Thursday, October 6, 2011

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

Last year when we got back to the hotel on the day of Ram's surgery there was an electrical problem. When I went to use the power doors everything froze up. There were a few worried moments when we were "trapped" in the van as neither the power doors worked nor could we open them manually because the doors wouldn't unlock. I finally got everyone out of the van and I was so thankful Ram's dad was there to look at the minivan. He got it working again and the next morning he took it down the road to be looked at. We had planned to check on Ram and then Ewe and the Lambs were going to go home and let Ram rest and recover. That morning Ram's dad called and the conversation was something like this,
"There is a computer problem with the van. It will be $2000 to fix it and they can't guarantee that was the right computer part so it may not be fixed. You can't drive the Lambs home from Rochester by yourself in a van like that."
So instead of visiting Ram and starting home that day, Ram's dad asked if they had a used van exactly like our other van with less miles. They did, but it was newer so it had a few more features that I love having. Ram's dad did all the car shopping so all I had to do was go over and sign a bunch of papers and then they gave me the keys. Then began the task of cleaning out the old van-we had not cleaned it out after our vacation to Fort Wayne/St. Louis plus we had many items in it to entertain the Lambs for 5 hour trip to Rochester and home. Amazingly by lunch time we went back and picked up the Lambs who had been at the hotel with Grandma and went out to lunch before finally visiting Ram.
We spent another night in the hotel because we got the minivan that day and planned to drive home the following day. Because we were at the hotel that extra night, I was able to receive the middle of the night phone call that they had transferred Ram to ICU because of loss of blood. I was so thankful that we were not 5 hours away when that phone call came. God was even in the details of an electrical problem with the van helped us to be there when we wanted to be.
The Lambs named our new van, Olivia. We haven't taken any big trips other than coming home from Rochester in the last year, but we have driven 12,000 miles of local driving and driving to conferences and doctors when the whole family went along. We are so thankful to God for providing Ram's dad to help us through that minivan experience. We are so thankful to have a "new" van. God was even in the details of finances-Ram's total bill for all his hospital time was only $50.

1 comment:

Melrose said...

ewe, thanks so much for sharing this story. We're going through our own "please Lord be in the details!" situation right now and this was such a great reminder that He indeed is. Thanks. By the way, I'm so happy for your family on your new call. May God protect you as you move and truly be in all the details!