The Van Saga

We're back. Alive. In a manner of speaking… I spent most of the day Friday looking for rental vehicles. Nobody had any vans – not good. Well nobody had any cars either, not in Sioux City anyway – also not good. They either didn't have any to rent, or they wouldn't let us take them one way to St. Louis. Alamo would, but for around $400. So, as a last resort, I tried Alamo again and had 'em check Omaha, NE – two hours away. They had a full-size available. So I made the four hour round trip with my wife's Aunt Cynthia (her and Uncle Brad bailed us out of this mess by letting us stay the night at their house in Carroll, NE). We swung by the body shop first in Sioux City so I could strip the van of all our remaining goods. That was hard, and awfully final. I Left My Van in Sioux City –> there's a country music song in there somewhere.

Finally, I made it back to the house around 10:30 PM. We loaded up the stuff in the Chevy Impala. Crammed is more like it. The kids were crammed in the back like sardines, with stuff jammed wherever we could find room. In that condition, then, I drove through the night on the long, eight hour voyage remaining to us. My wife slept in shifts, when not forcing herself to stay awake and keep me conscious (she hadn't slept much the night before, for obvious reasons). The kids did so well. They slept all night, except for very brief periods when we stopped to get gas for the car and caffeine for me. They never complained, and through all of this, have remained cheerful and cooperative. They make me awfully proud.

St. Louis was a very welcome sight at 7:00 AM this morning, two days and one van less than we were originally planning. I just got up (had to sleep, couldn't stay awake any more). The kids slept 'til 12:00 PM. Fortunately, we only have an evening meeting tomorrow, and it isn't far to drive.

All in all, we've done very well. I had plenty of time to think while driving back from Omaha, NE, and it occurred to me that were very blessed in all this. Yeah, we lost a good vehicle, which is a drag. Yet, nobody was killed or injured. We have a working vehicle at home to tide us over until we can locate a replacement. We're not out any money (the van was a gift), and we have enough to pay all our bills and to spare. Through it all, I had the peace that passes understanding, which I'm beginning to realize includes my own. I remain confident that just as God gave the van to us, and took it away, He can give us another that will be as good or better. He made a man blind from birth so Jesus could heal him in John 9. He had to deal with blindness until then, so God could be glorified. He took our van away, so He could be glorified in giving us another. It will all be for the best, once enough time has passed for us to see everything yet to be revealed. God is building His message in us, and teaching us to trust Him, which will certainly have to do in the years ahead.

God bless you folks, and thank you for your prayers and encouragement in all this.