Breakdown

So Friday, on my way home from our weekly staff meeting, my pickup truck stalled and died at a stoplight. It has been sputtering for a couple weeks now, but that has gone away as the truck has warmed up. Yesterday, the sputter came to collect.

It was actually a good thing for several reasons. First, I was about to enter traffic on I-84 during rush hour on Friday. This is one of the busiest stretches of road in the Northwest. Breaking down just two minutes later would have fouled up traffic for miles in every direction, so I am thankful that didn't happen. Second, the weather was nice, so I didn't have to wait in the rain or the dark for a tow truck. Third, I have not needed to do any repairs greater than routine maintenance on that truck for almost five years now. It has served us masterfully.

Fourth, Anne and I have been thinking for some time now that we need to replace the truck with a more sensible car. I drive a ton, and the 15 mpg that I get just isn't cutting it anymore. Plus, with sputters and creaks and groans, it is showing its 15 years more regularly than it used to.

Would you please pray for a car for us? We are looking for a four-door, Camry/Accord-style car, although other models would certainly be fine too. It does not need to be new or flashy, but it will need to be in good mechanical shape for use around Portland and during our summer travels here, there, and everywhere. And we would like it to look decent; I loathe the "poor missionary" look that the peeling paint and rust on my truck communicate. We feel that it doesn't do honor to how well God has provided for us over the years.

We aren't in a hurry, yet. But this incident seems to be God telling us to start looking.