Because they move us from Point A to Point B, cars are modes of transportation. Slow Down Ministries views vehicles in the same utilitarian way, but on a more spiritual level. The local nonprofit considers cars modes of transformation.

"I tell the guys, 'You're not getting an Escalade or a Ferrari,'" said Frank Gaston, the founder and executive director of Slow Down Ministries. "(The vehicles) are going to last a year, and once you get a job, you can get another car. Some guys run them a year or two or three years. It's their responsibility.

"I'm just trying to get them to work, get them to see their families, get them to church," continued Gaston. "(The need for personal transportation) is even more important when you've wrecked your life. They've got to check in with their probation officer. They need a car."

Slow Down Ministries is overseen by a board of six volunteer supervisors and does not operate from an office or a brick-and-mortar building. The ministry is one man's mission to give individuals a lift on their roads to recovery, an avenue he has traveled himself.

Gaston, a resident of East Earl Township, solicits donations of not-so-gently-used vehicles from the community. If the cars are salvageable, he'll have them repaired and inspected. If they're not salvageable, he'll scrap them and apply the proceeds toward his next reclamation project.

Once a car is in running order, Gaston presents the vehicles to graduates of local addiction recovery programs.

"I need the community to be aware of what I'm doing," said Gaston. "I'll go buy cars for $500, put a couple hundred bucks into them and see if I can get them running. Some people donate cars, and I have shops contributing. When (recipients) get these vehicles, they're inspected. It's a road-worthy vehicle ready to go."

Gaston collaborates and works with Potter's House in New Holland, Revelations of Freedom in New Holland and Restart Training Center in Strasburg, which are all treatment centers that offer addiction recovery programs. To receive a vehicle, those in recovery must have completed a Christ-centered program.

"The ministries are doing the hard work," said Gaston. "I just help with the next step of their lives."

Gaston distributes about four cars a year. That number fluctuates based on donations, but the need is steady.

"We're really trying to be donor-supported," said Gaston. "It's dependent on how many cars we get and if they're salvageable. Every month someone is graduating from those programs. I get calls, 'Do you have a car?' Sometimes I don't. Does everyone need a car? Not everyone. The guy who is starting from the bottom, from the ditch, that's who I'm serving."

It's a ditch from which Gaston has emerged.

In 2018, Gaston spent 11 months in the Lancaster County Prison on drugs and firearms charges. Now, he's been clean and sober for nearly six years.

"Basically, my addictions got the better of me," said Gaston. "I was a meth addict, and I was going 100 miles an hour. But God slowed me down and said, 'Look what's happening around you and see Me.' I was all about me. (Slow Down Ministries) was a vision I saw. I was asking God what he wanted me to do. He told me, 'You're going to do what you were doing before, but for other people.' Now my heart's for others."

As part of its mission, Slow Down Ministries holds fundraisers, conducts outreach and engages in educational programs.

"My message is, 'Don't quit on people,'" said Gaston. "Second chances can save lives. If people would've quit on me, I wouldn't be here. Jesus Christ is a restorer and a redeemer. If we can act more like Jesus Christ, we can help others."

Now, Gaston is considering the next logical step in Slow Down's progression.

"The board and I talk about what else we can do for these guys," said Gaston. "My vision is to get more help from the community. I'd like to see Slow Down open a small automotive shop and provide classes on automotive maintenance, just basic stuff like oil changes."

For additional information, search for "Slow Down Ministries" on Facebook.