For the past year and a half we have adjusted to living in a new area and have gotten used to taking taxi’s and walking. We did what we could and when we had to we would load the taxi up with all of us plus the groceries. We learned to trust in God and to be truly thankful when people would give us a ride. For several months we had been feeling like we needed to get a vehicle of some sort. It was getting to the point that in order for us to be able to operate the way we needed to, we needed to be able to move around with more ease and quickly. We began to pray for a vehicle and for the opportunity to be able to buy one. We looked into getting a loan but the interest rates in Manta were ridiculous and we would have paid way over the double for the car at the end of the 5 years. We also looked at getting a loan in the U.S. and we would have been able to work it all out, but as we continued to pray and ask God to open the doors we felt that we weren’t supposed to take out a loan for the car. As we prayed for a vehicle, we didn’t just sit around, we actually went out and looked at a couple of different vehicles without the money to buy the car. We finally found a vehicle big enough for all of us to fit in plus a little more. One day we got a message that someone had donated money for a vehicle and we almost all cried because we knew at that point that God had provided because He loves us and He is our father, not because of what we have done or said, but because He loves us. We finally purchased the vehicle about a month ago and have been able to enjoy the blessing of having our own transportation. We have been able to move around like never before. We had been limited in what we could get done in one day. For example, while we are working with parents every Thursday, we still have to visit schools and hand out invitations and try to make more contacts. This vehicle allows us to drive from one school to another or meet parents to talk and share without having to find public transportation which was getting expensive. We know that in this next year we will be having a team come down and we know that getting things ready will be much easier now with our own vehicle. We will also be able to transport people around while they are here. This vehicle has been an answer to our prayers, not because we wanted it…but because God wanted it more than us. We thank you all for the prayers and blessings and especially for the donation of a new (to us) car.
Thank you
The Bontragers.
Thank you
The Bontragers.