. The battery died the other day and the car wouldn't start at all. The battery wouldn't even hold a charge. It was dead. We managed to get the car running long enough to get to autozone and get a replacement battery ($112), but said the alternator is also going bad. I have looked into that a little bit and it looks like another $100 or more. The car is running okay right now, but I fear it could die at any time, even when running. I have been keeping my bike on top in the event the car dies when I am away from home I can just ride home. I would rather not do that though.

I talked with a few people about getting it fixed on Sunday. One said he would pay for a new one, another said he would fix it. The first backed out when he heard the price (with man hours) of nearly $600. The other seemed willing, but he isn't free until either Wednesday or Thursday. I hope the battery last that long.

I believe that God provide that car only for what I need, nothing more. If I need to continue to trust that he will provide even when things start failing, I will continue to trust. I will just tell you this - I did not expect my car to provide me with spiritual lessons on providence, trust, and stewardship.

When I received the car I was asked the name of it. At first I thought of things life providence, or something along those lines. The more I heard about what it looked like on the giving end of things, the more I realized this was just as much about them as it was about me. Their is a Greek word that kind of represents that idea. The word is Doron (do'-ron), it means gift. Focusing on the free nature of the gift. It is not something coerced, but rather spontaneous. It is just as much about the giver as the receiver. Unless someone comes up with something else, Doron is the name of my car.

Later