????
Ummm, what?! I had set up with this guy at 3pm the previous day that we wanted his truck, had cash and would be there the next day to get it( along with all of our other correspondences the past week). He said 'wow, sure I can accommodate you...' And we proceeded to set up the time that would work for him
(evening 5-6pm). He knew full well that we had sold our only vehicle to buy his van. Not only that but we had sold our Suburban below it's value since the price of the van was lower.
Needless to say we let him know of our displeasure. He made some excuses but refused to stop the showing with this other guy at 11am. The guy ended up not buying, so the seller said, but we told him we were not sure if we were still interested and were talking about it and we would call him back. We simply didn't know if we could trust this guy anymore. His integrity had been greatly diminished in our eyes. I went upstairs to have some quiet time reading my bible and in prayer about the situation when Hubby came up to say the seller just texted to say the other potential buyer just came back and paid full asking price for the van. Honestly we don't 100% believe this story or any stories that he told for that matter( was there really another looker or was he having cold feet that he lowered the price for us and was hoping we would pay more??). So that was that. We were moving on.
Now, people will say, 'well there are a lot of vans out there that you can buy'. But anyone who has been keeping up with my blog knows that we can't buy just any van, or just any 15 passenger van. It had to be a Ford E350, V-10, 4.1,with a tow package...in our price range. That was the kicker. And especially when we just sold our Burb for $400-$600 less than we were going to originally. And no, we can't get something we can make payments on because the banks won't loan us money for the older vans we would need to get
(we inquired already). It isn't worth the investment to them being an older make and model. Could we get a new van(eg expensive) with a loan? We might have been able to but believe that debt is counter productive and try to avoid it at all cost. Then we would have also had to figure in that payment in our monthly budget when on the road which would have raised the over all amount we need to travel.
But my prayer ever since we started talking with this seller was that if we were suppose to get this van then everything would work out. Once we sold our truck we thought it a sure sign that this must be the van for us. Silly us!
Here is the van that we ended up getting last night though:
It was a very late night since this was also quite a distance away but it's home now. And it has the Class V receiver/hitch that we needed for it too! That would have been $200+ to buy that. It needs no work( the other one did and we would have had to have it in the shop for a couple weeks ordering parts and getting fixed).
But this one was $1000 more than the other van. It is 4 years newer though. I was very uneasy about getting this new van because it would really empty out our checking account( like search the couch cushions for change empty). In the end, that will be God's problem though. This is the van we were always meant to get so God will work out all the other details.
Matthew 6:25-27
25"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?…"
That does not mean I can go out and blow my money of a huge shopping spree and trust that God will make up for it somehow. You have to be spending time with God and listening to what he is telling you and where he is leading you. That's the Holy Spirit. And often, what the Holy Spirit leads us to do doesn't make sense mathematically. It's good to have a budget but you should leave a big blank space labeled "Holy Spirit". And it might throw off your other numbers when that Holy Spirit column needs to be filled, but don't worry, the Holy Spirit is good on his returns. He can always be counted on to make it all work out somehow, and may even bless you beyond the initial investment(and risk)! If you feel God is leading you to do something or help someone but it doesn't fit into your nice little budget ask yourself this,"Am I putting more faith in my bank account than in God?"
The family we bought the van from had just experienced the great lost of their 41 year old son. We bought the van from the young widow. The money from the van was going to help pay medical expenses from her husband's passing. It was a very tragic case and I teared up often talking with the man's mother who kept getting choked up multiple occasions. They said it was bittersweet to sell the van but they were glad it was going to be used for such a fun adventure. We were glad our family could help them pay off some of the medical expenses by buying the van. Keep this family in your prayers. The man has 4 kids he left behind also.
I am just so glad to have all of it over with!!! Plan on enjoying today and getting ready for a local festival that starts this weekend. There is a baking contest that Sissy and Snuggle Bug are entering and Sissy will also be singing in the talent show. We also enjoy getting together for fireworks at my Hubby's Aunt and Uncle's house that kicks off the festival. A much needed reprieve from our stressful week!
Hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend!
Many Blessings,
The Mama
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