Our van had been slowly dying. For the past three years, my
Dad claimed that our van ran on, “A hop and a prayer.” I know that we often saw
God’s hand at work in our long, white Chevy Express as we prepared for local
and long-distance ministry trips. However, there is always the point when it is
time for the new.
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| Our faithful "White Elephant" |
The beginning of this year, as God directed our family to
focus more on traveling with our singing ministry it became very obvious that
our eight-year old van needed replacement. Our dreams ballooned as Dad and my
brother browsed the internet for vans and . . . buses!!!! Oh, to travel in the
luxury of a 24-seat bus instead of cramping us fourteen Teros in a
fifteen-passenger van with instrument cases stowed under seats, keeping my feet
strictly in front of me and my brother’s camera back-pack limiting my
stretch-ability in front. And to have a bus! That meant no six-foot white
trailer bumping behind with our ice-chest hidden under an avalanche of sleeping
bags and duffels. Instead, we would have luxurious over-head storage,
under-the-seat storage and extra room behind the seats! And an ice-chest that
we could reach without stopping.
Months passed and we looked. My favorite bus we nicknamed
the “Coca-Cola” bus – white with red swirly accents. But there was always one
major downside: buses cost almost twice as much as a fifteen-passenger van and
. . . we did not even have money for a new van. This is nothing new, though, as
we have watched in awe how God has provided to the penny our needs every time.
We knew that, according to God’s will, He would provide. And as God is so
faithful, He did it again! When God provided the funds for a new vehicle for
the ministry, the search began genuinely. It did not take long to realize that our
dreams for a bus were not a need but
a want. Yes, it would be luxurious to
travel in a bus, however, God did not provide money for a bus – He provided
just enough for us to get . . . another fifteen-passenger van (“Please, Daddy,
can we find another color besides
white? How boring to get practically the same
van!!!”).
Three months passed and the search for a fifteen-passenger
van poised some difficulties. Dad found a van and he and Mom drove four hours
to get it. They arrived at the dealership and began talking with the man only
to discover that they changed the price that morning. Difficulties swelled and
my parents came home in our old faithful “big white elephant.” We were
disappointed, but this experience answered our prayer: it was very clear that this van was not for us.
This experience also helped us to realize that though we were dreaming smaller,
the dreams were still too big. We were having a difficult time accepting the
exact amount God had given us for a new van and were searching above our limit.
More browsing online. Dad found another van – this time 6 ½
hours away in Texas
(TexasDirectAuto.com). Dad called the dealership and told them the price that
God had given us for a new van -- we needed the van and all of the legal work
completed with that price. They were more than willing to work with us and long
day short, the drive was made to Texas, the van was bought (complete with the
extra blessing of new tires), and is now gracing our driveway.
Another
fifteen-passenger. Another Chevy. Another white van. But, it was another lesson
to learn that God may not provide our desires but He is always faithful to
provide our needs.
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| The old . . . |
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| . . . the new! |
