The Part Where I Talk About the Bus Ride

We left for camp on Sunday night. Actually, it was Monday morning. At 12:20 a.m., we rolled out of the parking lot and headed for Tennessee.

The plan was to drive all night and arrive in the afternoon. We pretty much did that, but it wasn't without adventure. The goal is to sleep on the bus and be ready for the day when we arrive.

How is one supposed to sleep when praying all night for the drive to stay awake?

We rode up with another church and they put us on the newer bus with their middle school.

Oh no, we thought. Middle school. This is going to be horrible. It would have been horrible, too, if not for Brett and Chico immediately making friends with them! In fact, Brett and Chico were pretty much idolized the entire camp time. We'd here yells of Brett! Chico! wherever we went.

Have you ever tried to sleep on a charter bus? I'm not talking one with arm rests or reclining seats, but nice seats, still. If not, try this:

Line up your dining room chairs, two next to each other. Line up two other chairs next to these with an "aisle" between them. Add a cushion. Now, try to sleep on them.

I was in the back and the youth pastor was across the aisle from me. He spotted an ideal sleeping spot right away when he saw the empty shelf at the back window. Within 15 minutes of stretching out upon it, however, he learned why it was empty.

There's heat coming up from that thing that will cook a pot roast.

It got to be pretty comical with contorting positions, pillows, and a shawl over my face (to hide the fact that my mouth was agape and drooling, of course). Just when I'd find a comfortable spot and fall asleep, the bus would pull over for a potty stop, or breakfast, or something. Or, a part of my anatomy would become numb and I'd have to shift.

I was almost relieved when one of the buses got a flat tire! We had a chance to walk around while they put on the spare.

Still, I learned something about our youth pastor that I really, really like. I mean, I've known this guy since he was in high school, and I've loved him dearly as our youth pastor. But what endeared him to me on this trip is that he instantly takes interest in whatever our kids are doing. If they're singing praise songs at 2 a.m. he doesn't hush them - he makes requests and truly enjoys their singing. If they're doing something crazy he grabs the video camera and makes suggestions for further wackiness. If they have a question he listens intently, deeply, and then searches for an answer. He loves our kids. He honestly cares about what happens to them.

I love that guy.

I love that God brought this guy back home for two of my children to have him as their high school youth pastor. I pray he stays long enough for my youngest child to enjoy him as well, though I know God is sovereign and she'll be fine if he heads off to the mission field instead. I would much, much rather have him in God's will than mine!

So, I'm thankful for the bus ride up there. Instead of driving each other crazy, I think it actually brought us closer. How wonderful.