“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11

I know I have illuded to some horrible financial thing that happened a bit ago and I am still reluctant to say this on the blog.  My business is fine, great even, but Kyleigh’s medical expenses, coupled with other blows to the economy have caused our personal finances, insufferable damage.  Sufficed to say that it left us in NEED of a vehicle.  My car lease is up and I need to turn it back in and we have been looking for a van.  Since we will be a single vehicle family now we wanted something big enough to carry us all… comfortably!

I have to first start out by saying, if you had told me even five years ago, that I would end up with three kids, and a used mini-van and would feel totally 100% HAPPY and blessed… I would have looked at you like you had grown a third eyeball!

Last night we ventured out to Paris to check out a minivan that a friend had pointed out to me online.  While that van was a no go- too expensive and they couldn’t work on the price other than to finance us and while they probably COULD have gotten the financing, we are NOT going to be a slave to debt anymore.  We wanted to be able to pay cash and walk out with NO lein and a title.

We left that dealership feeling a bit defeated.  It was a NICE van… but it was not exactly what I had wanted.  It didn’t FEEL like me.  So we decided we needed to shop around and see what was out there.  I had found a Pontiac Montana on craigslist and had REALLY been excited to see it but it sold before we could get there.

We walked into the used car lot at Paul Miller Ford and told them we have XX cash to spend.  Of course that begins the question of … is that down payment, is that before fees?  NO… you don’t understand.  I have saved up and THIS is what it is in the account.  That and $1.  The salesman went back in the building to look and see if he had ANYTHING in this price range and came back out saying he could not help us.  I walked out the door with a smile on my face.  It just wasn’t meant to be but SOMEwhere… I knew my van was out there!

As we were closing the doors of our car to drive away, the salesman, followed by his manager in a near RUN, were yelling at us to come back in.  At first I thought… ugh… this is going to get ugly.  The manager explained that he had JUST had a Van come in the day or two before that had not even been cleaned yet.  If I could look past the dirt then he would show it to us.  And it was IN OUR PRICE range.  Now… let me say… my price range was $3500.  I am not a rich person.  But I have been saving my pennies (and making money with my coupons!), waiting for this day.

It was a 2004 Pontiac Montana!  OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Everything that we could possibly afford was usually older than 2000 and had almost 150,000 miles on it!  This one had barely tipped 101,000! I was trying to contain my excitement as we pulled up because there is was.  I had cold chills.  This was a van that felt like I KNEW.  A van that I must have seen in a dream or something because it felt like an old friend.

When we were praying I told God.  I don’t need FANCY things.  I just need a GOOD reliable van with at LEAST one sliding door.  Well he provided that and more!

Welcome to the family: our (new to us!) 2004 Pontiac Montana MiniVan.  All power, 1 power sliding door on the passenger side, LEATHER interior (THANK YOU LORD!), Rear power and climate control zones, DVD ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM with wireless headphones, two captains chairs plus one bench in the back, back up sensors, on and on the list goes!

Evidently the manager had not done his research because when we hopped in and there was power door and DVD he was shocked.  He said “the dvd might not work”.  I told hime point blank “it does”.  I knew that if this was my GOD given car there was NOT going to be some problem like that.  I was right.  Everything was perfect and the OIL had even been change in the past month.  In further researching this van… God blessed us tremendously!  This van SHOULD retail for $8000+ according to Kelly blue book.  There are several on CL with a LOT LESS features that definitely cost more than ours and are in that $8000 range!  SOOOO COOL!

We sat down at the money table and I drive a hard bargain, just let me tell you!  The original price they came to me with was $5471!!!!!!!!  I was ready to get up and walk out.  I told you I have $3500 cash and you say $5400???  That is just wrong.  I expressed that I had not ONE penny over $4000 to spend and he explained that would make the car $3316 + taxes.  I had already pushed my budget $500 and I told him I just could not go anymore.  It HAD to be $4000 on the road.  After one last trip to “the war room” he came back, contract in hand, with the number $3316 + tax.  DONE!  We signed, wrote the check and two hours later drove off in our van!

As we were sitting with the finance guy we told him the story of Kyleigh and about our life.  He was truly amazed and had tears at one point.  Then I told him that I thought that the owner of this van traded in for a Ford Flex.  Troy said I was nuts… just supposing things.  The guy’s eyes got BIG as saucers as he said..”wHaT?”  I repeated myself and his mouth nearly dropped on teh floor.  He was astonished.  The people who HAD traded in the van DID buy a Flex!  Don’t ask me how I KNOW these things.  I knew the minute I sat down in the driver’s seat that THIS was my car.  It was like I had ALWAYS owned it.  It was familiar and comfortable.  There is a lot to be said for familiar.  The finance guy said he was going to play my birth date for the powerball… I told him if he wins… he owes me some moolah!  LOL

We were the last people out of the dealership and as we were walking out the storm had cleared and there were TWO huge rainbows.  Our finance guy pointed it out to us.  Amazing how God makes himself SO clear!!!

This is the pic of the rainbow that was taken from the front window of my van as I was driving it off the lot!

THIS… is what is it to be held.  To know that no matter how dark things look.  To KNOW that no matter WHO stands beside you or against you… that you have a HEAVENLY Father who is ALWAYS wanting to bless you and keep you safe.  To give you hope and a future.  WOW.

“He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.”  ~ Psalm 24:5

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” ~ Genesis 12:2

And of course… Isaiah 61.  This truly is the year of the FAVOR of the Lord for our family.  It may not seem like it to many on the outside but knowing our story.  Knowing where we have BEEN… makes knowing where we are GOING all that much sweeter!  At one point in our lives we would have never been happy with a used minivan with a cracked front grill.  It wouldn’t have been good “enough”.  Now we know that not only is it SUFFICIENT… it is MORE than we could hope for or dream of and our God truly has poured out his favor on us.

“Our dearest Heavenly Father… thank you for this amazing day.  Today we will celebrate a wedding with a dear couple but most of all we will celebrate YOUR blessings.  We are so thankful that even when we cannot SEE you, even when its rainy and gray in our lives, you are there.  You have given us a rainbow at the end of this journey and we believe that you have blessed us beyond compare…. thank you Lord for reaching down into our lives and holding us up when we could not hold ourselves.  God we pray that you would reveal Yourself in the lives of those who are seeking and desperately calling on your name.  We pray that you would reach down and CHANGE their circumstance like you have changed ours.  That you would work a miracle in their lives that is inexplicably YOU.  Thank you God for the blessings that you have given us.  We will praise you for them ALL of our days!  … in the name of Jesus we pray… AMEN!”

I hope that TODAY… your life is blessed.  I hope that strongholds are broken and that God reveals himself powerfully to you.  Have a GREAT day!

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