This week I was with the Generations Trip to Branson Missouri. We had a great time of fun, shows and food. We also had some complications. On Monday evening, we arrived after an easy bus trip. We ate at an all-you-can-eat buffet and arrived at the Andy Williams Theaters. We were full and the music was soothing and I have to admit that my eyes fluttered for a moment or two. The second half of the show picked up we all left with Christmas officially launched.
I headed to the bus and found the door closed and the bus driver in deep ponder. He turned at looked at me and said, “I need your help. Someone has broken into the bus.” We got on and I filmed the scene. At first glance it just looked messy, but then on closer examination I could tell someone had gone through bags and tossed stuff on the floor. We called the police. We waited. Eventually, we let individuals on the bus to determine what was gone. They took a blanket, backpacks, and the drivers credit cards and cash. In reality very little was taken. The backpacks had only water, snacks and some gloves. We lost some time and got back to the hotel after midnight. The next morning everyone was happy. It could have been bad, but it was not. We all agreed to let it pass and have a great trip and we did.
On Friday, we headed toward home. We made our last scheduled stop and then were headed to a short surprise stop. Suddenly someone screamed at the front of the bus. I was in the last seat in the back. The rear of the bus rose into the air. The nose took a dive as the driver slammed on the brakes. Impact. Confusion. Chaos. Stillness.
We started taking inventory. A twisted finger, a bump on the head was the worst we could find in our bus. The car was crumpled, the airbags deployed and the occupants taken to hospital (they only looked shaken but the EMT insisted). After about an hour, the car was cleared the bus drivable and we were on the road again. We were all laughing and realized it could have been so much worse. Apparently, they had missed a turn, decided to try it anyway, but overcorrected and ran straight into our bus.
Circumstances can control your life or your attitude can control your life. Some people would have let the troubles overwhelm the trip, but our people were great. Noting put a damper on our trip. We would all sign up tomorrow for a return journey. I’m so thankful for the positive people. Twenty years ago my father-in-law out his arm around me on my first Sunday and said, “This is a great church, don’t mess it up.” It is obvious that our people are great and their faith in our God is great, and they are a whole lot of fun even in the worst of circumstances.