vans - out with the recent, in with the newer

 That title is a nod to my last van post from nearly a year ago, "Out with the old, in with the new", wherein we bought our 2005 silver Toyota Sienna. On April 7th we bought a new-to-us van, a navy blue 2007 Honda Odyssey. 

We were not in the market for a new van after all we had done to spruce up the Toyota (which was a ton of work), but Terry was keeping an eye out for suitable replacement vans for his sister.

This is first photo of our new-to-us Toyota from last June after Terry drove to Sioux Falls and back in a single day to buy it. 

While on a run on March 28th, he noticed, not for the first time since he often runs that way, this navy Honda van on a corner a half mile away. That particular day he finally stopped and took some pictures and sent them to Jesse, Shari, I. I was impressed by the van and thought Jesse would go look at it. 

But after about a week with no interest from Jesse, we decided to go and test drive it on Monday, April 2. It had less miles than the Toyota, was two years newer, and was in much better shape as we discovered as we drove along. 

We drove up and down the interstate, liking what we were seeing and experiencing. We stopped at the gas station across from Applebees to turn around and to give me a chance to drive it. I loved how it drove and accelerated. Somehow it was smoother and more responsive. 

Before we returned the van we went back home and picked up the kids to give them a chance to experience it as well. We tested the DVD system with a movie of our own and that's why half of them aren't paying attention. The screen is smaller than the after market player in the Toyota, but it works better, plus the volume is controlled by the van sound system (instead of just the player). During our sabbatical trip, the Toyota's DVD player would give us fits half the time and refuse to work. Also, at first we thought the Toyota had the better sound system but we were wrong, the Honda is far superior. Also the road noise is less than the Toyota, something curious because I'd always read that Honda's have a lot of road noise. Also the Toyota had a lot of annoying sounds that came out of a loose component in the dash. The Honda is so much more quiet. It was cleaner and in better overall shape. It wasn't a pig sty like the Toyota had been when we bought it, the paint looks better, the leather is in better condition. It did need the 100,000 mile timing belt, water pump, some brakes and rotors, but that's minor compared to all we did to that Toyota.

It was super neat how it all worked out. That morning when we picked up the van I realized that the owner was the husband of a woman I work with. We were able to meet with them "by chance" just in time before they left for a week long trip to Colorado. Terry talked to the man later that day and they agreed on a very good and fair price, something within our reach if we could sell our Toyota. I don't think the price would have been the same if we hadn't have known them. That was another blessing. When we were buying the van a week later, he was telling us how he'd been trying to sell the van for weeks but no one bit. We told him it was because the Lord wanted us to have it. We weren't looking for this van and yet it's been an unexpected blessing from beginning to end. 

So after they decided on a price, I went to work cleaning out our Toyota to list it. I spent the entire afternoon detailing it, despite the light snow that was falling. I kept having to vacuum up snow flakes! Ha! Since it was so cold and I didn't want to wait for nicer weather, I drove down to a car wash and cleaned it up myself. Right away I pulled off the road and took a bunch of pictures for Terry to post. I would've preferred him to do it immediately, but he had work to do! So he posted that evening, which was a Monday.

It was sold and gone by Thursday night! 

Seriously, how amazing is that?! We received only one inquiry and she was the one who bought it. She and her sister foster five kids and they needed the room their current car didn't have. Thus, it was even a blessing to them! That night after they took the van, Terry and I just prayed in gratefulness over such quick and unexpected blessing. It was like the stars aligned but we know that's not how it works. Sometimes God just shows up.  

We had to wait through the weekend to get the new van since the family was still in Colorado. But when they came home a day early on Saturday April 7, they got it all cleaned up, called us, and we went over there to get it. Squee!!

I even put new Star Wars stickers on the back. Hopefully this will be the last for a while, since I'm almost out. 

The following day I cleaned up the Honda, which wasn't nearly as arduous and back breaking as when I did the Toyota. This van is in much better shape. Then the following night, Monday April 8th, we took our maiden voyage in it to my folks' house to have dinner with them and my Aunt Nancy who my dad had just helped drive back from her winter home in Arizona. It was so fun to drive in altogether! We're loving this new van!

Lead the Cause

We have had a nonstop summer - I can't believe, don't want to believe that we start school next week. 

At the beginning of July Terry spoke at kids camp at Table in the Wilderness. Saturday July 9 we drove home from Table, cleaned our house for the next renters, did laundry, and packed up for another trip. This time we left our kiddos (the littles with my folks and the olders with Paul and Jana) and took 14 students and 4 other leaders to Denver for Dare 2 Share's "new" Lead the Cause conference. It's like a week long D2S with additional training and planning. 

I don't know if I was simply exhausted, experiencing spiritual battles or what, but the week started out very difficult for me. We started the conference out on Monday and went late into the night after a full day of traveling. Tuesday all 400 kids at the conference were driven to Columbine High School where the 1999 school shooting occurred. I was a junior at that time and remember it vividly. 

After walking through the school we spent time in the cafeteria where the shooting began. Directly outside the cafeteria we were shown where Rachel Scott had been shot dead for her belief in God. Intense. After walking, praying and singing there, we walked west of the school up a hill to the Columbine memorial. It was incredibly emotional. There are plaques everywhere with quotes from the victim's parents and others who survived. Below is one of thirteen wooden crosses that a man had made for the memorial but the state forced him to remove. He gave one of the crosses to Greg who brought it along. They had us write down what God seemed to be impressing on our hearts.

