A VERY DIFFERENT MISSION FIELD

My mission field is rather unique: it’s my auto repair shop that I opened 17 years ago. Since it was God that blessed me with this business, I made a commitment that I wanted Him to be honored there. I needed it to be a place of worship and blessings. Many would say that working on cars and worshiping Jesus don’t really go hand-in-hand, but Jesus was a carpenter and I wanted His presence there throughout the day. My goal was to have all my customers and suppliers also feel the anointing spirit of the Lord.

I had trouble finding a station that consistently played praise and worship music, but after searching, the Lord led me to an Internet radio station called AllWorship. It totally transforms the atmosphere of our shop. Playing Christian music changes the mood; it just gives everyone that enters my building a feeling of peace. People are surprised to hear Christian music playing freely in an auto repair shop. So many times, I’ve seen people come in totally stressed because their car has broken down. But the presence of the Lord through this music calms and reassures them.

If the Lord urges me, I take time to talk and pray with anyone that may need a touch from Him, no matter how busy I am. I can feel a nudge from God on whether something is troubling that person besides their car. That prodding leads to a personal discussion which sometimes yields some very amazing results.

I’ve seen many lives changed, like the parts guy who came in to sell me some equipment. He was talking and I felt the nudging of the Lord to ask him about what was troubling him. When I asked if I could pray with him, The Lord showed up and spoke some encouragement and confirmation about situations in his life. He ended up in tears and told me all about his past hurts. We prayed over them and he went out a changed man. My 21-year-old nephew was having car trouble, and lived quite a distance away. So he tried to bring his car somewhere else. But he arrived at my shop, unannounced. God had a plan and I took time to talk to him. During that conversation, the Lord gave him some direction and guidance, and as we prayed, he was healed of some past hurts. He broke down and received the Holy Spirit, and is now a Chaplain and a Ranger in the military.

I am truly amazed at what God does and how He does it. It’s really fun when people come in and we pray; it’s almost like the Lord is ambushing them. That’s how I want my business to be known: by people recommending they go to their mechanic for prayer and a word of encouragement! The Lord has blessed my business and my life abundantly. I will continue to be faithful to Him and share His love with anybody that comes into my mission field, which just happens to be an auto repair shop. Sometimes you may think you are not in an ideal place to minister to people, but remember, neither was Jesus all the time. Be faithful, listen and follow what the Lord tells you to do. The results will be amazing. Make your space a place to welcome in the presence of the Lord. AllWorship can help make that a reality for those who seek a closer relationship with the Lord. I am blessed in so many ways and my mission field is one of those blessings.