We need a van!?

My wife, Emily, was recently struck with some sort of flu-like virus. It wiped her out. Chills and body aches and headaches and a fever. It was pretty bad…

I then had a brilliant (or so I thought) idea: I should make some chicken wild rice soup. Good for the body, better for the soul…

Usually in the Anderson household, when we attempt to make things like soups or chili, we make big batches. We’ll stick some in the fridge and more in the freezer to pull out on a rainy (or snowy) or flu-like day. On to Cub Foods I went with a recipe in my hand, stocking up on 16-servings worth of chicken wild rice soup ingredients.

Before I go any further, I tend to think of myself as an okay cook. Definitely not miserable, and most of the time I surprise myself with something quite delicious. Em agrees, she likes my cooking….

But sometimes, more than we’d like to admit, things don’t go as we planned. We’re late for work, we forget a family member’s birthday, or we completely destroy a fantastic recipe of chicken wild rice soup.

The end result was far from soup. While it actually tasted ok, it was more like a side dish for some sautéed mushroom and steak entrée—it was thick and chunky, extremely heavy on the rice and required a fork, not a spoon. Utter disaster….

And so the story goes. For good or for bad, things oftentimes stray from the plan. We take a detour to work, send a belated birthday card to our loved one, and brag about an extraordinary batch of chicken wild rice casserole. Such is life.

Ace Hoops has been programming with our kids since June of 2010. Every other Saturday since September, we’ve been holding our programming in Powderhorn Park in South Minneapolis. But as we continue this journey, things are straying from the plan. But in this case, all for the better.

We are GROWING! The kids who come once, keep coming back! And every week, there’s a new kid, cousin, friend who tags along. All is good! However, with the growth in numbers comes growing demands in transportation.

Over the last six months, our coaches and volunteers have been picking up and dropping off our kids, oftentimes in waves, as they’d otherwise have no way of participating and engaging in our programming. Huddled in compact cars, we’ve quickly realized that straying from the plan is necessary to meet the demands of our growth.

WE NEED A VAN!

I envisioned this blog to be one where we can capture fascinating stories and pictures and videos of our Ace Hoops family. A blog where maybe some words of wisdom can be shared, aimed to stretch and challenge. And a blog where prayer requests and specific needs can be highlighted.

This is one of those times where a specific need has arisen and we’re in need of addressing it! Ideally, we’d love to have a 12-passenger van, or heck, mini-bus, to help meet this need. Unfortunately, I am not an expert in this. I don’t have, to my knowledge, many networks in the transportation, 12-15 passenger bus, business, but am hoping and praying you might.

If you have any leads or insights, I’d love to hear from you (tanderson@acehoops.org). God is good, and in one way or another, we’ll address this need. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. Continue to lift up our coaches and our kids, that Christ may be known and glorified in everything we do. Whether soup or casserole, our God is in control!