“We are plain quiet folk and have no use for
adventures. Nasty disturbing
uncomfortable things. Make you late for
dinner! Can’t see what anyone sees in
them.” (Bilbo to Gandalf in The Hobbit)
Ask
any of our team mates and they will tell you that we have had our fair share
(and then some) of car adventures since arriving on the field 8 years ago. We spent our whole first term, it seemed,
waiting for a tow truck. We thought this
term would be different (new term, new car) but we still manage to wind up with
car stories.
On furlough we were in the car a lot compared what we
were used to in our small rural community in Paraguay where everything and
everyone is within walking distance. In the
US, we were always driving to church or homeschool coop or a friend’s house,
the park, Walmart or to visit dad at work.
We drove all over Texas and the US visiting supporters and seeing
National landmarks. It never ceased to
amaze us that we could get from point A to point B without an adventure along
the way and arrive at the pre-determined time.
At first, it was very nice and comfortable, but after a few road trips
it, quite frankly, became predictable and well....boring. No medical emergencies showing up at the door
while trying to head heading out. No huge
muddy ditches to be pulled out of. No
rain storms to cancel trips. No
squeezing into a tow truck car. No last
minute bus tickets.
As
Bilbo said in the above quote, adventures can be nasty and uncomfortable and
make you late for dinner. They can be
costly and stressful and a pain in the neck.
Car adventures are just one of many types of adventures a missionary faces
on an almost daily basis. We travel to
Asuncion every 4-6 weeks for various reasons: groceries, team meetings,
medical/dental appointments, car maintenance, etc. The 5 hour trip is littered with our car adventure
memories: Remember when we stood there
for hours in the rain? Remember when all
7 of us packed into the tow truck?
Remember when we road in our car on top of the tow truck? Remember that gas station where so-and-so had
to pick us up? Remember when our car
wouldn’t start after eating there? Remember when we could only go 10 miles an
hour? Remember when that “thing” fell
off our car?
You
know what we have learned while sitting road-side so many times? Car adventures are fun because we get to do
them together as a family.
Let
me tell you some other adventures our car has been on. You see, our car likes to likes to stop for
ice cream. It has brought us safely to
Asuncion to deliver my babies. It likes
stopping at missionaries homes where we can talk in English and the kids can
play with their best friends. It has
carried camping supplies, beach supplies, medical supplies, building supplies
and countless animals from chickens to pigs to goats and dogs. It has moved us twice to fields that were
ready for harvest. It has been packed
with mattresses for men to spend the weekend hearing about God’s word and boxes
of Bibles in Guarani. It has transported
the sick to hospitals. It has made room
for friends, grandparents and many interns to squeeze in. It has taken us on vacation, travelled in 4
countries and allowed us to see all kinds of places in Paraguay.
Yes,
car adventures are fun because we get to do them together as a family.
