by Rena Fish
Along with the memories I have of growing up in the bus ministry, there are accompanying feelings that are evoked by certain memories. As a teenager, I had the privilege of being a blessing to others. What joy I feel today when I realize that these memories have no regrets attached.
I LEARNED THE JOY OF DOING FOR OTHERS
One Saturday while out visiting our bus riders, several of my teenage friends and I noticed smoke pouring from the open door of a mobile home. It was a home in which we had visited before. Our driver turned the car up the driveway, and we were able to hurriedly rescue a few pieces of furniture and several arm loads of cherished possessions from the living room before the smoke began to thicken. Within a few short minutes the mobile home was completely destroyed. We stayed to encourage the family until the firemen arrived on the scene. How exciting that God had placed us in that spot at just the right moment.
Several times we took some of my mother’s bus kids on outings. One fall my mother took several bus young ladies to see the ocean. Although these ladies lived within 100 miles of the Atlantic Ocean, they had never once seen its beauty. One of the young ladies kept saying, “Oh, if Mama would have known it was like this, she would have been here.” What fun! Seeing their excitement was almost like experiencing the ocean for the first time.
As a teenager, my friends and I met an elderly lady while we were out visiting. Mrs. Turnage welcomed us with open arms, and we teenagers looked forward to our weekly visits. I am sure that we were a blessing to her lonely days; however, we also looked forward to her grandmotherly ways and kind words. Years later, as an adult, I was visiting a nursing home in my hometown. One of the ladies who came to the nursing home service that evening was Mrs. Turnage. How happy I was to see her again.
Learning to meet the needs of those on a bus route affords many happy memories. I watched my mother’s joy as she helped an elderly couple get electricity for the first time so that the husband could make use of a hospital bed. I watched the thrill she had as she made arrangements for a sweet older lady to move into a brand new apartment after spending years in almost a shack with an outhouse in the back. Few joys compare with the knowledge that you have helped a fellow human being.
