But I Want The Twaiiin!

So I hope you don't get tired of me posting stories from Heaventrain. Since I don't have kids of my own I post stories from my conversations with Heaventrain kids and their families. They challenge me in my faith and walk with the Lord.

I have one more story from yesterday...

It was the last stop of the day and we had finished with all the services. We had even given out all the last of the pizza, drinks, and goldfish crackers, we had a couple of cold pops left and that was it. A little boy comes running down the sidewalk in front of his dad.

I walk up to him, "Welcome to Heaventrain, we are finished with the bus today," but I give him the two cold pops.

He looks at me and starts pulling his dad toward the bus and big tears fill his eyes. These tears are too much for me to see. 'I want the twaiiiin!" I look to dad for his suggestions.

Dad helps me out he says,"He loves the train and the snack but our favorite is the songs and the prayer."

Ok, so I kneel down to the little boy, "Would you like to sing a song?"

"Yes"

Would you like to say a prayer?

"Yes"

So we stand there holding hands, and I start singing,

"Heaven is, a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace I'm gonna see my Saviors face cuz Heaven is a wonderful place."

He smiles the biggest smile. Starts jumping up and down and sings the song with me. It's the song that all the kids know and has been sung for maybe 35 years on the bus. The only song that came to my mind when I asked him if he wanted to sing.

To newcomers it might be a sort of a childish song but the words are simple but mean so much to all of the volunteers, and Heaventrain kids and their families. It unites many generations of Heaventrain families over the 35 years.

We sing the chorus twice...

"Heaven is a wonderful place filled with glory and grace I'm gonna see my Savior's face cuz Heaven is a wonderful place."

and the song was finished.

Then I looked at him, "Shall we pray?"

"Yes,"

What do you want to pray for?

"Sean"

So we pray for Sean and his family.

When we finish I asked him, "Are you Ok now?"

Yes! ...

"And can you go home without crying?"

Yes!

Well "Ok."

Then the moment passes when our sanctuary went from a bus to the outdoors. Where a little boy's request became so much more.

We had a pretty incredible day on Heaventrain with over 600 kids and the last 1 little boy reminded us what was the most important to him taking a moment to sing Heaven is a Wonderful Place and praying in community for Sean.

As we leave, he walks home with his dad back down the sidewalk to his house.

I come home and share with my husband,"Thank you for bringing me to Cleveland, to wreck my life."

Then I think about the sign above the door in our office, that came from Pastor Phil, that reads, "God specializes in wrecks." I always thought of that as the person who was a wreck and would then be mended and whole, now I recognize that sign has two meanings sometimes to be mended and healed it takes a wrecking process.

Both are all in His capable, trusting, out-stretched loving Hands filled with grace, peace, patience and strength to challenge us as we grow closer to Him.

Heaventrain Through the Eyes of One Four Year Old

Terrified! Big eyes, each muscle in his little body was tense, he was crying and yelling "No"

I met this little four year old last time we were out with the Heaventrain at one of our stops. His friend who has grown up on Heaventrain, was trying to pull him to get into line. He wasn't going anywhere!

I kneeled down and asked him if he was going to get on the bus? He said, "No"

Usually if I talk to them or even ask if they would like for me to go on the bus with them they will say yes. He wasn't having it.

So now I try a different approach, Well ok "I'll stay with you outside the bus while your friends go on the bus,"

He barely nods ok.

So I start telling him what door the kids will be going into and what door the kids will be leaving the bus from. Kind of walking him through the whole process. After the kids get on the bus.  I reach out my hand to him and we walk hand in hand to go get some food. I can feel the tension in his little hand as he walks with me to the food truck. He was holding but just barely and I gently held his hand. I could sometimes feel his trying to pull away so we would stop walking until he relaxed it and then continue walking towards the food truck.

Then as soon as we get the snack he wants to go and stand right next to the front door. So we walk slowly hand in hand to the exact spot where we started at the front door.

I suggest we could go and sit on the curb.

He barely nods ok.

We sit on the curb outside the bus and wait. We sit for 20 minutes quietly. We talk about football in one word responses.

What do you like to do? Football. Do you play football? Shakes his head no.

So quiet, then not another word.

All around us there are kids playing football, soccer, and face painting. On the bus the Columbus Heaventrain teens were singing and the bus started rocking. I knew they were at the part where Julie was teaching the story of Jesus when he calms the storm and they were singing Row Row Row Your Boat and swaying as fast as they can back and forth. His eyes got even wider. The kids were doing puppets on the bus.

