Who’s on your bus?

Every morning our VBS team would pile on the bus to go to a soccer field somewhere in El Salvador.

And every afternoon we’d board again to ride to a school together.

Most of us had no clue where we’d end up or the directions to get there.

But we knew who we would be with.

The Holy Spirit.
And our teammates.

I knew by heart most of the people from my own church, but this was a three-church mission, not including the two churches working alongside us from El Salvador itself. So I barely knew my other co-workers except by name tags.

Sometimes I’d sit on the bus with girls from my own group.
That was easy.
That was my comfort zone.

But more often than not, I’d ride beside a woman I barely knew.

I’m glad God gave me lots of bus rides.

Because it was during the bus rides I saw more of God through the stories of my co-workers.

Do you ever get so caught up in who you’re serving
that you don’t notice who you’re serving with?

Who else is on the bus?

• On one bus ride I learned how God pulled a mom from a life of worldliness.
       When her father grew weak from cancer and came to live with her, he wanted to learn more about Jesus. After one visit to church, the dad was visited by the preacher at their house to talk, many times. But the daughter was listening in too.
       And the whole family ended up knowing the Lord and now has a beautiful testimony to share.
• On another bus ride, I saw God’s strength working through a grandmother.
       Although she had plenty of reasons to NOT come on the trip—lupus, single, a mentally-challenged adult daughter—she came anyway to bring her teenage grandson and give him a fighting chance to know Jesus. She’s tried hard through the years to keep him acquainted with Christ through her influence, but as he gets older, her opportunities to influence him are narrowing.
       She was praying this trip of service would plant great seeds of faith in him.
• On other bus rides I learned who was concerned about her ailing mom back in the States in assisted living
• Who was a little claustrophobic and sitting wherever she could on the bus—in faith
• Whose oldest child was leaving for a Christian college when they returned from the trip
• Who was already in love with their first grandchild due in October
• On and on, story after story of dependence upon God’s goodness and faithfulness in the lives of his people

When the bus would stop at our location, we’d unload and get to work loving on kids and doing our VBS. Time for swapping stories then was limited.But back on the bus, we could start all over again, getting to know more about each other. And more about God.

Who is it you co-labor with?

• Maybe someone in the preschool department at your church
• Or a friend in a homeschool co-op
• Or maybe the parent of your child’s best buddy

Get to know the people who minister alongside you.
They hold a gift from God to you, and you hold one from Him to them.

Maybe the gift will be a piece of knowledge you’ll need down the road, or a word of encouragement you need this morning.

Maybe it’s the missing puzzle piece you need to hear so you’ll be more compassionate to a teenage boy who was earlier getting on your nerves.

Or maybe it’s a friendship that will outlast your current ministry together.

Whatever the gift and wherever you serve,
link arms not only for the task at hand,
but link hearts for the journey.

You’ll both gain more from the ride—and give more glory to the Father—by sharing your stories.

* * *

Who is on your bus? How well do you know their God-story?

Can you ask them? Can you share yours?