Dad Sold Car To Pay For School, 21 Yrs Later Daughter Goes Behind His Back To Track It Down

The route to higher education can be lengthy and twisting at times. People frequently have to take educational breaks in order to complete their degrees. To reach their goals, people may have to give up some of their most prized possessions.

Randy Martin of Daleville, Virginia, is all too familiar with this lesson.

Randy felt called to the seminary and holy life in 1993. Randy had to sell his cherished 1936 Ford Sedan to pay for his studies. Randy and his vintage Ford had been on numerous excursions together. Randy bought the car when he was 16 years old and restored it to its original state. The Ford’s stunning white paint job won it numerous first-place awards at local vehicle exhibitions.

Randy was heartbroken to have to part with his treasured Ford, but he believed it was God’s plan. Randy’s daughter, Stephanie Hamren, will never forget her father’s agony when he gave up their first child. Randy never stopped thinking about the car despite being separated from it, telling family members that he wished to find it again. Stephanie set up a unique GoFundMe campaign to aid with the expense of repurchasing her father’s automobile.

Stephanie and her family discovered the automobile in 2014, halfway across the country in New Orleans, after a long search. The family planned to surprise their father by secretly purchasing it and moving it to their home state. Randy’s eyes welled up with tears when he saw his old friend, who thanked God for such a wonderful family, as the family videotaped the unexpected disclosure.

“And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, wife or children or farms for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life,” Matthew 19:29 declares. As Stephanie handed her father the keys, he spotted Matthew 19:29 imprinted on the chain.

Randy and Stephanie have been working on restoring the Ford themselves since the big announcement. Following Stephanie’s mother’s illness, much of the effort to restore the car has been put on hold, with much of the family’s money going to medical expenditures. Car fans have once again stepped forward to assist the family, this time donating nearly $3000 to assist with repairs.