With three young children and an abusive husband, life was not easy for Vivian, but she tried to remain true to her marriage. When her husband abandoned her, however, she had no choice. She applied for jobs in her home state of Florida, as well as in Houston, where she had once visited, and asked God to direct her steps.
When Vivian got an interview for a promising job in Houston, she made flight reservations for herself and the children. Unfortunately, when she arrived in Houston, she discovered her husband had terminated her cell service, and she had no way to find the hotel she’d booked. Providentially, there was a woman named Brandy on the flight who saw Vivian struggling and offered to help. “She was a godsend to me,” Vivian says.
Vivian got the job, and a friend in Florida helped her ship her vehicle to Houston; however, her troubles were not over. Her car soon developed serious mechanical problems. “I was always worried it would stop in the middle of the road,” she says. A mechanic reported the vehicle’s engine needed to be replaced—a repair Vivian could not afford. That’s when Brandy told her about God’s Garage. “She told me God’s Garage helps single moms get cars. I didn’t know people like that existed,” Vivian says. She applied online but didn’t expect much.
In early 2025, Brandy invited Vivian to her church, Restoration Church, and asked her to tell her story to the congregation. While she was at the pulpit, she saw something behind her. “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” she says. It was people from God’s Garage, who surprised her with the keys to a 2012 Toyota Sienna. “It was a big relief and a big blessing to me and my children,” Vivian says.
In 2010, a group of men—all automobile enthusiasts—met regularly at a friend’s home. There, they tinkered on their cars and enjoyed each other’s company. One day, one of the men was driving down Highway 105 when he saw a woman and two children walking alongside the busy road. When he stopped to ask if they needed help, the woman told him she couldn’t afford the repairs needed to make her car drivable. He replied that he and his friends were shade tree mechanics and offered to fix her car at no charge.
That first complimentary car repair became the start of a unique ministry. At first, single mothers were able to have their cars repaired at no cost; over time, thanks to the generosity of members of the community, donated vehicles were made roadworthy and given to women in need.
Being without a vehicle can be crippling for a single woman, especially one with minor children. Without a car, explains Justin Coggins, executive director of God’s Garage, it’s difficult to find work; furthermore, school and medical appointments usually require travel by automobile. Even a trip to the grocery store is exponentially more difficult when a person has to rely on spotty public transportation.
God’s Garage became a nonprofit organization in 2016, and the organization’s focus was soon expanded to include widows. “The word of God instructs us to take care of widows,” Justin says. Eventually, God’s Garage began including the wives of deployed servicemen, too. “If the men go off to war and their wives are here,” Justin says, “who’s going to take care of them?”
In 2019, God’s Garage got a boost with help from singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson, a native Texan. God’s Garage gave away a car to a single mother on the nationally-televised Kelly Clarkson Show. “That brought a lot of light to God’s Garage and really put us on the map,” Justin says. In 2025, God’s Garage will give away between 55 and 60 cars in the Greater Houston Area, with the goal of gifting 100 cars in 2026.
Unfortunately, there are more women in need of reliable transportation than there are refurbished automobiles to give them. So, God’s Garage uses custom software to sift through the 3,600 to 4,000 applications the organization receives each year. Staffers have named the software “The One,” based on Matthew 18:12-24, where Jesus described a shepherd who left 99 sheep to look for one that was lost. “We are going to go after that one, and then find another one. We will keep going until we find all the ones that need it,” Justin says. “We look for the ones that are the most in need.”
God’s Garage also looks for women who are motivated to change their circumstances. “There are a lot of women who are at the poverty level, but they are just a few steps away from being independent,” Justin says. “That car can do that for them. It brings consistency back to their lives,” he says. Cars that are given to worthy recipients generally have about 170,000 miles on the odometers, Justin says, but are overhauled, cleaned, and detailed before they are given to women. Hopefully, the recipients will be able to drive them for two to three years—long enough to get them back on their feet.
When a woman is handed the keys to a car, it’s usually an emotional event. “There’s a lot of tears and a lot of joy happening there for sure,” Justin says. “Every single one is such a big deal. There’s really nothing like it.”
Justin has been a part of many car giftings, but one was particularly memorable. A single mother knew she was receiving a car at God’s Garage’s headquarters on East Davis, but wanted to surprise her two children. Afterwards, her son approached the God’s Garage team. “He said, ‘All I have known is for people to take things from our mom and our car was stolen, but you guys are giving my mom a car.”
One Saturday a month, God’s Garage hosts Restore U for about 30 women who have applied for cars and have passed the first phase of screenings. “We want them to feel like a queen for the day,” Justin says. When the women arrive, their names are called individually, and volunteers welcome them like cheerleaders (with actual pom-poms). Restore U participants are able to meet other women in similar circumstances, and the day includes instruction on topics like financial management, car maintenance, and job interviews. Volunteers from Conroe Church of Christ serve lunch prepared in crockpots, and each woman gets to take home a crockpot. The day is designed to encourage women who are more accustomed to being discouraged. “They’re always beaten down, trying to make it day to day,” Justin says.
Although God’s Garage gives women practical help, the organization has a loftier goal. “We want to make an eternal impact,” Justin says. “We want them to know God sees them. We present the Gospel to them; we are not bashful about that. It changes everything about a God who sees you, knows you by name, knows everything you have gone through, just waiting for you to join the Kingdom of God.” At the end of the day, a volunteer places a crown on each woman’s head, prays with her, and presents her with a Bible.
God’s Garage is grateful for the many donations of used cars that it has received over the years. Some people generously donate low-mileage vehicles, which are “flipped,” usually generating enough money to put anywhere from four to seven older cars on the road. While some donated cars are what volunteers call “runners,” many are not currently drivable. That’s OK, because cars that can’t be successfully refurbished can be used for parts or scrap. “We take everything,” Justin says, noting God’s Garage will pick up donated cars within a 75-mile radius. God’s Garage is also thankful for its 190 volunteers, many of them mechanics, who log 16,000 volunteer hours every year.
God’s Garage also accepts monetary donations, including car sponsorships. For $1,000, an individual (or group) can sponsor a car that will be given to a worthy recipient.
“One of the unique things we get to do is partner with a lot of local ministries,” Justin says. God’s Garage works closely with more than a dozen local organizations, including Family Promise and Journey Home. “When you are donating to us,” Justin says, “you are impacting these other organizations as well.”
For more information, visit www.godsgarage.org
