Our Journey of Faith

How can I put into the words, the experiences Larry and I have had over this past week?  Our emotions have run the gamut of human experiences.

This past week we have been in St Petersburg, Florida.  We have not been there on vacation.  To me, personally, it was a week of Hell.  If Hell is anything like what we have gone through, I fear greatly for all of those who are headed that way.

Almost 4 years ago, Larry & I purchased a wheelchair accessible, handicap ramp van from a seller on Ebay.  Unless you can personally go and inspect a vehicle or send a certified mechanic to go and check it out, please, do not take a chance, no matter how “nice and pretty” it looks.

As soon as we took possession of the vehicle we knew it had problems.  But we were totally unaware of the exact condition of the van.  After an attempt on our part to have the seller make restitution to us, we contacted a lawyer in the area he is in and spoke with her.  We contracted with her and she sent him a letter asking him to take the van back and give us our money back.  He never responded.

It was finally decided that we needed to move forward with the issue because the problems with the van and its condition were such that we knew we had been “had”.  Our lawyer filed suit against the seller and the journey began.  In April of 2012 we made our first trip to Tampa to meet our lawyer and give our depositions.  At that time an Auto Damage Expert examined the vehicle and it was declared to be unsafe and unfit to be on the road.  And we still had a 1000 mile journey to get home.  Safe, we did not feel.

Getting home safely was our goal.  About 40 miles from home the van began acting up and we were unsure if we would make it home.  We did and I declared to Larry, we were done driving that van and I took the license plates off and it has sat in our driveway since then.

This past Monday was the beginning of what we thought was the end to our long and arduous journey with that van.  But what transpired was not pretty.  I have never in my life ever had such a strong and pervasive sense of evil!  I felt like I was in the presence of satan himself.  My urge was to get up and run, every time the opposing lawyer got up to speak.  The heart wrenching, gut wrenching feelings of being around and near to such evil was incredible.  The fact that someone could try to distort the law and maintain that evil is ok just made me ill.

I want to Praise the LORD for His divine presence during this time.  I wrote I Thessalonians 5:16-18 on a piece of paper and just kept repeating it, writing it and praying it.  I also kept writing and praying Psalm 43:1-3.  The LORD truly sustained and upheld us during this time.  Thursday when things were going so poorly, I just kept praying that the LORD would contend with those who content with us his dearly loved children.  And my undying love for Him allowed me to pray, “For yet I will praise the LORD.”

I can continue to praise Him because He has not changed, He has not forsaken us, He has not left us.  He continues to be Sovereign over ALL things.  And I continue to believe that Romans 8:28 was meant for just such a time as this: “For ALL things work together for good to those who love God”.

After 4 days of legal wrangling, the judge who had never presided over a case like this (he is a family, domestic judge), explained he was unable to make a judgment on the law of what should be given to the jurors, so he declared a mistrial.  Have you ever felt like you have been shoved through a wringer washer and pulled out the other side?  We did.  Our desire and need for closure on the issue has been denied.

We have no idea what the future holds, but I can truly assure you, I do KNOW who holds that future, thank you dearest LORD Jesus.  Ultimately, through this trial, our faith and trust is strengthened  and the LORD is glorified as we allow His perfect Will to be done in our lives.

One of the biggest blessings of the week was when our son flew down to be with us so we would not be alone.  The blessing of our daughter’s constant contact with us was also huge.  She was unable to get away to join us.  Without the support of our kids, their families, and all the love and support of you our dearest friends and neighbors, we would have been lost.  By the grace, love and compassion of the LORD, we made it through.