Van Story Continued....

On Jan 11, I wrote about our van...how we got our van and what a God story it was and how we prayerfully hoped it would last as long as we need it to last. Well, we have another chapter to add to that story now!
We drove to Conway, AR on Fri Feb. 22 b/c God told Steve that we needed to go there to visit with some dear friends. It was very last minute....late morning that very day, Steve walked into the kitchen and said I know this sounds crazy, but I just know this is what we are supposed to do. Well, we are always more than happy to visit there plus it was my birthday weekend and that was a nice unexpected gift for me, so we packed up and headed out. We had a wonderful weekend visiting friends and a glorious visit to church Sun. morning which is always a highlight. Its just good church there, every time! I've said this before but I am always amazed at just how good church is there!!! I've been reading the Mitford Series by Jan Karon, and this trip home made me think that its our very own Mitford there which is so neat. Anyway....after leaving church we were headed to have lunch at Marnie's and suddenly, without warning, on Donaguey at UCA, our van broke down. It was all we could do to get it into the parking lot and off the street. We sat there in disbelief. (Not really though considering the mileage on it, we knew it was just a matter of time and drove it strictly by faith!!) We quickly decided we should call Marnie and get a ride to her house to have lunch and then call Hugh. We couldn't help but immediately thank God that we were in Conway, AR instead of on the interstate in the middle of nowhere or even at home where there are 10 lanes of traffic just going to the grocery store! (I do believe I would have had a heart attack if it would have happened to me going to the store!!!!) Here, we knew who to call and even though it was extremely stressful, we couldn't help but believe that God had ordained it to be at this time and this place. After all, it is God's van.
Steve called Hugh and had it towed in to be looked at first thing Monday morning. In the meantime, we enjoyed the blessed opportunity of going to evening church. Just being there was like being under a cozy warm blanket with a blizzard outside. And the kids loved being there and going to AWANA with all their friends. We went to bed talking about how many times Bro. Dave mentioned being alert, being on guard...and there was a message in the music about being pleasing to the Lord, not trying to please people but God alone....and we couldn't help but praise God that He allowed our van to fail while here. It was as if His angels had held it together until that very moment, when He said "Now. Let it go, now."
The next morning I was awakened by Steve saying God told him to read Isaiah 40. He didn't know what it said, but that's what God said to go read. So he got it out and read it, the first 5 verses:
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Wow...powerful words. So, we knew that God was in control and He was telling us that He was going to work this out. Even though we couldn't see it at the time, we knew He was working it out. He later gave me John 13:7 "Je$us replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
Soon afterwards, we found out that it was the transmission. Of course, one of the most expensive things it could be! Mercy! Now what do we do and how do we pay for that?! We heard various opinions about whether or not it was worth fixing or not, remembering it does have well over 180K miles on it and thus began the great debate, do we fix it or not. Wonderful godly men differed in opinions over it and we didn't have a clue what to do. We just started praying that God would reveal what HE wanted to do. All Steve knew at that point from God was that He was saying DO NOT MAKE A DECISION TODAY. Well now....I have to admit, I didn't like that idea so very much. Of course we need to make a decision today and as quickly as possible!!! :o) But thankfully the Lord has been teaching me submission over the years and I quietly accepted that and just kept praying that the Lord would give us some big lightening bolt of a sign of what we were to do. And that He did. It was about lunchtime, that Steve returned from going to get some things out of the van that we had forgotten. When he went to do this, the van wasn't there. Where on earth could it be b/c it certainly wasn't driveable! He went in to find Hugh, and Hugh said he'd have a hard time finding it here b/c it wasn't here. He said Bro. Dave had called and told him to send it on to the transmission shop to have it repaired b/c the church was going to fix it. Oh wow. There are just no words to describe this accurately really. We were overwhelmed with God, to say the very least and felt very unworthy of such a blessing. And the way He told us He was going to raise up the valley and lower the mountain...wow, He speaks so clearly. And the way He used His people, His church to do this. What a mighty God we serve. And how thankful we are to still have this van. This van that we use to carry neighborhood kids to church with us, the van we used to carry kids to the drive thru nativity and life of Christ where one remembered and asked is that why there was that stone being rolled away? Its God's van. We knew that before. Now we really know it!! May we use it to His honor and His glory, always. And may we always listen to hear and know each and every step to make, even if it makes no sense, even if we are to drop everything and pack up and go wherever He says go, whenever He says go. May we HEAR and GO.