Adieu, Subaru!

I have hesitated for days to post all that has transpired in our lives during the past few weeks. God was still in the middle of His outworking, and I wanted to see how all of the details would unfold! All the way back on July 3rd, as I was driving back from seeing the doctor about my thyroid and adrenal crazyness, our car started shaking violently. We had hoped it was just a loose mounting bolt or something easy. On July 4th, we spent some time with our adopted Colorado family, the Creechs (we love them so much!). We were also graciously loaned a car to hold us out until the mechanics could look at our Subaru. I also made my first potato salad, ever. July 5th brought news from the mechanics that our car had thrown a rod and would cost an arm and a leg to fix–actually, multiple arms and legs is more accurate. We had just put a whole bunch of work into it during the spring and were faced with the reality that our car was mechanically beyond us, and we needed a new one. And thus began “Car Week(s),” which overlapped “VBS Week” and “Fix-Grace’s-Thyroid Week.”

God taught us some amazing things during this time. I’ll spare you the details, but I will testify to God’s faithful, guiding hand. God provided another car that we could borrow to give us another week or two to find a car instead of having to rush to find a vehicle, which wouldn’t have been ideal. At first we just started blindly looking at everything. We didn’t even know what we were looking for.  A car? An SUV? A truck? Then, we sat down and had to consider our driving schedule for the next 3 years. It involved multiple trips across multiple states (MI, MO, CO, CA), usually with some stuff to haul, at least one big move, and maybe even a little Downing at some point. Neither of us are mechanically inclined, so that also narrowed down the search. We pulled out pens, paper, calculators and used words involving MPG, V6, tow capacity, NADA, LE, 4WD, 3.0L, SE, Mid-Size, Timing belt, hyperdrive generator, and flux capacitor…well, not the last two, but there were still a lot of variables to consider. We prayed often. All the while, I had been following my nutritionalist’s advice and rebooting my endocrine system, which involved about 19 pills per meal, 3 times a day! I am feeling better (the pills were making me sick at first), but pray that by the end of the month my supplements can be decreased!

It was interesting to try work with Biblical principles and bring them into our current situation. God doesn’t say anything in the Bible about 4WD versus Traction Control, but He does have something to say about depending upon Him for everything, communication between Payton and I, attitudes (respond vs. react), and that He is at work to change us into the image of Jesus–He cared more about those things than what vehicle we ended up choosing! As we went on a long walk to debrief, we both were so very aware of the growth that still needed to take place as we could see the lack, but were grateful for the opportunity to grow and learn just the same, even if it was through a not-so-plesant couple of weeks. It seems as if God has not allowed us to become bored or complacent for a moment this summer. He seems to be using every spare moment to work on us. And as I see the reality of the mission field approaching, I know I should be thankful that He is the One preparing us for what’s ahead!

Meet our Minivan!