One motorcycle, one all-terrain vehicle, and thirteen cars – hoods up, cryptic messages scribbled on the windshields – fill the spacious shop at UGM Motors.  Shiny red storage units, containing the tools for specific jobs, have been wheeled near the front of select cars, and technicians in gray coveralls with tell-tale blackened hands move between engines and tools, one of them shadowed by a young apprentice. Shelves of more specialized tools line the walls and huge tanks stacked one on top of another hold critical fluids and oils.  The odor of these mixed with a hint of exhaust creates a familiar garage smell, and lest there be any doubt what this business is about, the jarring stutter of an air-powered lug wrench repeatedly splits the air.

One would expect Heather Arias, 33, to learn the difference between a carburetor and a radiator in a setting like this. The surprise is that she credits UGM Motors with teaching her the meaning of love.

As Heather, a single mother of three, entered the fourth phase of her recovery program at Anna Ogden Hall, she began to explore options for an apprenticeship with the educational and vocational coordinator, Tiffany Riddle.  Tiffany suggested an office job, but Heather felt pulled toward UGM Motors.  On the one hand, Heather acknowledges, this made absolutely no sense.  She didn’t know anything about cars, couldn’t change her own oil, let alone tell a crescent wrench from a ratchet.  On the other hand, she felt God leading her toward the garage, had a sense that her healing was meant to continue there.  And now, as she approaches the one-year anniversary of that decision, it appears that God did have a hand in bringing her to the Motors and that His plan made perfect sense.

Sitting in the Motors’ break room with a pink lunch bag at her side, Heather explained the healing that has taken place in her life:  “I come from a background of domestic violence. My marriage wasn’t healthy at all, and I’ve been in situations where men hurt me, so men were really a huge struggle for me. I came into the garage to overcome those fears of men, to see men in a godly way.” 

While she anticipated healing, Heather has been amazed by the reality.  The technicians have been exceedingly patient in their teaching, she said, never tiring of her questions.  When she failed her first test for certification in automobile inspection, the whole shop helped her study, and when she re-tested a few months ago, she passed.  They’ve also made it clear that their concern for her extends way beyond improving her skills in car repair.  She has shared her struggles during morning devotions, and they have responded with acceptance and prayer.

“I would totally trust these guys with my life.  I know that when they come to me to tell me something I’m doing wrong, it’s not because they’re out to hurt me. It really is because they want to see me be the best person I can be.  It’s just incredible.”

Heather has now moved into a service writer position.  She handles customer calls, orders parts, schedules the technician’s jobs, and does preliminary inspections.  When a customer describes a car’s symptoms, she has some idea what the problem might be.  When a mechanic requests a part, she knows what to look for.  She enjoys her job, but even more, she loves the place where she works.

“I just feel really supported and loved.  It’s like I’m their sister.  I’ve never experienced that.”