But we just sat still.

He is so quiet and sits real still. Holding his big red apple from his lunch bag.

When the bus back door opens he stands quietly waiting for his friends to get off the bus. As they leave he walks away, turns around and gives a tiny wave goodbye to me as he leaves.

Ok so I think, "Well maybe he survived the whole first time experience on Heaventrain and will be back again."



So this week, he comes back and he is a different kid. Big smile and comes running up to me, "I'm getting on the bus this week." I can't believe the change in the little guy from the last time I saw him. He is running around laughing and having a good time outside the bus.

The difference between the two weeks...Last week first it was a friend that was trying to get him on the bus, then me a stranger who tried to get him to go on the bus and then sat with him outside the bus, this week he is with someone he trusts his big 7 year old brother.

He gets in line hand in hand with his brother and climbs on the Heaventrain, turns and smiles back at me before taking his seat.

It's good sometimes to look at the Heaventrain through the eyes of this little child. It's easy to forget that sometimes that Big Blue bus with all the strange people around it can be terrifying. It's just like you've been taught at school. Don't talk to strangers and all the other words of warning that parents teach their children.

We do background checks and child safety training for all our volunteers, so they aren't strangers to the Heaventrain and the ministry.

But...

When we drive into the neighborhoods we are strangers to some because they might have just moved into the neighborhood, and here we come blowing train horns, playing music and You, the families of the Central neighborhood, welcome us each Saturday. Some of our volunteers have been coming for up to 10 years faithfully and many more each Saturday. I'm so thankful that 35 years ago Pastor Phil started the Heaventrain.

We treat the Heaventrain kids as part of our extended family.

So for all the brothers and sisters, aunts, and uncles, grandma's, and grandpa's thank you for welcoming us each week by running to the bus, riding bikes, pushing baby strollers and bringing your children, new neighbors, cousins, and friends to come.

Creating space for us to find love, belonging, and together we share in the love of Christ.

Forgiving Sorrow Gives Life

Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure-not to put it too severely-to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 

2 Corinthians 2:5-7

Forgiveness came from one person, Jesus Christ. He is Forgiveness. If everyone in the world asked for forgiveness, He would give it. He is abounding grace unlimitless, unending, and overflowing with love.

Forgiving can happen in community. Forgiving is all about life. Christ died so that He could forgive all our sins. He doesn't condemn us, He doesn't only forgive and then remember later, He doesn't make us pay for it, the one thing to remember is, He lets it go. 

As in He remembers it no longer. If we are in Christ we are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We can too!

Our challenge today decide on one person that we are going to forgive today...and let it go! 

For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 2 Corinthians 1:5

Update

I've been absent from the blogging world for a couple of years. I've been writing a book, the title currently is Trust Waits For Promise. I hope the manuscript will be finished soon. I'll keep you updated on the process, from queries, to submission, to publishing it on this blog.

Here is my thoughts from my Bible reading on Abraham and Isaac.

The conversation began. Genesis 22:1-9.14

Abraham! And he said, "Here I am." He said take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."

Imagine if Abraham would have said no I won't sacrifice my only son how would the story have changed?

But Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father and said, "My Father" and he said, "Here I am, my son." Genesis 22:6

When we respond to God's call with "Here I am", as Abraham did with Isaac being willing to sacrifice all. Christ responds with "Here am I" and is the Resource and provides the resources. Are you in a moment where God is calling you to a "sacrificing life"? Where He is revealing things that need to change. He is drawing you closer to Him. Don't stop now, take the next step. 

14.Abraham call the place "The Lord will provide." 

1. Recognize and walk with the Lord to hear the voice of the Lord, since we don't usually hear audibly, we read the Bible and pray. Noah walked with God and was protected from a flood that destroyed all of mankind.

2.Willing to sacrifice our desires, For Abraham it was his only son Isaac. It might be your deepest longing that God tells you He has something better if you will let it go. Remember He sacrificed His only son on the cross for you to live a life where sorrow is removed and the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control can live. Then it can all be sown and reaped and sown and reaped again. 

3. It cannot be accomplished without Christ. He provides the resources and sustains them. 

4. Remember the place and thank Him. Abraham called the place "The Lord will provide"

Where are the moments in your life where you recognize it was time to let it go because God had something better? When it took faith and trust, and listening...