Back in August of 2011, we got our first accessible van. Before that, we had a purple adaptive car seat called the "Special Tomato." Eventually she got too big for her that, and we needed to upgrade to an accessible van. We were thankful to have found one in Bismarck for a decent price. While it suited our needs, there were still some concerns. For one, the electrical system was really wonky, which affected the ramp.
Even with the weird electrical system, it got us to where we needed to go. We even had some fun family adventures like driving all the way to Toronto and back, and also to Winnipeg. The van also got us to some of Faith's medical appointments in Minneapolis and Fargo.
Despite its quirks, the 2006 Dodge Caravan was a good van. Except for when it rained. It seemed the electrical system went super berserk during rainy weather. One day we were on our way home from a physical therapy appointment in the pouring rain.
We were driving down Century Avenue (one of the busiest streets in town) when the van stalled at the light. The van refused to start. Thankfully, a guy in a pickup truck who pushed heavy equipment around for a living, was right behind us. He managed to push our vehicle with his to our apartment.
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Faith on a trip to Fargo a couple of summers ago.
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We put thousands of dollars into getting the electrical system fixed, but the only thing that seemed to help was to disconnect the ramp. This made transporting Faith very inconvenient, to say the least. While Faith's dad could still push her chair up into the van, I could not. We muddled through, however. It just meant that I could not really take Faith anywhere by myself.
Eventually our air conditioning also went out. I thought it might simply need to be recharged but this was not the case. It was going to cost several hundred dollars to fix, so we just went without. When we had a choice, we chose not to take Faith anywhere on really hot days. Then there is the issue with the battery and not starting well in the winter. There are other issues, but I think you get the gist of it.
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I don't know if Faith's van will make it through another winter!
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As you can see, we have needed a new van for a while now. When I discussed our van issues with my brother Todd a while back, he suggested doing an online fundraiser. I honestly didn't know how I felt about asking other people for help to fund a new van for us, especially with the whole COVID mess going on, and it being a hard time financially for many.
After thinking about it for a long time, and praying about it, too, I felt we didn't have any other choice. Todd told me to write something up for a
GoFundMe and he would take care of the funds, etc. When we set our goal of $29,000, Todd was very optimistic about reaching it. I thought it would be nice just to reach $10,000. Needless to say, our efforts thus far have far surpassed my hopes and expectations!
I know there are many people in need of things right now, which is just one reason I'm so blown away by everyone's generosity! All I can say is THANK YOU!!!
For those who have given, shared, or said a prayer, may this proverb ring true in your life: Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25 (ESV)
By the way, at the time of this writing, we are at $16,001 between on and offline donations, as well as 500 shares! We are well on our way to meeting our goal. Also, it would be a dream come true for Faith to have a new van for her 17th birthday, which is at the end of October!
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