Family Vehicle

Not sure where to begin with this post. I think the best way I can explain our feelings about this new blessing is to say that we are very thankful for the gift. Gift from the Lord, and an answer to prayers- from us and from my mother. I (Faith) have two siblings and remember my mom often wanting a van for her family, specifically the Honda Odyssey. Now that I have a family and two boys, I was wanting a family vehicle that would be comfortable and big enough for us to grow into. A van? An SUV of some kind? A wagon maybe? We very much wanted a second car because... well, honestly we have several reasons we could justify a purchase, but we didn't want to satisfy a "want" unless it was a "need". We were and still are very thankful for our faithful Saturn sedan which Zach will be driving to/from work and whenever. Being content was what we wanted, yet not being able to give anyone a ride, friends or even our family who visited from out of town, was kind of annoying. I too, like my mother, favored the Honda Odyssey. I had friends who had the Odyssey. People I babysat for drove the Odyssey.  The reputation was very good. But I didn't want to discount any other car that the Lord was going to provide, so we shopped around looking at whatever vehicle suited our needs. 

My Dad offered us a gift at Christmas and after some shopping around and waiting for our savings and budget to fit the price of the kind of investment we wanted to make, I just told Zach flat out that I wanted him to find our car and I would give input. I didn't want to affect a purchase (I can get emotionally attached and forget to consider the important details). He called on a few cars from Craigslist and either the cars fell short in specs or the owners didn't communicate well. Then on Saturday, 1/14/12, Zach emailed the lady with the 2003 Odyssey EXL. She emailed him immediately and we all got in the car to check it out. I basically stayed in the car (not wanting to offer a biased or unhelpful opinion). The van was in "very good" condition according to KBB and Zach really liked it. After that, we left for the park downtown to take a family walk. Zach and I talked it over, called my dad, and then called the lady back. We left a message. I tried to not get my hopes up because honestly we didn't have the full asking amount yet and she had another interested buyer coming to look at it the next day. Eventually she called back and said she would sell it to us. (YAY!!! a 2nd car! YAY!!! a Honda Odyssey!) Friday, 1/20/12, we met with the family, made the sale, and came home in the rainy evening with our new addition :)!
So in a nutshell, we wouldn't have this car if it weren't for the Lord's blessing and a very gracious gift (Dad). Zach said it too, "We are reaping the benefits to your mom's prayer, a van for her family."
I know this is a personal story, but also a testimony of the Lord's faithfulness. Dad may not have been able to give my mom the vehicle she wanted, but he was able to help her daughter and grandchildren enjoy the blessing :)




On another note, Elias Marck is 2 months!

Elias Marck ~ 2 months, 1/21/12

Elias Marck ~ 1 month, 12/21/11