The above pictures are of the brakes on a minivan that belongs to a single mom of 5! She knew she shouldn’t be driving with her brakes grinding, but she also knew she couldn’t afford to get them fixed. By the time we got connected to her, she had stopped driving the vehicle all together, aside from emergencies, because they had gotten so bad. Thankfully no one got hurt because they were seriously unsafe. We were able to get her brakes fixed and fix a misfire that was causing her van to barely have enough power to haul her and her children around.
We recently worked with a client whose van was making a rattling noise and suddenly ground to a halt (devastation shown above). As it turns out, the torque converter bolts rattled loose and cracked the transmission. When we met with them, our hearts really went out to them listening to their story! We’ll call them Tim and Cathy.
This spring, Tim and Cathy lost their apartment and vehicle due to an illegal eviction while they were recuperating in a nursing home. Tim had sustained a traumatic brain injury from a dog attack and had to learn how to talk and walk again. Cathy was recovering from cancer related surgery.
Mid-summer they both ended up having COVID-19 and needed to be hospitalized. Thankfully they both recovered, but they have both been hospitalized since, with COVID related complications. Tim still has breathing issues, and both are fearful about contracting the virus a second time due to still being compromised from round one. Tim was doing some painting to help make ends meet since their social security check is just too small to cover all of their expenses. However, when their van broke, all of that supplemental income dried up because he wasn’t able to transport his painting equipment on the bus.
Despite all they have been through over the last nine months, they are clinging to their faith and trusting the Lord. They know that all of these terrible things that have happened to them recently come straight from Satan and they intend to stand firm in the face of whatever else he throws at them. It is very obvious after spending a few minutes with Tim and Cathy that they know this life is temporary, and they are storing up their treasures in heaven!
Sometimes we find a serious safety concern that our clients don’t realize that they have. This single mom had such a severely worn out front wheel bearing that it actually caused other major damage to her brakes and tire. Thankfully we were able to get it fixed before she lost a wheel on the highway!
Sometimes it is the simplest things that are keeping people off the road. The life of this single mom was brought to a standstill by nothing more than a spark plug wire (shown above) causing her car to barely run. Now she should have no trouble getting to work and getting her little ones where they need to go
The woman shown above is a single mom who was actually walking 3 miles to work through her pregnancy in the summer heat! She waited so patiently on our waiting list! We even passed over her because we were unable to get in touch with her (apparently computers think my email is spam!). Once her son was born, she struggled to get him to all the appointments that he needed as well as to continue to work. We are so grateful that we had the opportunity to meet her, hear her story, pray with her, and give her a car that should provide her and her son with years of transportation!
The vehicle in the pictures above belongs to a woman who was going through a very challenging time in her life. She is drawing in close to God and deepening her faith as she continues to fight for her sobriety and her family. Please be praying for her! Her vehicle needed a new rear differential, and one of our other clients happened to have a similar vehicle going to the junkyard. She generously offered to give the rear axle out of her vehicle to help this woman with hers. It is so encouraging to see our clients helping each other!
Update: as of 6/22/22 she has been sober for 2 years, and she continues to meet with us for a weekly Bible Study and prayer night!! Talk about real life change!
The man pictured above is a single dad with 2 children that live with him. In 2015, he lost his wife, leaving him to care for their 2 children on his own. Recently their landlord sold their home and gave them 30 days to move out. They were forced to move in with his mother. He splits his time between living with his children and living closer to work to cut his 90 minute commute down to an hour. Between his children and gas for his commute, he had little left over for a vehicle of his own. He really needed something to get good gas mileage to and from work. This 2006 Honda Civic has been meticulously cared for its entire life and should serve him well for the coming years.
This woman lost her business, home, and vehicle. Truthfully the only thing she didn’t lose was her faith She had been staying at the local homeless shelter and a friends floor while she tried to get back on her feet. She had lined up 2 different jobs but needed a vehicle in order to get to work. Although this Jeep doesn’t get best gas mileage, it has lots of room for her stuff and will even give her the option of sleeping it in if necessary while she saves to get an apartment. This Jeep was the first vehicle we gave away, back in July of 2018. It was returned to us when the owner could no longer drive. We are so excited that it was able to be used again!
UPDATE: This client maintained contact with us and she was able to secure a job in the Twin Cities area. She worked diligently at saving money and last we heard, she was looking to buy a home!
The timing belt in the picture above was overdue for replacement. Broken timing belts cause the destruction of many engines every year! This car belongs to a man who recently graduated from MN Adult and Teen Challenge. He is currently enrolled in their leadership program. He needs his vehicle so that he can get to and from his classes and the basketball program that he runs. Since his vehicle had been sitting for a year while he was in treatment, many maintenance jobs were overdue. We were able to get his vehicle caught up on maintenance so that it will continue to serve him reliably for years to come!
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