I’m very appreciative of the New Hope Ministry for helping to clean up the enormous mess I found myself in when I had made an impromptu road trip to Florida this past summer. At the time, I was jobless and rapidly becoming penniless, and on top of everything, I had an unplanned emergency and had to stay in the hospital for over a week. As is often said, timing is everything, and the only friends I had in the area were all out of town. My sister and mother, both eternally gracious, had taken a flight down to help me take care of my vehicle while I was indisposed, helping to ensure that it would not get towed and that I would not lose all the belongings that I had brought with me, securing it in storage as a temporary measure. But the hospital would not release me until mere hours before the return flight to Michigan my mom had booked, so that was the extent of what we were able to manage. Plus, the trip down had taken a toll on my vehicle; serious problems had emerged with my transmission, which would now slip out of gear while driving down the road while at the same time mostly refusing to shift into reverse. We planned to return in early September and take it to some local shop just to see what could be done with it, and for how much; privately, however, I harbored real doubts that I would ever be able to drive it again. My aunt had mentioned to my mom about some new ministry she’d heard of, specializing in restoring ‘lost’ automobiles, and gave her the number. My mom contacted New Hope Automotive, and they offered to fix it for the cost of parts, as well as giving us a real discount on the labor end. Not only that, but they also were able to arrange for someone to retrieve the car from storage and bring it all the way back up here, so that we would not have to make a second trip. Kris at New Hope discovered the main problem did not lie with the transmission but with the car’s failing battery and corroded ground cable, which was an enormous relief. He also replaced the shocks and struts and wheel bearings, along with the front brakes as well as the two rear tires; I had no idea any of these parts had been in such disrepair. But the real revival came in the way he cleaned it. I had been unable to return to my car before our flight out of Fort Lauderdale. However, I did know my air conditioner had been clogged and had leaked moisture onto the passenger-side floor, both in the front and the back. Spending at least six weeks in storage in those sweltering Southern temperatures, it did not come as much surprise to hear when it arrived that the interior had been covered in mildew. But I only ever saw photographs of it; when we picked it up the inside had been so thoroughly cleaned and restored that I could barely recognize it. It even had a new car smell. Its a testament to Kris’ commitment to his vocation, the depth and detail he is willing to go into order to save a car. In the front seat there was one more gift, a new copy of Wild at Heart by John Eldredge. From what I can tell, automobile restoration for New Hope is a true labor of love. And yet, this miracle had only gone skin deep; New Hope had impressed me, truly, but the impression had so far only dealt with the surface level. I had yet to drive the car at all. That would be the final test here. I opted to avoid the highways on my way home because of the three months that had passed since I last got behind the wheel, and so decided to take a route mostly of backroads. But it led straight through downtown Ann Arbor, and it was Homecoming Weekend for University of Michigan. My car drove very well, as well as it had when I first bought it. The brakes were put to good use during a couple traffic jams trying to exit the city after the football game ended. The transmission worked as well as it ever has. The steering, the alignment, the shocks, they all handled as well as I could ever ask for, and they all added up to an exceedingly smooth ride. In my opinion, the folks at New Hope are doing great work here.