In November, we were horrified to learn that one of our former clients was assaulted while in Houston. She and her five children had received a minivan from OnRamp eighteen months ago. Fortunately, on the day of the assault, her kids were not with her. She had traveled to Houston for a medical appointment. While exiting a parking garage in the van, she saw a woman being beaten by two men. Our client actually leads a local domestic violence support group, so there was no way she wasn’t going to intervene. She stopped and let the woman into her car and drove away to a gas station down the road. Unfortunately, the assailants followed, grabbed both women, and beat them until they lost consciousness. They then stole our client’s minivan and drove away. She was taken to the hospital where she learned that the police found the van burned to the ground, a common tactic criminals use to destroy evidence. She did not have comprehensive insurance at the time, meaning that the vehicle was a total loss.
You are unlikely to find a more exact application of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. This dear sister in Christ had been beaten and bloodied and her most important possession stolen and destroyed. She was left without hope or recourse. Hospital bills were piling up, she’d missed days of work due to her injuries, and now she was left without transportation for her or her children.
As Jesus taught us, it is sin to close our eyes to such a need. With the gracious help of our donors, we found and purchased this lovely Honda Odyssey that we gifted to this courageous woman today as an early Christmas present. Yes, that’s an expensive gift! With repairs and tax included, this van cost OnRamp approximately $13,500. But the Good Samaritan did not hesitate to risk his life and hand his money to the inn-keeper to care for the beaten man. Neither should we. If you want to join us in this greatest-of-all ministries, restoring victims to wholeness and families to hope, please consider a monthly or end-of-year donation to OnRamp by visiting our GIVE page.
Client’s story shared with permission. Client’s name and pictures kept private at her request.