We’ve been here, there and everywhere this past week * but not all with the bus (thankfully).
Let us begin with TENNESSEE!!
Last Friday, we began making our way to the Portland airport to fly out for a wedding in Tennessee; it was already going to be a long travel day, but how long we could not have known. Logan and I have a bit of a track record with a particular airline (which we shall not name), generally inclusive of delays and cancellations. And yet, since we are so tied to this airline (via credit card rewards), we stubbornly won’t walk away. Before we even left Bend we got the first notification: “flight delayed one hour” - no biggie, we’ll just enjoy a slower morning. 1 hour into our drive to Portland, we get the second notification: “flight delayed 2 hours” - that's gonna be super tight for our connection in Chicago... 2 hours into the drive, we get the third notification: “we have rebooked you for a red-eye + EARLLYYY morning layover resulting in a 12-hour delay”. The blood started boiling, and my fingers got busy researching other options. Not only were we gonna be cutting it super fine with the wedding, but we also had family driving up to hang out for the weekend. No better options surfaced, so we are just rolling with it. But the airline wasn’t done. As we arrived at our layover, we got the fourth and final notification: “2nd flight delayed an hour”. Now we are laughing; well, actually we’re just delirious.
And finally, we arrived in Kingsport, TN, where Logan’s family picked us up from the airport. And would you believe it? We even had time to get ready at the Airbnb before heading to the wedding. I can’t remember the last time I made it through a day on 2 hours of sleep.
So, was it worth it? YESS 100%. Getting to be a part of such a special celebration, seeing family for the first time since we started on the bus and having a dear friend drive us from Knoxville to meet Logan for the first time made it TOTALLY worth it.
Once we were back in Bend, we had the opportunity to tour and serve at Healing Reigns - an equine therapy establishment. This was super sweet for me, as equine therapy is something I am really interested in and have dabbled in a little. It’s been off my radar for a long time, but this visit reignited the excitement and desire to hopefully pursue this passion in the future.
Healing Reigns was at a different location initially, but about 5 years ago a single phone call changed that. The director took a phone call that seemed almost prank-like; the caller was offering to donate their property to the work on Healing Reigns. Insane!!! The lost bus came through this area recently after the move and helped with some of the transition. This time round they asked if we could help paint some trim. After some colour matching shenanigans, what started as just painting the trim of 2 doors turned into painting the trim of an entire office building.
We also had the opportunity to share at ‘chapel’ this week. We spoke on our experiences aboard the bus and all that we’ve been learning. It’s always sweet to be reminded of how God has provided for us along the way and we hope it’s an encouragement to others.
The next 2 days saw Logan driving back to Lutherhaven (weeks 14 & 15) to finish building the rock wall. That's states WASHINGTON AND IDAHO. They were waiting on some machinery to finish the job and asked if Logan would be up to coming back. So a crazy 48 hours saw him doing just that, and I think it meant a lot to them that he did.
While Logan was driving more than he was stationary, I helped out at a soup kitchen downtown: Family Kitchen. This incredible organization serves lunches and dinners to over 400 people daily. This is no small feat considering the space they are working with. They have volunteers sign up daily to help prep, cook, serve and deliver these meals to those who need it most.
And finally, once Logan was back in town, it was time for the great Halloween trunk-or-treat. Every year, Trinity Lutheran Church and School hosts a trunk-or-treat in the parking lot, and though for many it is simply fun and games, for some it is a VERY competitive night. A prize is awarded to the best trunk, and just one team remains victorious. This team so happen to be hosting the Lost Bus. From the day we arrived in town, it was apparent the Garus family thrive on competition and smack talk, as do the young adults! For the Lost Bus, there wasn’t a choice - we would be participating; we simply had to decide whether we were just another ‘trunk’ in the lot or if we were true competition.
We planned to be the Battle Bus from Fortnite, which was a very stressful endeavour. Not only did we leave hardly any time to make this happen, but neither of us had any experience with the video game. Since we hit the road, we have overheard many kids say, “Look, it’s the Battle Bus from Fortnite”.
We did our best, and though it rained on and off, the night was a blast. And most significantly, a new winner was named, and it just so happened to be the Garus’ great rivals: the young adults!!!
This week was full of so much fun, laughter and delirium. I’m feeling super grateful for our time here in Bend, but waking up to fresh snow on the mountains means one thing - it’s time to continue moving south.
