This blog post has been sitting un-edited on my computer for a year now. It is a topic I can get very passionate over. With much activity among our bus in the recent weeks, the fire has been rekindled and I want to share some of that passion with y’all. Be warned, it will probably be a lengthy post. 😉 Luke 14:23, "And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Possibly one of the greatest tools of our generation in reaching children has been the Bus Ministry. Thousands upon thousands have been reached and countless lives affected through it. It has brought many children into the church to hear the gospel that would not otherwise have come. Generations later, the grandchildren of those who had previously attended church are being seen on the busses today. The window of opportunity for reaching children grows smaller each passing year. Satan is enslaving kids sooner and sooner into lives of sin. It is absolutely mind blowing what kids today know and have experienced; things that High Schoolers were rarely doing a decade ago are now common among children barely into school. If we are going to reach our generation for Christ, we must go after the children. The Bus Ministry is a simple ministry to understand. Essentially it consists of getting kids to and from church. Anything else is just an extension of that simple definition. We visit to see who is riding, we try to find more kids to ride, we play game or sing songs on the ride, we get them to church, they hear the Word of God, and we take them home. Easy enough. Often the hearts of the children at this age are open, receptive, and soft resulting in lives that accept the free gift of the gospel. We all can take a head knowledge and agree with the effectiveness and importance of the bus ministry, but so often that is also where it ends. May of 2011, an EF-5 tornado hit Joplin, Missouri. Overall, the tornado killed 158 people (with an additional three indirect deaths), injured some 1,150 others, and caused damages amounting to a total of $2.8 billion. It was the deadliest tornado to strike the United States since the 1947 Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes, and the seventh-deadliest overall. It also ranks as the costliest single tornado in U.S. history. (Thank-you Wikipedia.) Shortly following, my church treks up to camp which is located right outside of Joplin. On the way to the camp site we took a detour through some of the wrecked neighborhoods. Much of the rubbish had already been cleared out, but there were certain areas that had yet to have been touched. It was incredible to see the power and destruction of the storm that was present not too much earlier. I distinctly remember one house. Half the house was completely gone. Even that which was destroyed was nowhere in sight. While the opposite side of the house was completely intact with clothing hanging in the closet, and food on the shelf in the kitchen. But turning to the other side of the street, a house remains nearly untouched with a small doll lying in its drive way. As we looked around us, as far as the eye could see, we were surrounded by homes, neighborhoods, and businesses that were destroyed and flattened. However, driving away there was a “line” which immediately separated the destruction from the “normal” life. On one side of the street, people carried about living their daily lives as usual unlike their neighbors across the road. Those families’ lives just got flipped upside down, literally. After the tornado, thousands of people were bussed up to Joplin to help with emergency aid and cleanup. People quickly volunteered to help. Those people knew that the people they saw on the screen needed more than their prayers (though that was important), they also needed their hands. Keeping the same thought with the bus ministry, we can compartmentalize or isolate our lives, not to get involved with others. Their lives do not effect ours, and our lives are untouched by what effects theirs, so we can keep to ourselves. How can so many not anxiously get involved with the bus ministry? There has been a separation in the hearts of many. Therefore, the involvement ceases with “pray for laborers.” This is important, but it shouldn’t end there. Possibly the distance is caused by a lack of knowledge and involvement in what bus ministry truly is. What would happen to the bus ministries (and van ministries) across the country if we all viewed it through the eyes of the “bus kids”? What if we were the kids in need of the gospel without access to church? What if we got our eyes off ourselves and onto the needs of others? What if we had compassion on them? What if we took a ‘missions trip’ to some bus kid’s homes and our eyes were opened to the lives they live? Recently I was reminded just how important my involvement with the bus ministry is. Following some different circumstances, I was confronted with decisions which encouraged the letting go of such ministries. After careful consideration, I realized just how easy it is to misplace priorities and allow ministries such as bus to be overshadowed by other “more important” things. "Why IS bus visitation even important?" "Why can’t someone else fill that spot?" There are countless other situations where I am highly replaceable, and there is always someone better for the position anyway, let them do it. I was in the midst of writing this post, and I had a rekindling of passion and burden. Be it bus workers or non-bus workers, we all need this stirring of our hearts. I can’t allow everyone a glimpse of a bus kid’s life, as I was not one. However, I can offer a glimpse through the eyes of a bus worker. Lamentations 3.51, “Mine eye affecteth mine heart...” I could give you my testimony of how bus ministry has always been a part of my life. I could provide you with examples of people I have known who have grown up as “bus kids”. But truly what has impacted me the most has just been my own personal interactions with the kids. That’s when it becomes real. Bus ministry is so much more than simply providing a ride to church, it is a family. Bus is an opportunity to invest in kids' lives in a unique and impact-ful way. During those few hours on Sunday mornings, young children, teens, and adults alike step onto your bus from all different backgrounds and you have a chance to make a difference in their life. You get to watch them