The Family Van

Our family of 10, (2 parents, 7 children and 1 grandchild) had outgrown our family car, a beige six-passenger Chevrolet Impala. My parents advertised our car for sale so they could buy a used suburban they’d found at a car dealership. Just a couple of days after their newspaper ad posted, they had a cash-in-hand sale. 
 
As the buyer was dealing with my dad, my mother called the dealership to let them know they’d be coming in to buy the suburban. “I’m sorry ma’am, it’s been sold,” said the salesman. 
 
This new roadblock certainly presented a dilemma I imagine was frustrating for them – don’t sell the car to the buyer outside, or sell and trust. We had only that one car for our family. Trust was the option my parents chose.

 My mom told me that she and my dad turned to prayer for the used van our family needed. Their prayer was pretty specific: what year and model, the range of odometer miles, features and price. Just two days later they travelled in a borrowed car to a small country community to look at an advertised van. 
 
My mom shared, “On the way I prayed, asking the Lord to help us make a decision, a sign that He was leading the way. As we approached the country gas station and store, I smiled at the simple road sign marking the name of the rural farming neighborhood – ‘Vatican’!” 
 
The beige and brown van they went to see had nearly all the features they’d prayerfully requested. When my mom looked at the van registration in the glove box, she found it had previously been owned by the Sisters of the Most Holy Family in New Orleans. “It was a Catholic van!” she exclaimed. “We have such a loving, faithful Father in Heaven!” 
 
More than any material gift I’ve been given, I treasure stories like this one my mother shares so honestly about times she felt uncertainty and God showed up to remind her who’s walking before them. 
 
Yes, they bought the van.