Clifford's new look

Take a look at the new Clifford. Clifford is my van and in case you don't know why the van is called Clifford, check out the book "Clifford, the Big Red Dog" at the library. Clifford, of course, isn't a big red dog, but is a big red van. A rough estimate tells me that upwards of 300 people have ridden in Clifford as part of their mission trip to Oaxaca.

On our last mission trip, Clifford's back door and sliding side door decided to stop working. Clifford also had many battle scars from mission group adventures. I decided that having 8 people crawl in through the front passenger's door wasn't exactly something that people wanted to do, so I took Clifford in for a beauty make over.

After a two week stay at the body shop, I brought Clifford home. There isn't a nick, dent or scratch on him, both doors work just fine and he has a shiny new coat of paint--of course still red!

Clifford is not used just for mission trips. Like all missionary vehicles, Clifford has been pressed into service on many occasions. Countless pieces of missionary furniture have been moved from home to home in Clifford. He acted as a type of ambulance several times, taking people who were too weak to go by bus home from the hospital. Clifford has gone up mountain roads and onto mud roads filled with ditches that were not made for a car with 6 cylinders and no 4 wheel drive. However, Clifford has risen to the occasion many times. Only once has someone asked to get out and walk as we started our ascent to a remote church!

Clifford has carried children's books to a newly formed library, has carried more passengers than he should have to national church meetings. Anyone who has ridden in Clifford knows the first rule---no tall men in the back seat. Even with seatbelts on, Clifford has been known to bump heads when a tope (speed bump) is not seen and is hit.

So...God has given me this van and I continue to use it to minister here in Oaxaca. Clifford will continue carrying people and will look good doing so...until the first new scratch or dent.