for the believers among us . . . prayer requests

14 years ago

i rear-ended a vehicle on i-635 two weeks ago in our wheelchair van that allows us to transport our two children in wheelchairs - he stopped abruptly in front of me & i couldn't stop in time - anyway, here's the situation

bad news:

* the van was totalled out by the insurance company

* repairs would've taken a few weeks, replacement will take a couple of months

* we lose the rental coverage

* we paid off the van & were quite satisfied with zero car payments - this is quite a setback in our hopes for reducing/eliminating our debt

good news:

* except for some minor seatbelt/airbag bruising, no one was injured

* we get to start over with a new van with a longer life

* larger van, we're thinking about a ford full-size van b/c the kids and chairs are getting bigger (we're already calling it "the bus" & joking about paving the backyard so i can park without hitting the house - not the way i want to reduce my lawn)

* insurance won't pay much on the van, but will pay out replacement value on the modifications ($14k)

* this time around, hailey's on class (medicaid program) that includes some coverage of vehicle mods

* the van was paid off, so all of the insurance check goes toward replacement van

prayers:

* we (read: don) don't get "new car fever" & our eyes don't get bigger than his paycheck (we don't need leather seats with butt warmers, but they're tempting - i'm sure our 13yo son will beg for a dvd player - did you know that some of the full-size vans with raised roofs have 27" screens?!?!? - that's the size of our family room tv!)

* we find a van that truly meets our needs

* the kids, primarily hailey, don't need urgent transportation in the interim

* the remainder, which will have to be financed, isn't too high (or at too high a rate) & doesn't stress our monthly/longterm finances too much

so there's that - i started to just mention the prayer requests, but those of us who are active pray-ers find it difficult to pray aggressively without relevant information - i hope its not tmi

your prayers are needed & i'll let you know what unfolds

~ amy

Comments (6)

beachplant
14 years ago
27" screens in a van! And we thought we were cool for having an 8-track!! LOL! Though in January we might want that butt warmer.

Here's hoping the van fairy delivers the perfect van for you, and throws in a dvd player for the 13yo.

Tally HO!
carrie751
14 years ago
Oh, my, Amy .... you and your family will be in my prayers, and may you find exactly the right van at an affordable price (and can make a place to park it)!!!
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roselee z8b S.W. Texas
14 years ago
Just reading your message brings forth a joining of happy positive intents for the good of you all from all of us.

Yes, may the van fairies be alerted to be on the look out for the best possible deal and deliver it to you :-)
melvalena
14 years ago
OH AMY!!! I wondered what happened to you..
I'll be praying that your needs and desires match and that God blesses you with the perfect set up.
freshair2townsquare
Original Author
14 years ago
Update:
We have found a 2009 Ford E350 with crazy low miles that is the type that can be converted to accommodate a rear-entry lift and two wheelchairs. The next step is financing. Thankfully, my husband, being the fiscally conservative that he is, has a wonderful credit rating, so that should help in terms of approval and loan rates.

10" DVD players cost over $2k - not happening!

Continued prayer needs:
* financing goes through simply and quickly
* the van doesn't get sold out from under us
* the kids don't need urgent transportation before the van is converted and delivered (may be up to 2 months)

Thanks so much for your prayers.

~ Amy
freshair2townsquare
Original Author
14 years ago
For those of you who prayed, thank you so much.

We were able to get a 2007 Ford E-150 with only 8k miles for about $21k. What's crazy is that we ended up getting a much nicer van than we set out to find. It had been converted to a high-end interior, but a number of the wiring elements of the conversion are faulty, so they had to sell it at a much lower price than converted vans usually demand. Since we're having the interior worked on for the purpose of wheelchair modifications, it won't be as difficult for us to get those issues fixed.

So, we have a crazy comfortable van at a reasonable price. Whew!

The next step is the 6-10 weeks of modifications.

Again, thanks so much for your prayers. Isn't God good?!

~ freshair