Ambassadors
We picked up our new car in Bern on Saturday. It was to have been ready in mid-October but the delivery of it was delayed and then there were some delays in getting all the necessary paperwork taken care of. Bob ended up having to go to the licensing bureau to pick up the plates himself, although that was to have been taken care of by our insurance agent. When he got back to the office with the plates, his assistant was quite surprised that we had been given "diplomat plates." The number "8" on top of the red and white rectangle, indicates that we can only have the car in Switzerland until the end of August of 2009. And that it is a tax-free car, which is why the plates are typically given to diplomats.
When we first moved to Switzerland, the assignment that Bob came under paid for a rental car for the time that we were here. When the assignment was lengthened, it actually became a new "type" of assignment, and they would no longer reimburse us for a rental car, but gave us an allotment for a vehicle. We considered a number of options: rental (very expensive), purchase of a new or used vehicle in Switzerland (still very expensive and then you have to consider trying to sell it at the end of the assignment) or going with this special "expat" program which Volvo offers. They manufacture a vehicle, headed for the states, but Switzerland allows you to bring a vehicle in without the normal import taxes, which are extremely high, for up to two years from the date which you enter Switzerland. As we expect to be returning to the states by mid-September of next year, this was a very good options for us. Included in the purchase price, at the end of August, we return the car to the dealership in Bern and they arrange for its shipment to the nearest Volvo dealership to our home in the US.
But when I learned that our plates would make others think that we are diplomats, I thought of the fact that even though we are here because Bob is on assignment with IBM, I believe that our main purpose here is to be ambassadors. In a way we are ambassadors for the US. I'll never forget the shocked look on a neighbor's face when she realized we didn't have a TV here in Switzerland. Her comment was, "But you are Americans." She equated Americans with television.
But our main role as ambassadors is for our Lord Jesus. Who knows but that the Lord moved us here so that even one will hear the gospel that may not have heard it any other way than through our lives? It has been very evident to us that His hand has been in the move from the beginning. We have seen even small details like the location of our apartment are clearly by His design.
May we serve Him well. What a good reminder our license plates will be. Wonder if we can get diplomatic plates in the US?
When we first moved to Switzerland, the assignment that Bob came under paid for a rental car for the time that we were here. When the assignment was lengthened, it actually became a new "type" of assignment, and they would no longer reimburse us for a rental car, but gave us an allotment for a vehicle. We considered a number of options: rental (very expensive), purchase of a new or used vehicle in Switzerland (still very expensive and then you have to consider trying to sell it at the end of the assignment) or going with this special "expat" program which Volvo offers. They manufacture a vehicle, headed for the states, but Switzerland allows you to bring a vehicle in without the normal import taxes, which are extremely high, for up to two years from the date which you enter Switzerland. As we expect to be returning to the states by mid-September of next year, this was a very good options for us. Included in the purchase price, at the end of August, we return the car to the dealership in Bern and they arrange for its shipment to the nearest Volvo dealership to our home in the US.
But when I learned that our plates would make others think that we are diplomats, I thought of the fact that even though we are here because Bob is on assignment with IBM, I believe that our main purpose here is to be ambassadors. In a way we are ambassadors for the US. I'll never forget the shocked look on a neighbor's face when she realized we didn't have a TV here in Switzerland. Her comment was, "But you are Americans." She equated Americans with television.
But our main role as ambassadors is for our Lord Jesus. Who knows but that the Lord moved us here so that even one will hear the gospel that may not have heard it any other way than through our lives? It has been very evident to us that His hand has been in the move from the beginning. We have seen even small details like the location of our apartment are clearly by His design.
May we serve Him well. What a good reminder our license plates will be. Wonder if we can get diplomatic plates in the US?
Comments
As always you are an incredible encouragement! I hope you're home soon and leading another Bible study. Miss you TONS!!