We have a car!!!

Jeff started really looking for cars a few weeks ago.  Just like searching for a house - a car is just as difficult.  A lot of times, they aren't very honest about the true condition of the car.  No carfax here!  :(  Jeff would find some online, go check them out, and realize the car was in pretty bad shape for the asking amount.  Used cars here are also pretty expensive.  We will probably have to sell it in three years, so we also needed to make a wise choice for resale value.

Another reason it was a bit more difficult is we were somewhat specific as to what we wanted.  We were looking for a car with a 3rd row of seats so when people came to visit, we would have room in the car.  We also wanted decent gas mileage because gas is $7-$8 a gallon.  So while a minivan would have given us the space we needed, we couldn't have afforded the gas.  You can purchase just about any brand of car you want, but a lot of them are expensive to replace parts.  So we had narrowed our choices down to two different cars.  KIA and Hyundai are two that are easy to get fixed.  So we were hoping to find one of those. 

Jeff found a place online and contacted them about a Hyundai Santa Fe.  He realized that this place is not a typical used car dealer.  It is kind of like a real estate agent for  cars.  The owner lists with this company and keeps the car in his/her possession.  When Jeff contacted the company, they set up a meeting with the owner of the car and a representative from the company.  Jeff met them at a park in Vina.

The car was in great shape - much nicer than any other car we had looked at and it was under budget.  The owner was super nice and willing to let Jeff take it to a mechanic to get looked at. This gentleman spoke English and plays golf.  So for those that know Jeff - they had quite a bit to talk about in regards to golf. 

The car checked out to be in good condition, so the fun part began of trying to get the money we had for the car in our Stateside account here to Chile in Pesos.  It was rough trying to figure it all out, but with two trips to Santiago, Jeff was able to get the money to pay for the car.  He was able to go to a travel agent and write a US check and the travel company wrote us a Chilean check to use to pay for the car. 

Two cool stories you will want to keep reading:

It was Dec. 23rd and we didn't have all the money yet, because we couldn't get the lump sum at one time.  Jeff called the owner to tell him, we could pay a down payment, but couldn't pay for it all until after Christmas.  The owner said don't worry about it.  We met him and gave him the money we had and he let us have the car during Christmas - before paying for the whole amount.  When does that EVER happen????

When we arrived at the company and showed the car agent guy the checks from the travel agency we had to pay for the car, the man was a bit hesitant.  He was concerned the money wouldn't be in the account when cashed.  Then the owner of the car showed up and looked at the checks and said - no worries, I know the owner of that travel agency.  I will take those checks - no problem.  What are the chances that the owner of the car would know and trust the owner of the travel agency? 

The Lord was very much apart of us getting this car.  The gentleman plans on inviting Jeff to play golf with him in January, so we are praying for a continued relationship with him.  He needs Jesus and Jeff was able to share a bit of the gospel with him that day at the mechanic office.  As Jeff was buying the car, he kept saying, this car is too nice for us.  Why is this the one the Lord has for us?  Then he realized, it isn't about the car, it is about this man and having the chance to share Jesus with him.

Will you join us in prayer that we will have more opportunities in the future to get to know him and have the chance to share Jesus with him?