April 22. David Mentzer. If you do an internet search for the name David Mentzer, you may or may not find the subject of today’s story. But there’s at least one young man in Colorado who knows the kind of man David Mentzer is. Here’s their story.
When we use our skills to do good for others, everyday work brings us joy.
There were two men:
In the mountain town Evergreen, Colorado, David Mentzer ran a Subaru Repair Shop. It was bright yellow, and he was in business to make money. That’s why they call it business.
And Stephen, a young intern, survived on a budget as threadbare as his socks.
Now Stephen’s sixteen-year-old Subaru Forester suffered a blown head gasket, a broken ozone sensor, and a bad catalytic converter. And that was just the big stuff.
He couldn’t afford a new car, but how was he supposed to pay for repairs? At 200,000 miles, was the car even worth it?
When Stephen called David and told him the car was burning oil, leaking coolant, and losing power, David said, “Bring it in.”
His confidence gave Stephen hope for an option besides a life of hoofing it to work.
Meanwhile, as David worked, he was thinking about—joy. Some Christian friends he’d met with had said happiness was different than joy, and David leaned over the engine and was thinking about what joy meant in everyday life.
Soon, Stephen pulled onto the asphalt lot in front of David’s shop, found him, and announced the patient had arrived.
David led Stephen outside and told him to drive his Subaru onto the blue lift. David mostly worked—year-round—in the open. A whiff of car fumes, oil, and grease mingled with the scents of pine, juniper, and fresh mountain air. When the old green Subaru was in position, David whipped out a flashlight and shined it on the Forester’s underbelly. Hmm. This was not good.
After a thorough diagnosis, David said if he fixed the most important stuff, the car could go another 100,000 miles. He quoted a reasonable price, and Stephen said he could manage that much. But there were a lot of issues that had to be left unattended. David knew it would be safer and the car would last longer if Stephen would tend to them all. But the young man just didn’t have the money.
Then David spent the better part of eleven days working on that Forester. As he worked, he thought about his own daughter and he thought about Stephen and he thought about what God wanted him to do. What if his daughter were on the road in that car? David repaired that car like he would for his own daughter. Gone were the weak hoses, corroded wiring, and worn belts.
When Stephen came back to pick up his car, David went over the repairs on the invoice—the head gasket, the water pump, the timing belt—and all the rest they’d talked about. But everything was fixed. Even the cracked windshield. “You can drive her anywhere now,” David said. “Take her to California if you want.”
But the bill was the amount Stephen had agreed to pay. Stunned, Stephen tried to express appreciation, but David interrupted.
“When I worked on your car, I wasn’t doing anything differently than I do every day,” David said, “but I felt the joy of the Lord.”
“Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!” (Galatians 6: 7, NLB).
David coached the young man through proper maintenance of his vehicle—just as he would with his own daughter.
“Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith,” (Galatians 6: 10, NIV).
What skill could you use to do good for someone in your circle of influence? When we use our skills to do good for others, everyday work brings us joy.
David Mentzer is a generous auto mechanic, who lives 365.
“What Happened on April 22.” On This Day. Onthisday.com. Accessed August 2, 2020. https://www.onthisday.com/day/april/22
Story based on information in an interview with Stephen Moldenhauer, on-line reviews of Intec Automotive, and a conversation with David.
Story read by Nathan Walker