grow physically and spiritually. You have the opportunity to answer their questions about God, listen as they tell you about their week, or what they learned in Sunday School. You get the chance to love and influence the life of a little girl or boy who may be desperately searching for some attention, love, or just a friend. It is so much more than just singing a song, playing a game, or providing transportation to church, it is investing in a life. This is the next generation. I think back to when I was their age and consider how my life would be different had I not had certain influences in my life, a different raising, or an introduction to the gospel. I strive to be the person I had and/or needed when I was younger. In being that person, it takes sacrifice. It is a refusal to be selfish, to consider the time that must be given, monetary gain, or the sleep that will be lost. If that is what is holding you back, it is a selfish thought process. To be “that person” it takes dedication, consistency, faithfulness, and realness. Kids can see right through you. they know if you are putting on a show, doing it to get something from it, or to be seen of someone. Without proper loving motives, the action is useless. They need someone who will demonstrate the love of God through their lives. They need to see God in you. They need to recognize that what you believe in is real, and it’s not just for church. They need to see real Christians living out a real faith in a real God. They need to know that God loves them, and has a special plan for their lives. They also need to see it being believed and lived out through the workers lives around the, Tell them what is right, but also show them what is right. Every hour of lost sleep, every Saturday morning dedicated to visiting the riders, and every time your heart will break over your bus is completely worth it. These kids can become your greatest joy and deepest sorrow, and it will all be worth it. All it takes is one Sunday and you will never look back. Through the eyes of a bus worker, I see a "Precious". I see a "Mari-Sol", an "A'ashyla", a "Dashiona", a "Natalia", a "Leah", an "Axel", a "Lydia", "Olivia", "Rachelle", "Genesis", "Sophia" and "Linda" who are just a few of many who have stolen my heart, changed my life, and caused me to realize how important it is. These aren't just faces, these are souls. Each one of these children who come bring with them a whole different background and represent an entire family. They may be our only access to reach the family. How awesome is it to be able to sit with them on a seat in the bus and talk about their testimony of salvation and how they can have one of their own, or observe as they finally "get" the lesson you taught them in class and they apply it to other areas of their life. I have had the opportunity to listen as young ladies on my bus have gotten to teach flannel graph lessons in Sunday School, and watch as an eleven year old catches on and repeats the majority of the New Testament books to you in order after working with her for weeks. I have been blessed with some incredible young ladies in all the different areas I get to serve in. I nearly cried as one of which told me how she had been begging her mom to drive her to Kansas to attend our wedding. My kids break my heart sometimes, and other times it nearly bursts. I love these kids. I see more than someone who fills a seat, I see more than a number... I see a young kids who needs the Lord and needs someone who is willing to love them, be patient with them, and be their friend. I see someone who has experienced more than they would ever tell me. My passion and commitment has been rekindled the past week. Things battled for priority and they were laid in the balance next to these kids. The kids won. They may need me, but honestly, I need them just as much if not more. Bus and children's ministries are my passion and my calling. Nothing else is worth comparing or giving it up for. Through the eyes of a bus worker, I see the potential of these young kids. I just wonder what I look like through the eyes of the bus kids? What do YOU look like through the eyes of the bus kids? Are you a stranger or a friend? Some see a fight, a push and a shove,
I see a desperate cry for love. Some see a brat, he acts so bad, I see a boy who’s never met his dad. Some see the messes and the trouble they give, I see the poverty in the place where they live. Some see a teenager who won’t dress right, I see a girl who has to protect herself at night. Some see a smart mouth, disrespectful and loud, I see a kid made fun of by a crowd. Some see a woman who comes just to use, I see a lady by a drunken husband abused. Some see a drug addict withered and worn, I see a soul the Lord wants reborn. Some see the dirt, the filth and the rot, I see a kid who without Jesus doesn’t have a shot. Some see a crook whom you don’t trust much, I see a man who needs the Lord’s touch. Some see a bunch of heathen who holler and yell, I see kids with parents in jail. Some see a teenager who gives a lot of flack, I see a boy whose whole family is on crack. Broken homes, broken lives, those without hope, They need compassion and God’s grace to cope. For every little girl who lies awake hungry at night, Lord, help me to keep in the fight. For every scared boy who sees his mommy get hit, Lord, help me to be faithful and never to quit. For every mommy who needs a new start, Lord, help me to show her how to ask You into her heart. For every man on whom sin has its hold, Lord, help me to make sure the “Old Story” is told. The Lord to me His mercy has shown, Lord, help me to reach out so others may make Heaven their home. May others judge gently when these folks they see-- If not for God’s grace, that’s where all of us would be. Author: Crystal Buchanan
2 Comments
Kathy M
3/10/2018 03:30:31 pm
So well said, Elizabeth!! You are such a blessing to me! I love your heart, dear! Im excited to see how the Lord will use you and Jack in the days ahead! Serving the Lord and living in His will are the best!!! Love you!
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Grace
3/12/2018 08:12:46 pm
I just wanted to say, " Thank you" for posting this ! The poetry at the end was especially thoughtful. It is so nice to see bus workers in other areas of the country!
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