The Cross Country Trek

As we prepared to depart another minor miracle was getting the minivan cleared to import to Canada. We found out we needed the title about a week before we were to leave, but the bank had not even been issued the title yet seeing that we had only bought the minivan a few months before. This can take months to get the DMV to do anything about getting you the paperwork. But the Friday before we left, the bank called and said “You’ll never believe this but the title just arrived today.” We believe God was taking care of all the details we needed to do what He wanted us to do.

One of our friends who suffered through our packing day, Jim Shaffer, went on to get the Congressional medal off valor (in our eyes) by also driving our minivan cross country behind Mark in the moving truck. We traveled 2700 miles in five days and Mark got his first extensive view of the Northwest. Do you know there really is not much of anything in North Dakota for as far as the eye can see?

While we were driving across the country, the sale of our house fell through because of extensive mold found in the attic during the housing inspection. There is a good thing about being completely unable to do anything, out in the middle of North Dakota, the only thing you can do is pray. So Mark did and a Christian friend came to mind to call, so Mark called him. Thank you, Rob Settipane, for being a true Christian brother and friend! Rob called a roofing contractor and managed the whole project of having a new roof put on. Not only that, but the roofers which usually are booked for weeks in advance, were available to start the following Monday.

We reached the border and Mark realized that he forgot to fax the minivan title information 72 hours ahead of time so they could check to make sure the vehicle wasn’t stolen or something. So many things had to be done before we left, it was bound to happen that we’d forget something. At first the border patrol said it would have to be left at the border until that could be done (several days). But Mark prayed desperately that he wouldn’t have to drive back down in a few days to get the van. By the time he’d finished the paperwork for the student visa and asked again, they changed their mind, gave him the vehicle import paper work all signed off on and said he was free to go through.

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