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Written by Kent Humphreys
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Simon is a pastor and a ministry leader in Kenya. Simon and I met in Amsterdam in 2000 and have kept in touch over the years. On my recent visit to Kenya Simon shared with me this story about a red Mazda. Ten years ago Simon’s car was stolen. He had not been able to replace it over that time. Last year my daughter, Kenda, came to Kenya to visit Nancy, her adopted daughter. I asked my friend Simon to meet Kenda and assist her if possible during her visit. A few weeks before Kenda’s visit, Simon still did not have the car for which he had been praying. In fact, Simon walked the six miles one way from his home to preach at his church each week. Simon did not have a car or the money to buy one, and he did even have the money to hire or rent one for a couple of days.
A few weeks prior to Kenda’s arrival Simon took public transportation into Nairobi. He did not have enough money to get all the way into the city. When he was on the road he saw a red Mazda with a “For Sale” sign on the back of the car with a phone number. Simon felt led to write down the number and sensed that God was going to provide that car for him. Late that night he called the phone number and the man on the other end of the line was not pleasant. The next day Simon called again. This time the man was friendly and apologized for his reaction to the late night call. Simon explained that he was a pastor and had seen the car and had an interest in purchasing the vehicle. The man explained that he was a pilot and wanted to sell the car. Simon admitted that he had no money to buy it but felt led to try to work something out. The pilot explained that he was not a Christian but something was leading him to try to help Simon get the car.
Simon explained his situation about needing a car. The pilot stated that he would be glad to let Simon drive the car for a couple of days to try it out. He could do that during Kenda’s visit. He was willing to sell the car for a low cost of 879,000 Kenya shillings ($11, 313). They talked again a couple of days later. This time the pilot said that his conscious was bothering him. He said that since Simon was a pastor that he felt led to sell the car to Simon for only 470,000 shillings ($6112) which was basically the cost of the import duties and taxes. Simon still did not have the money. But Simon borrowed the car and was able to help Kenda during her visit and help to deliver supplies to some orphanages. After that visit he contacted some fellow believers and was able to raise a small down payment for the car. He then agreed to pay the balance to the pilot in eight monthly installments, which God provided for him each month over that period.
Simon now drives a red Mazda which is totally paid for. One year later I was arriving in Kenya. Simon was going to take me around during my week long visit in the red Mazda. A local business man heard about that and explained to Simon that Simon needed a larger vehicle due to the places that we were going to be traveling out in the countryside. So, I have not been able to ride in the red Mazda, since Simon is carrying me around in a large SUV. Simon continues to walk by faith in his church, his HIV ministry -business which has just multiplied by five times, and in his encouragement and service to a large group of Kenyan pastors. Simon trusted God for a red Mazda when he had no realistic chance of buying it. For years he had been without a car, but at just the right time, God provided for Simon’s needs. What are you trusting God for today?
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Fellowship of Companies for Christ International
