Joel and Missy Davis Expanding the Reach of the Gospel in the Philippines 
This is our dilemma!
Sometimes these are hard ones to figure out, aren’t they? This is where we find ourselves with this vehicle fund. We are gonna shoot straight with you… we don’t actually need a vehicle to live here and continue our ministry here in Manila. (ONCE we leave Manila to go to start our aviation ministry however, we will have to get a vehicle for daily life there.) There are lots of other options for public transportation here like jeepneys, taxis, and trains. We don’t often “need” to get out of the city of Manila and if we do we could hire a van and driver, or perhaps rent a mission vehicle if we aren’t gone very long. If it were just that simple, it would be an easy decision, but it is not exactly that simple though.
Although there are lots of forms of public transportation here in Manila, crossing the streets everyday here to ride the jeeps can be quite a bit like the video game “Frogger”…. except this is for real, and the exhaust that we breath on those trips can’t exactly be considered “organic”. So taxis seem like a good option compared to that right? Well not exactly. Missy and Ryley’s stomachs turn at the thought of taking a taxi here because the unpredictable driving of the taxi drivers back and forth and on and of the gas and brake make them literally sick to their stomachs on almost every trip. The trains are nice sometimes, but often the perfect locations for pick-pockets with how crowded they are (picture sardines), and they don’t go the direction we need to go, so we rarely go on these as well.
While true that we don’t “need” to leave the city very often, for our own sanity it is nice to be able to leave the dirt and smog behind and actually see a blue sky and green grass and trees every once in a while. Renting a van or renting the mission vehicle is honestly pretty expensive and often not convenient at all for us or other families that may need it. The few times we have left the city behind for a couple hours or days, it has felt like a vacation and has served to renew us and our vision for why we are here.
If we did have a vehicle here in Manila we would be able to bless those around us that don’t have a vehicle by picking them up from the airport and providing rides for them while they are in town. Many of our missionaries that live in the tribe don’t own a vehicle for obvious reasons, but often need rides when they come to the cities to shop and get a break.
So now you’ve heard both sides of the discussion going on in our heads about having a vehicle here in Manila. I’m still confused not knowing “need” or “want” but I’m more convinced everyday that it certainly would be nice. Either way, we know that you have asked to hear about our needs and our wants and so instead of just beating around the bush with you, we just wanted you, our team, to know what we are thinking.
If you want to see our progress with the vehicle fund you can check it out here <<Vehicle Fund>>.
Thanks so much and PLEASE DON’T feel obligated to give. That is not our intention. We just wanted to be open and transparent with you about what we’ve been thinking.
Under His Wings,
Joel, Missy, Ryley, and Camryn Davis
