The testimony that I am about to share is one of what God can do with just the average bloke like me. In November 2022 I was in the medical centre for a check up on recovery from some surgery. While I was waiting, the thought occurred to me that I might be ready to pick up my tools (I’m a motorcycle technician) again. This might be a way of paying for the studies I am currently doing. As I walked out onto the street, I saw a ‘for lease’ sign on a shed across the road. My first thought was one of doubt: “I’ll bet that will cost a bomb, being on the main street of Gundagai.” The very next thought was, “what have you got to lose by giving the real estate a call and asking?”
Well, with nothing to lose, I made the call. To my surprise, the rent was so affordable that if my business idea, which was thought of fifteen minutes before was to fail, I could use it for storage until the lease was up.
And that is about as much thought went into it. I wish I could say that I prayed and fasted, verses of Scripture jumped out at me and I was struck by bolt of lightning to confirm that this was the ministry God had for me, but none of these happened. While all the above are advisable, except the bolt of lightning, in this case it was not my experience.
I opened SOTC Community Motorcycle Workshop with nothing but a basic toolbox and a few cheap business cards which I asked my wife to hand out down the street. That was enough for the customers to start coming in, and that traffic hasn’t stopped or let up since. That was good, but what has developed out of that workshop is something I never would have thought of. To explain, I have to go back to December 2019.
We were living in a Wollongong suburb and experienced something no parent should (even though I have met so many who have). Our precious daughter, Heidi, went to be with Jesus, and there we will one day be reunited in a place with no tears, no sickness, and no pain.
Eleven months later, we moved to Gundagai to start afresh in a quiet solitary place to heal our broken lives. About two years later, both my wife and I emerged from our new home (a cottage on a farm) and decided it was time to re-engage with the wonderful community we had been led to.
This is where the Workshop comes in. I had Heidi’s hot pink custom Kawasaki in storage, so I decided to put it up on a bench in the workshop. Little did I know, customers would come in for a chat and eventually ask about the ‘bike up there.’
I would tell them Heidi’s story and share with them that though the sadness will never leave us, we have a hope in Christ that will carry us through until we meet her again. After sharing this story, these bikers and farmers open up and share their pain. I am astounded by the levels of pain that walk the streets, and to make it worse – no hope.
I had to do more, so I borrowed an idea from a website based in the USA and modified it, calling it a ‘Bag of Hope in a Glad Bag.’ This bag contains a New Testament that highlights verses that bring comfort to the grieving (Thanks to the generosity of the Bible Society), as well as other helpful brochures from various help providers. I try to give these away, but most insist on making a donation—even when I tell them all it cost me was the Glad Bags. One customer refused to take one but insisted on making a donation. He still drops in from time to time and one day he’ll take one.
Two years down the track, I am still telling Heidi’s story. Most Christians that I share this with say that I have a great ministry here. I have to disagree. All I have is a few tools, a trade, and a broken life with a hole that will not be filled until I get to heaven. Any good that comes out of that kind of life is God’s doing, not mine.
If there is anything I can pass on to my readers, it is that God uses the ordinary to do the extraordinary. I was once asked how we engage with our community in order to introduce them to Christ. It’s easy—identify a need and ask yourself: Has God gifted me with skills, talents, or resources to meet that need? If he has, just take a step towards doing it! Let your light shine and watch God do His work.
In closing, if any of my readers are in Gundagai on Tuesday or Thursday, please drop in. I’ll show you Heidi’s bike.
