Scott, thanks first of all for your response to my adjacent "Wall worts and stomp boxes" post. Appreciate your advice.
Just have to respond to your great story, however. In 1994 I went on a short term medical mission trip to Western Siberia. To be able to add to the gospel flavour of the trip in a variety of ways, I took my Morales steel string accoustic gtr, and used it in a variety of ministry settings, and also just to have fun in a totally new environment with something familair. The Morales was a moderate quality asian made instrument roughly equivalent to a Korean made Washburn or such- no pedigree but pretty flash for that part of the world at that time. Towards the end of the 3 week trip, we spent a bit of time with one of the teaching elders and his family in a very remote little village half way up the Ob river, called Oktyabriskaya. (The village name is drawn from the month of October and relates to the October 1917 Russian Revoloution, as do many place and street names in Russia). One day in that period, the Elder, whose name was, I think, Alexei, picked up my guitar and to my suprise gave it an authoritative strum and sung the opening note to a Russian folk song (I think) at the top of his voice. In that moment I knew I was to leave the guitar with him in Oktyabriskaya, and I did. As far as I know it continues to serve him and the local church there, the very first Baptist church in that region.

I want to add specifically in response to Gary and Mac's comments above about God blessing the giver more than the given. 3 years later I returned to Western Siberia, and got engaged to I girl I had met on that '94 trip. Alesya and I were married the following year and have lived in Australia since. So, yeah, giving guitars away can be a powerful thing....?!?!

John