For the first time, OnRamp just donated a vehicle in Houston! I am so stinking excited! While our ministry is generally confined to the Brazos Valley, we had a special opportunity to partner with generous donors in the city I grew up in to serve an Afghan family who were rescued after the fall of Kabul and brought to Houston to build a new life. Our client, whom we’ll call “S” for privacy, worked as a chef for the New York Times Kabul bureau. When the Taliban took over, the NYT committed phenomenal resources to fly at-risk national staff out of the country and help them resettle in America. I cannot speak highly enough of this company’s efforts to protect and provide for their Afghan staff. They supplied S, his wife, and their five children with all travel expenses, a safe apartment next to other Afghan refugees, English lessons, VISA assistance, and employment connections. With their help, S quickly found an excellent job at an upscale restaurant. The NYT was able to take care of everything… except long-term transportation. With no mass transit available, the trip from home to the restaurant added up to thousands of dollars in Uber costs in just the first few months! No family could afford that expense for long.
Michael (right) and S (middle) with me last Friday
Enter a friend of a friend! Sam Craven, who incidentally taught me how to drive a Miata fast on a racetrack, runs a high-end European repair shop in Houston that happens to service the vehicle of the Executive Chef at S’s restaurant, Michael. Michael shared S’s story with Sam, along with his desperate need for a reliable vehicle. Sam connected Michael to me and OnRamp jumped in to help. However, OnRamp’s funds are currently limited to serve the Brazos Valley. We needed special funding directly from Houston to meet this need. Fortunately, I happen to have great friends who are former Grace Bible Church alum in Houston, David and Lisa Domine and Elizabeth Logan. With their help, we raised all the money needed for OnRamp to purchase and donate this sweet 2010 Toyota Camry to this deserving father.
Jeremy and his team at CBA-Bryan. They’ve helped us deliver dozens of reliable cars to families in need.
Fun story on the Camry. Our Vehicle Team Lead, Jeremy Smith, who happens to be the GM of our local Christian Brothers stores found this vehicle with a blown engine. He sourced an 80k mile replacement and installed the new engine, took care of all maintenance items, and then sold the finished car to OnRamp at well-below fair market value. Well done, Jeremy!
Now S and his family have a reliable Camry that should last them for many years (80k miles on a Camry engine is basically brand new 😂). We are so grateful to David, Lisa, Liz, Jeremy, Micheal, and Sam as well as the staff of the NYT for helping us bless this hard-working family with the transportation they need to build a new life as our neighbors. May God allow this to be only the first of many families we bless in Houston!