Looking down from the cross at the memorial below.

I read every single engraved word in the the memorial and this was the one that stuck with me. For me, more than anything else, my heart cried out for justice over this depraved act. This father's quotation from Isaiah was appropriate and very moving for me.

One of the things about this conference that we had most been looking forward to was the opportunity to discuss new ideas, make changes to our ministry, and plan accordingly. The time was difficult to find because they had us over scheduled from dawn to past dusk but we did manage it. We borrowed time from other activities and came up with a plan. On Thursday we talked it over with our LTC rep Laura. 

Eating Chic-fil-A before going to Columbine. 

We were driven by bus to various locations within the Denver area to share the gospel with strangers. On Friday my group talked with three elderly ladies in a coffee shop who were gluing puzzles into sculptures. I took a picture for my kids. 

The week before our group left and during the conference we all took part in a social media fast and deleted apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat from our phones. LTC split up all the groups and drove us around quite a bit. So, to fill the driving time we would take unflattering pictures of each other and text them to the group and laugh (though I took only 4 or 5 photos and instead saved everyone else's to share). Hilarity ensued. Here's Emma passed out curled in a literal ball next to a sleeping Tim. Aw.

Natasha fell asleep on my shoulder on the drive home. 

The womb-mates (twinsies) Jenna and Jake asleep in the back of the Envoy on the drive home after only minutes in the vehicle. 

On Thursday afternoon we finally had some down time. I went to my room to lay down, rest, and talk with my kids while the students walked to a nearly strip mall. 

Jake, Tim, Silas, and a questioning Emma.

They bought a volleyball while they were out and played every spare minute they could find.

Laura's group was visited by Laura and our group always wanted selfies with her. We had watched a video of her's before we left and all the students  kind of latched on to her at LTC like she was a famous person. 

For lunches we would congregate under this tree on campus. We had a lot of fun times there. Jazmin brought a lot of teasing down on herself after bugging me and others. Silas put her hat high in that tree and she ran around trying to get it back. Long funny story.

Zoe, Katrina, and Natasha with Laura. 

See? Laura fever.

This is the one photo that started our rage texting funny pictures to each other. Steve had taken a panoramic photo of Sarah and Prae during one of the sessions. However, she must have been moving while he panned over her and it left her head and neck enlarged and jagged. We all just about died. 

Um, yeah. Hilarious. I post this with her approval. It looks like she had cornrows in her hair and that she has a body-builder neck.

More sleepers - Katrina, Andrew, Jaz.

Our bus was overcrowded and there weren't enough seats for everyone. David preferred standing in the back. 

Another B. asleep. 

These are my absolute favorite photos from the trip. Jazmin and her siblings Jenna and Jake cannot take a care ride without falling asleep (he's asleep behind her again in these photos below). They pass out immediately. David was taking a selfie with Jazmin during one such bus excursion...

...when she woke up! He caught her at the absolute worst and best moment! Ha! Poor Jazmin. 

And that look she gave Katrina! Gold. I love everything about these three photos.  

Prae feel asleep on Steve's shoulder but what was really funny was Sarah's creeping over the seat :D 

Oh silly Allison.

Jake and Terry "sleeping" on the bus.  

Later that night they were at it again - pretending to sleep, that is. 

Wednesday and Friday were the days we were shipping off to various locations to share the gospel. This photo is from Friday before we walked around downtown Arvada.

Friday was our final night and it was spent in the mountains. First we ate together and then we climbed around the rocks and mountain a bit. Sarah snapped a photo of these students eating and we all thought Silas' hand just did not look real... 

...so he added his hand to everyone. Ha! Johanna's "hand" is as big as her head!

Pointing at the sun.

Jenna failing at pinecone baseball.

Braids are all the rage. We tried to gather all the girls together who had braids in their hair for a photo. Pretty!

I love this one: Me, Natasha, Jazmin, Emma, Jenna, Zoe.

We had dinner, took pictures, sang, prayed, and were commissioned to go share the gospel in a real intentional way upon our arrival home. David took a Go-Pro photo of our group and it turned out great! 

The leaders prayed for all the students and then they prayed for us. That was cool.

The following day, Saturday we drove home, texting more photos of each other and laughing continually. What fun. 

Someone sent out this photo of Ben Stiller from Dodgeball saying that he was Steve's twin.

Silas, who has the photoshop app on his phone, added Steve's face to show how similar they really do look:

Half Steve, half Ben Stiller!

Tim did a face swap with Johanna. HAHAHA! It's terrifying and yet I can't stop laughing.

Aw, an actual nice photo for a change - Jordyn and Johanna.

David took Go-Pro pics of the vehicles he was in - the Envoy 

Andrew, Zoe, Natasha. 

A Sarah van selfie.

Andrew didn't want anyone to take a bad picture of him sleeping so he took precautions. 

Another group in the van. Every time we stopped we had to switch seats - Terry had random seat arrangements made beforehand.

Some kind of wrestling going on... 

Final van ride! 

It's been so fun to look back at these pictures a month later. Though it was an extremely exhausting and emotional week, it was good.

Here is a video that Sarah put together.