For those of us who organize mission weeks and church events on the road, the biggest headache is never the lack of cell service, or the urgent care visits, or even the fact that 38 people have only two toilets to share.  No, friends.  It’s working with the vehicle rental companies.  Hands down.

Unless you’re lucky enough to have a church vehicle that will break down on the mountainside, and then you’re waiting with all the students as you watch your bus get towed away to a town called Hazard.  That was fun, as well.

But I stand by my statement.  Showing up to the rental company with all your drivers who have arranged rides so they can pick up rentals, your trip less than 24 hours away, only to pull up and wonder why there are no large vehicles in the parking lot.  Only to find out that in spite of your regular reminders to the rental agency and their continued assurance, they were, in face, very surprised to learn that I really meant it when I said I needed large vehicles.

Or for instance, this year, when they tell you the week before you leave that there’s been a nationwide (it’s always nationwide) minivan recall and they couldn’t possibly have anything we could actually use in time for our trip.  Oh, and they only tell you that because you called to remind them that you need large vehicles, because you still don’t trust the company to keep your reservation.

But it’s cool.  They assure me that we can just rent MORE smaller cars so everyone will fit.