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.