Week 15

Saturday:

On outreach we had half of our team missing and was without a bus captain. That being said, we focused on follow up.


While doing follow up, we were invited into one of our kids club house. In sidewalk chalk they had written two signs:

Pray before entering

Blue Bomber Parking

What a great feeling to know that they think of us even when we are not around....

A group of us also went over to one of our new areas just to say "hi" to one of the girls that we have been connecting to. She was outside playing with one of her friends....so we did what we do and connected to her friend too (I think one of our motto's should be "Kids reaching kids").

After outreach was over Anna, Angelina and I went to deliver a "promised" Slurpee to one of the girls that had had a hard time in Sunday School the week prior.

Sunday:
A few things:

We are so advanced in how we identify the different routes.
....sharpie markers are extremely economical.

Jacqueline runs up to me with a bag of candy:

Jacqueline: Can you hold my candy while I play?
Me: Sure. Where did you get this candy from?
Jacqueline: I brought it from home.
Me: Why?
Jacqueline: My brother did not come this morning and if I left it at home he would eat it.
So, I walked around all morning carrying my attendance and Jacqueline's bag of candy.

Speaking of attendance, things went so smoothly this week.

What a relief!

and...

last but not least...

Sunday night....

ONE OF OUR ROUTE 3 BUS GIRLS GOT THE HOLY GHOST!

It is always exciting when anyone off of the Blue Bomber gets the holy ghost or baptized...

....but it just feels a little more special when it is someone that you have been directly connecting to...

and...

...might I add that also on Sunday we had 2 mothers of Blue Bomber kids get the holy ghost and had 3 kids baptized.

Don't have a bus ministry?

Get one.

ASAP.

Route 3 = 33 kids

and if you still have not had enough....


A few video facts:

~0.4-0.11 seconds in -shows Justin being LEFT by the bus....good thing JWest was taking the video from his car, or poor Justin would have had to walk back to the church.

~You may notice kids carrying bread. Our church has the hook-up and we get a ton of leftover bread, pastries and other goodies form Grocery stores, Starbucks and Panera Bread. We use the cookies and pastries as a snack for the kids when they arrive at the church. Everything else is divided and bagged for anyone to take home.

~High-fiving the kids as they leave is a creative spin we put on a possibly chaotic situation. You see, when a route is making their way to the bus, it is necessary for them to pass through the gym (full of kids playing). So, we make a wall in an attempt to keep any kids from getting distracted and being left behind.

Week 14

This week my standard format is going out the window and I just want to talk.


Today was one of the hardest Sundays I have had so far. I have never felt so exhausted.

I had high hopes (and the brilliant idea) of putting together a really cool video that I would title, "A day in the life of a bus worker". But today, nothing worked out.

I woke up so tired (not a really good way to start a Sunday morning), really wanted to get video of how we do wake up, and only had about 10 minutes to get some good clips.

First house: no answer.

Second house: no answer.

Third house:

Jacqueline opens door, I start recording

Me: Good morning Jackie.....are you coming today?
Jacqueline (starts crying): I can't go today. The police came and took my Dad and we are going to the jail to see him.

camera. off.

Then, it was back to the church where I attempted to do some video clips in our gym. I walked through, got some great stuff, walked out and realized I had been pressing the wrong button and had recorded NOTHING.

Attendance was crazy (still working on getting it together)......all I will say about it right now is AAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

But in spite of a morning where nothing seemed to go "right", today I feel honored to be a part of the Blue Bomber Crew.

People are always commenting to me about my blog, and many of my friends "share" it with their friends. But, to be honest, it was never started to promote myself as a bus worker. In fact, I feel so awkward when people compliment me regarding working on it....ME.....with my measly 14 weeks, while I work with people that have been doing this for years.

I feel so honored to be working side by side with some of the most passionate and sincere people in the world.......yes, you heard me right.....I said in the WORLD.

Not just anywhere would a team of bus workers: show up today at 7:30 am, work their behinds off running around with their kids, stay after everyone left church for a bus meeting (at 12:30pm - to give you a timeline), and then feel a burden for one of their bus kids and stay and pray for them in the prayer room (and when I say "pray", I mean on their faces weeping).

Things like that don't just happen anywhere.

One of the best ways to describe bus ministry would be to say that it is a continual emotional roller-coaster.
In one day:

I find out that one of the teen girls that rides the bus has been molested, hit her teacher and was kicked out of school.

An hour later, Luis (a regular bus rider) runs up to me after his class and tells me that he wants to get baptized tonight (note - pictured below is another bus rider that was baptized this weekend, we are still waiting on a permission slip from Luis' mom).

You have a high. You have a low.

In one morning you are frustrated that so many of your "regulars" don't come, but then realize that numbers are still great due to a bunch of new kids.....


....and such is the life of a bus worker.

"Do you think they are going to have the red carpet out for us today?"
Overheard, route 3 bus rider on their way to Sunday School



Route 3 = 38 kids

Week 13

This week bus ministry was canceled due to our quarterly First Church Connect.

In spite of that...

...it was a nice surprise to look over and see one of our regulars with her mom, aunt and two cousins.

...another surprise was having one of our bus kids (that walked over on his own) turn off all of the lights in the middle of the event.

This weekend everything is back to normal...

..good thing too because I missed those kids.
{don't you just LOVE the new sign on our bus?!?! }

Route 3 = 5 kids, 2 parents (without running buses!)

Week 12

Thursday:

An additional bus outreach was called in order to pass out fliers for Easter Sunday. We also went to the new area on our route to see if we could connect to any kids.

Saturday:

Before going on outreach we picked up our new shirts. I LOVE them. Not only do they look cool, but they actually come in men and women's sizes.


While on outreach I stopped by one of my "favorites". Her mom had just hooked her up with some fake nails.

The entire team went over to the new area and started knocking doors (specifically the ones that looked like children lived in them). We made so many connections.

We are planning to follow up regularly with our new contacts until they come. It seems like the better a relationship you have with a parent, the more willing they are to send their child.

Sunday:

I don't even know where to begin in reviewing Sunday's events.

Being a part of bus ministry/outreach has truly been one of the greatest decisions I have ever made. I have never been involved in something so challenging, yet rewarding.

Easter Sunday was very rewarding.

When I say that, I don't even mean numbers-wise (even though we did have over 204 ride the Blue Bomber).

I mean the following:

~During the teen class a regular bus rider turned to his teacher and said, "I have never felt what I am feeling right now." They were discussing the Easter story and you could feel the presence of God.

~We had an entire family from our route show up to Sunday service. One of our route 3 workers has been giving them a bible study (which is now averaging 20 people in attendance) - how we got the bible study is a story in itself.

~We finally had a girl show up from the new area we have been working on. Her mom has been promising that she would send her girls for weeks and weeks, and FINALLY she sent one. We are hoping that this coming weekend she will send all 3 of them!

~Sunday night, seeing so many kids from my route (that walked to church on their own) in the altars praying. I cannot even begin to tell you how that feels.

"You really changed my life when you talked to me... what you do really touches people. I was going through some really emotional things in my life at that moment and I just want to let you know that I am so grateful! Thank you for changing my life!"
~Unknown parent of bus rider, Sunday night before getting baptised

There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you have made an impact on someones life.

To know that you have truly made a difference.

That because of your contact, your touch, your time, they are now on a different path.

A better one.

You should try it.


As the newly delegated Route 3 attendance taker, I will now be riding the bus on Sunday mornings tracking kids instead of doing wake up.

Route 3 = 58 kids, 2 parents.
Blue Bomber total = over 204 kids