If only it could have lasted a little longer

Well Erin and I will be saying goodbye to our minivan and saying hello to a new used minivan. This one was a hard pill to swallow. We had every intention of holding onto our 99 Chrysler T&C for several more years. It only had 118,000 miles on it and things were going fine with it. We only have one car payment right now and we will pay that off in under two years. The plan was to be able to keep the van long enough to have our other car paid off. Well as you know some of the best laid plans never come to fruition. Neither did this one. We had discovered and issue with our van recently that would force us to sink major $ into it to be repaired, or trade it in for a van that is newer with a lot less miles. We chose the latter rather than the former option.

It made me sick to think that we wouldn't be able to hold onto it. It has been such a good van to us. This was the van that we had for many of our foster kids. I remember picking up Hailey, Austin, and Tawna for the first time in that van and driving them to the park and Bob Evans for dinner. I remember taking all of the family vacations in it to Myrtle Beach and to Gatlingurg. God has blessed us with that van and I thank Him for always providing through it. Not once did it break down on us on the road. There were never any major issues with it until now. Now it is time to say goodbye. It has served us well and we thank God. So much so that I think my family will say a prayer of thanks giving over our old van before we let it go. God is good.

Now it is time to place our trust in a new vehicle. It feels a little uneasy because we don't know what to expect from this new van. We knew our old one...we were comfortable with it and trusted it. Now we have to build that trust all over again. Anytime you buy a new car no matter how many miles there are on it you are taking a risk. You never really know what kind of car it will turn out to be. So we will also be saying a prayer over our new van that God will provide many years of safe transportation and memories through this one as He did with the last one.

I am also thankful for the choices Erin and I have been making for the past 11 years financially. It really set us up to be prepared for an unexpected expense like this one. You never really know when things are going to happen in your life that require a huge expense. You have to be prepared for those things. I would say this time we were as prepared as we could be. Thank you Lord. How about you? Are you prepared for a future emergency no matter what it might be? There are so many twists and turns in life that it kind of gets your head swirling. If you had told me several months ago that I would be spending spring break with my family van shopping I would have told you, that you were crazy. None the less my family thanks you God for providing in a time of crisis. I pray that God has you making healthy choices today for those moments that will not go according to plan in the future. Blessings, Your Dreaming Pastor