Stories Part 2: A Broken Down Bus Full of #HersheyParkHappy Middle Schoolers

Adventure of the Day - June 3

Emily and I were driving home from dropping Anna off at a friends house last Saturday evening. It was around 7:30pm. Em was driving and we were making our way home via Hershey Park Drive, just west of Rt 39. As we were driving, we saw an older bus with it's hazards on, parked by the side of the road. The bus driver was standing outside, and was on his cell. I had a passing thought of empathy, but not much else. We had *ice cream and root beer in the car and wanted to get home to make floats!

As we passed, I had the impression that I was to go get a case of water for those on the bus. I'm not going to lie, my first thought was.... aww Lord, I just want to get home. But the impression was strong, and I know His Voice when I hear it. I still hesitated but said to Em..."Okay, we're going on an adventure." She would tell you, her first thought was the same as mine. :) But I immediately said, "I got a prompt from the Lord," and she was like, "Okay! Where are we going?" (Can I just say how fun it is and how much easier it is to follow the Spirit on the adventure of the day, when others are willing to go with you? Thank you dear daughter!!)

She pulled into Weis and right in the front vestibule there were cases of water for sale. Perfect! I grabbed one and Em said, "Should we grab two?" I replied, "No, one should be good." As soon as I was in line, the Spirit was like, Go grab another. So Emily(who heard right the first time!) faithfully went and grabbed another and we bought them both.

I drove this time, and we circled back and pulled up behind the bus, that now had a few adults standing outside. As Emily and I came toward the bus, I said to the driver, "Hi! We're here to bring you water!" He called to another woman who came to meet us, and she looked at us and the two cases with disbelief. I told her we were driving by, and the Lord prompted us to pick up some cases of water for her. She got a little weepy and said, "Some of our kids are a little asthmatic, and really needed water." I said, "Oh! God knew that, and sent us to bring it." Meanwhile, because the bus was an older kind of bus, the windows were opened and I could hear kids laughing and singing inside.

It turns out, these kids were Middle Schoolers from West Virginia, on their way home from the Music in the Park competition... they won first place! I asked "Cindy" if I could pray for her, and still weepy, she welcomed it. As I was praying, one of the kids on the bus began to shush the others and said, "Shhhh!!! she's praying!" When I was done, one of the kids said, "Wow! That was a great prayer! You should be a preacher!" Laughing I said, "Well, I'm the wife of a preacher, does that count?" And he was like, "Guys! She's a preachers wife!" Still laughing I said I'd be praying for them as they were shuttled to a nearby hotel for the night, and as Cindy had to now phone all the parents to tell them their kids would be spending the night in Hershey. As Emily and I were leaving, the same boy said, "Hey! Will you pray for me too?" I stopped, turned around and asked him what his name was. "Marcus!" he said. Looking him in the eye I said, "Marcus, I"m going to especially pray blessing on you and for you." He said, "Guys! I'm getting special prayer from the preachers wife!"

So awesome. And pray we did, that Marcus would be a leader among his peers, that his hunger for others to pray into his life would grow, that he would be gifted and empowered through relationship with his Abba Father to reach his generation for Christ. What a great adventure, and what a joy to share it with Emily.

*No ice cream was harmed in this adventure, and Matt said it was the best root beer float he had ever tasted. :)