Kara and Darryl Dedert are followers of Jesus who have five children, one of whom is severely handicapped and restricted to a wheelchair. Recently they needed to buy a new vehicle to transport their family. People in their situation typically get wheelchair accessible minivans, but that won’t work for them because of the size of their family. After much research they found out that the only options for them were to buy either a shuttle bus, which their kids thought was a great idea but is very expensive, or a Ford Transit.
They decided the Transit was their only hope, but then discovered that it comes in a low roof version and a mid-roof version. Only the mid-roof version is compatible with the wheelchair lift they need. Their local dealership had only one mid-roof passenger Transit, and it was more than $8000 over what they were able to pay. They went home and searched on the internet and found only a very few Transit vans that fit their needs in the entire country, all of them in other states. They had no idea what the next step for them would be.
They decided the Transit was their only hope, but then discovered that it comes in a low roof version and a mid-roof version. Only the mid-roof version is compatible with the wheelchair lift they need. Their local dealership had only one mid-roof passenger Transit, and it was more than $8000 over what they were able to pay. They went home and searched on the internet and found only a very few Transit vans that fit their needs in the entire country, all of them in other states. They had no idea what the next step for them would be.
An hour after they got home from the dealership, just when they were the most discouraged after their internet search, they got a phone call from the salesman at the local dealership. He said, “You’re not going to believe this, but we’ve got a truck here unloading eight mid-roof Transits, and they’re all passenger vans, not cargo vans!”
They went back to the dealership and sure enough, there were eight brand new vans, all the exact type they needed, lined up on the lot. But that didn’t solve their problem with the price. It was still impossible…or not. The salesman said, “It’s kind of crazy. These are actually brand new vans but we’re selling them as used. They were sitting on another lot and apparently they were damaged by a hail storm so we’re selling them at a much lower price. We’ll take out all the dents. You won’t even notice.”
Kara wrote, “So let me get this straight. An hour after we left, eight vans of the exact type we needed were dropped off unexpectedly at that exact car lot. All of them passenger vans with an extended base for a wheelchair lift. All of them happened to be in a hail storm which happened to reduce the price to what we had planned on. It was excessive, undeserved. But then again, that’s what grace always is.”
When they signed the papers to buy the van a week later the salesman said, “You know what happened is pretty crazy, right? I haven’t had those things on my lot for a year and a half. Then, an hour after you left, I’ve got eight.” Kara wrote, “It’s not every day that God sends these tangible reminders of his care and provision. But when he does, it is a grace that gives boldness to our steps and a fresh reminder of his presence during weary nights and lonely roads.”
Sometimes we forget that our God can and does do remarkable things. He truly does work in mysterious ways. I mean, come on, a hail storm? Really? Somehow God is even able to use something as random as a hail storm to provide for his children and remind them that he cares. As Kara says such tangible reminders of God’s care and provision gives a fresh reminder of his presence, even when they happen to someone else. Just reading their story gives us hope and enables us to remember in those weary nights and difficult days that we will all face at times that our God is with us, and that makes everything different. No matter what the situation we have hope because our God is there and he cares about us. Who knows what he’s going to do next!
They went back to the dealership and sure enough, there were eight brand new vans, all the exact type they needed, lined up on the lot. But that didn’t solve their problem with the price. It was still impossible…or not. The salesman said, “It’s kind of crazy. These are actually brand new vans but we’re selling them as used. They were sitting on another lot and apparently they were damaged by a hail storm so we’re selling them at a much lower price. We’ll take out all the dents. You won’t even notice.”
Kara wrote, “So let me get this straight. An hour after we left, eight vans of the exact type we needed were dropped off unexpectedly at that exact car lot. All of them passenger vans with an extended base for a wheelchair lift. All of them happened to be in a hail storm which happened to reduce the price to what we had planned on. It was excessive, undeserved. But then again, that’s what grace always is.”
When they signed the papers to buy the van a week later the salesman said, “You know what happened is pretty crazy, right? I haven’t had those things on my lot for a year and a half. Then, an hour after you left, I’ve got eight.” Kara wrote, “It’s not every day that God sends these tangible reminders of his care and provision. But when he does, it is a grace that gives boldness to our steps and a fresh reminder of his presence during weary nights and lonely roads.”
Sometimes we forget that our God can and does do remarkable things. He truly does work in mysterious ways. I mean, come on, a hail storm? Really? Somehow God is even able to use something as random as a hail storm to provide for his children and remind them that he cares. As Kara says such tangible reminders of God’s care and provision gives a fresh reminder of his presence, even when they happen to someone else. Just reading their story gives us hope and enables us to remember in those weary nights and difficult days that we will all face at times that our God is with us, and that makes everything different. No matter what the situation we have hope because our God is there and he cares about us. Who knows what he’s going to do next!
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