Our Christmas Blessing

This past week our family said good bye to our Big Bertha.  The big, white, 12 passenger van that has so lovingly carried our large family across many state lines and over many trips to doctors appointments.  We were blessed to be able to pass the keys of Big Bertha onto some very dear friends of ours who also are the parents of 4 very beautiful blessings who have some very specialness about them.  Sarah and I packed up the babies and we headed out to deliver Big Bertha.  Along the way we stopped to spend a few moments with another very special family who also has a connection with us: each of us has a daughter adopted from the same orphanage.  It was fun to meet the precious children and laugh with our friends; not to mention being sent off with some yummy cupcakes for the road.

The road trip was long but the scenery was beautiful!  Now I can cross a couple more states off of my list of having traveled to.  Now if only I could get to Hawaii that would be a great state to cross off!!Big Bertha (yes we named our var. You have to when you drive something as big as that) got us to our destination safe and sound and now she will serve another family on their many travels.

Today. December 20th. Our family received an indescribable blessing.  A provision from God via some amazing people who have the biggest of hearts.  We were given the keys to a 2013 custom handicap accessible 12 passenger van.  A van that not only would hold our growing family but one that would accomodate specifically the needs of our family.  We now have a new member of the Burman Bunch and she is lovingly called Big Betty.  This van is equipped with a lift for Reagan's wheelchair which means no more back aches from trying to lift her into the far back seat.  It also has so may safety features for our little ones.  It also has the same type of handle to open the front passenger door that a bus has.  Ethan of course thinks that is the coolest part.  I personally like that I can stand up tall in the van without banging my head.  The triplets kept looking around like "where are we?"  I admit I was a bit nervous to drive something so big and grand but at the same time it was such a joy!  Now the only thing is I can no longer fit under the drive thrus at Starbucks or Sonic.  So if you work at one of those places and see me coming, will you please have my drink order ready and be standing in a place where the clearance is at least 9 feet?  Thank you in advance:)

Introducing Big Betty

Benjamin is our designated hood ornament.  Notice the
red bow that was put on our van when we went to
pick it up.

This is the lift that Reagan will enter the van on.

I still cannot believe this is sitting in our driveway!

The work that went into creating this van from the very first piece of metal all the way to the people who put this all into motion and even placed a big red bow on the front shows the love and compassion God has created in us.   I have never known just how something like this could happen to someone like us (me).  But through our journeys of adoption, and through the many years I have lived, I have come to learn that I am worthy of God's love and provisions.  He promised that He would provide for us. He promised that He would equip those He called to do His work.  That sure has been a hard thing for me to truly grasp and believe.  I had held the mindset of you must work for all you have or else you are not worthy of such a gift.  I had thought I had to "earn" such blessings.  Wrong. Wrong. TOTALLY WRONG!!!!

Getting ready to take Big Betty on her maiden voyage.

I would love to be able to share with others just how powerful obedience to God can be.  His ways are always blessings but may not be what we "think" is the blessing. I can honestly say to others that even through our trials we have held strong to what we feel God has called us to and He has indeed blessed us.  What an amazing testimony to God's promise to us that He will equip us to do what He has called us to do!