Our Taxi Cab Driver Ministry

Madrid, Spain
Mario, Said, Jaeson, Awan, Sergi and so many more that we never asked their name. We have learned so much from our taxi drivers.

This last one was a whole different version. We arrived via train into Madrid from Granada close to 11:00 pm. We walked to the taxi stand. You must know that often when a cab driver sees us, they make a face. Three cabs pulled to the front of the line and they just looked at each other. It was obvious no one wanted to pick up this motley crew. The guy at the far end lost and he grumbled under his breath the whole time he loaded our luggage. I wanted another cab and walked to a driver second in line to ask if he would take us. The grumbling driver suddenly decided he wanted us in his cab. So we all piled in.

He took a phone call and got into a huge screaming argument with someone on the phone. He began to pull out of the train station without ever asking where we were going. I interrupted his call and told him our first of two stops. He went in the wrong direction. He continued his argument on the phone.

It was late, I was tired. I now understand why Jesus went alone to pray so much. It was the only way He could keep His composure. When our cab driver hung up from the call, I told him in a not so kind voice to stop the car and let us out. I was not happy with his service. He immediately responded in such a rapid and loud tone that there was no way I would understand him, even if I spoke fluent Spanish. I was in the front seat and I didn’t need to look back to know the boys were ill at ease with what was happening.

I took a deep breath and asked in a calm and polite voice if he knew where he was going. Our conversation then took a different turn. He had lived in Dallas, Texas for a year. He practiced his English and I practiced my Spanish.

He started talking politics and I turned the conversation to God. He didn’t seem in a hurry to get us where we were going and my guess is it took us an extra 15-20 minutes to get there. I can’t say I was a mighty witness to him, but I do know the boys prayed a lot in the back seat. They shared that with me the next morning at breakfast. I confess I too prayed a lot.
Come to think of it, I bet Jesus prayed a lot too, even when He wasn’t alone.

“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,…” 2 Timothy 2:24 and 25