The Corvette Raffle Adventure

Have you ever gotten yourself into something that started out with a few quick decisions; then, as things progressed, you look back and wonder, How did I get into this?  I’m in one of those situations, and it’s turning into a real adventure.  A very generous donor gave a 1996 Corvette, a beautiful hardtop convertible, to A Ray of Hope a few months ago.    My first hope was that he was donating it so I could use it as a ministry vehicle.  I knew better than that, but I had to test our staff to see what they were made of; they’re pretty solid!  I must say it has stirred up plenty of fun conversations at the ministry and among friends.  It’s also pushed me in a direction I don’t normally go, but the Lord and a second friend of A Ray of Hope have turned this into even more of an adventure.

As we began talking about selling the Corvette, we tried to estimate the value of the vehicle and were finding the estimates to be all over the board.  Wanting to bring in the best value for their donation, we decided raffling it would be the best option.   We printed 400 tickets, at $100 each, and set an approximate two-month period to sell tickets, with a drawing date of November 1^st, 2025.  After one month, and selling a little more than 1/4 of the tickets, a friend of the ministry stepped up and offered to give a time and a half donation ($60,000) above the $40,000 ticket sales if we sold all of the tickets.  That is an amazing opportunity to multiply the gift of the Corvette to a total gift of $100,000!  That opportunity is mind boggling to me.  We are a ministry with a fairly large impact on a bare-bones budget.

Here’s where this story gets still more interesting… I was in awe of the opportunity before us, but discouraged by the task accompanied with it:  we had just four weeks to sell the remaining 280 tickets and I’m out of town for 10 of those days!  In addition, I’m not a salesman whatsoever, and my mindset in shepherding A Ray of Hope is to seek first the kingdom of God and trust the Lord to meet our needs.  So, the morning after hearing about the opportunity to receive the extra gift, I sat alone with the Lord to seek His heart, because, quite honestly, mine was anxious.  The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Blow the trumpet.”.  Over the centuries, Israel would blow the trumpet to gather the people for worship and other religious purposes, coronations, commemorations, communications, warfare and a variety of other reasons.

As I pondered what the Lord had communicated to me, I received His call to action and faith.  My discouragement turned from feeling overwhelmed to faith that He would provide the power if I simply blew the trumpet to summon the body of Christ.  I’m coming to see that, just because I’m outside my comfort zone, doesn’t mean the Lord is.  I had been willing to settle for the sale of far fewer tickets and less money for the Corvette- and now I believe the Lord will magnify it far beyond what I could ever have imagined.  I, of little faith- how I prove that over and over, and yet the Lord is gracious to continually work with this feeble man.

So, I blow the trumpet and I shout, and I trust that the Lord will bring a bounty from this Corvette, beyond what I would ever have imagined.  Would you consider helping us in this endeavor?  I’ve had many tell me, they don’t want, or can’t use a Corvette, and I tell them it’s not about the car.  I’d be happy to sell it for them.  I told a friend in Arizona that, if he won, I’d drive it down with my wife and come visit.  He answered, No way, my wife and I want to fly up for a visit and drive it down ourselves!  It’s not about the car, it’s about the community, it’s about the Lord reaching out to those in need, but most of all, it’s about all of us beholding what God is doing, increasing our faith as He does the impossible and allows us to be a part of it!   Over the years, I have come to dearly love those who come through our doors; they’ve been hurt and their hurt has driven them to some bad choices, but they come to A Ray of Hope because they want to do better, and find change.  Some are desperate to find the Lord, and that’s the best place they, or any of us, can be.  The Lord loves them dearly.  The Lord invests in them continually, as they have great needs, the first of which is to know and love their Creator and Lord.  This is our vision and heart at A Ray of Hope.

In the five days since hearing about the matching funds offer, we have sold approximately 180 tickets, bringing the total to roughly 300 sold with approximately 100 left to sell.  So far, this Corvette has been a fun adventure this summer and fall, one, I trust, that will conclude well, particularly for the winner- who won’t be me, as I’m sitting this one out to avoid a conflict of interest.  But everyone else is free to join the adventure and joy of possibly driving this classic home.  Blessings to you, and thank you for your love and support!  Amen? Amen! Dave.