Week 20 - San Diego & The Compton Invasion

Jessica (Cain’s oldest sister) here, jumping onto the blog rotation to update LOST readers on this week’s happenings from a guest perspective. Mama, Hoffa, and I flew in last Friday, overlapping with Georgia for a few days, to rendezvous with the crew and experience firsthand “a week in the LOST life.” I’ll acknowledge we still don’t exactly know their life rhythm, since doubling your crew size necessitates additional accommodation and inherently disrupts the trio-no-more dynamics. Plus Hoffa likes to eat out, and since he was picking up the tab, none of us objected to finer-than-usual dining options. But still, I think overall we got a good feel of what it’s like to Lend Our Services Traveling.

What We Did

We kicked off our time on the West Coast with a fun weekend playing tourist in La Jolla and Balboa Park. Tracey, one of my dear travel friends who I met studying abroad in Italy ten years ago, drove down from LA, and we all chowed down on some incredible tacos at Lucha Libre, thanks to her California insider recommendation (check out Josh’s Yelp review here. You’ll have to scroll down for Lucha, since he commented on all the restaurants we visited this week, peppering each review with his unique form of humor). Tracey and I took Georgia to the airport Sunday morning and got some quality friend time strolling along the bay. She dropped me off in Encinitas, a beach town north of San Diego and home of both Light Church AND some cute girls the boys got connected with through mutual San Diego —> Charleston transplants. The Comptons tend toward more liturgical ‘high church’ in our worship style, so this two-hour non-denom service was a definite change-up for us. Twenty-five minutes into the sermon on prayer, Stevie had just finished his first point on God’s World–Beautiful but Broken, with three more points to go. We all were wondering how Hoffa – a firm believer that all spiritual instruction should be distilled into a 10-minute homily – was holding up. Our concern was definitely on target, however forty-five minutes later my Catholic father surprised us all by proclaiming the sermon was “really good!” 

Encinitas was delightful and made me understand Southern California’s appeal. There were moms and dads riding along the neighborhood streets on cargo e-bikes with their little ones, and an all-way crosswalk I would really welcome in Greenville. Kelly, Joy, and Yasmine took the boys to Taco Stand. The line was absurdly long, so we gave them some space and chose a different brunch spot and beach walk. 

While the main point of this trip was to visit my brother, I was also looking forward to savoring the southern California sun, and I don’t deny that “sunny and 75 San Diego” in February sounded like a nice winter escape. Curve ball: San Diego has had the moodiest weather in a decade, with highs peaking in the 50s, unpredictable rain showers, gale force winds, and even snowstorms in the mountains. I donned my down coat and jeans most of the trip, but there were a few moments to soak up some sun rays, and I basked in every one of them.

We headed back up the mountain to Pine Valley Camp to finish up the scooter dirt track and painting projects from last week. Hoffa, Mama, and I stayed in a camp cabin and convinced the boys to join us in the morning for a little Yoga with Adriane, our favorite yoga YouTube star. My boyfriend and I recently repainted half the rooms in my house, so I felt well equipped to continue the staff house painting job and enjoyed talking with a rotation of paint partners. Secretly, I really wanted to be on the dirt track, not so much because I’m a phenomenal pick axer (Davis coached me on a few first hits, and my form could for sure use improvement), but because I just love to be outside. Matt and Abigail, the Recreation Director and his wife, invited us over for dinner that evening — three days before she was to be induced to deliver their first-born. They served up tater tot casserole (a new fan fav), gooey brownies, and an environment ripe for a Chat GPT spiral of curiosities (GPT is an artificial-intelligence chatbot that will almost instantaneously spit out articulate answers to most any question you have): How do you raise your first kid? What is the best carriage tour company in Charleston? Who let the dogs out? What are middle names that go well with “Dot”?

As Davis was repairing the weld on the bike rack, he accidentally nicked the radiator line and caused a leak he had to patch and seal, so we ended up staying an extra night at Pine Valley. On Tuesday he appeared in the staff house as we finished a coat of paint. “I’ve got good news and bad news.” My heart sank a little bit. Davis is a resourceful and competent mechanic, but I figured we might just be spending the whole week stationary, stuck, and perhaps snowed in. “Good news: the bus works!” Whew! Alright! I thought. ”Bad news: we have to roll.”

Next up was Imperial Beach’s YMCA Camp Surf, which also had an oceanside cabin to accommodate my parents and me. Before the rain came, we got to work weeding about 15 12x12 plots in a community garden project that was shelved when Covid hit. We hoed, scraped, dug, and discovered a new tool called a scuffle hoe to weed the beds. The work was honest, and we have some achy bodies to prove it. When the weather got a little dicey, we headed to the cabins to clean out the sand that had blown in from the windstorm. We were so thorough that Vicki, a staff member, was disappointed that we weren’t staying longer to clean the other set of cabins!

Who we did it with

There’s a common theme through most of the previous blog posts about the gratification that comes from serving others. The YMCA Surf staff was pretty hands off, so this week wasn’t so much about the people we met as it was about spending time together and deepening relationships. The common characteristic among the LOST boys is an easygoing temperament, steady positivity, and wit that can induce bursts of laughter. That makes for some solid team vibes and a gravitational pull where you just want to hang out with these guys! Davis exudes cheerfulness and an impressive ability to connect with strangers. He’s paying attention even if it seems like he’s not, which contributes to his stellar soft skills. Of all the crew, I knew Josh least well before this week. He is disarming, comforting, and easy to be around, though you never quite know what he might say either (maybe that’s what’s so disarming). True to his birth order, Cain brings harmony. He’s pretty game for whatever Davis and Josh plan, and he’s also the best at leaning into the unknown of what may be next. There was a growing sense of kinship through the week; I feel like I have a couple extra younger brothers, and Mama and Hoffa gained two more sons.

My Brothers!

How The LOST crew rolls

The mission of Lending Our Services Traveling involves a myriad of logistics and decisions. And as you can imagine, navigating a converted school bus into unknown territory requires hypervigilance. However, these guys make it all look easy. Davis, Josh, and Cain have synced into a rhythm of cooperation that’s amazingly fluid with minimal communication or angst. For example, they all take turns driving the bus, but not on a strict rotation. “How do you figure that out?” Hoffa asked when we first arrived. Cain shrugged. “Ehh, just whoever’s feeling it.” When approaching a town, another crew member jumps to their feet and stands by the driver, alert for parking opportunities or a steep incline that might scrape their back deck. We joked that this trip is preparing them well for marriage; in terms of living with someone 24/7, working cooperatively, communicating honestly and respectfully, and supporting each other unconditionally, it really is. 

Conversation while working together was its own gift. Much like the unforced wonderings while wandering on a hiking trail or opening up in the calm darkness of pillow talk, there’s a distinct connection in unearthing our more vulnerable side while digging in the dirt. It’s nearly sacred. In a lighter sense, jamming and dancing to the Isley Brothers and the Greatest Showman is the equivalent to ‘whistling while you work,’ and I’m all about it.

Josh dropped a bunch of one-liners throughout the week, which I call Josh-isms. Something about his kid-ish intonation makes these otherwise factual statements downright hilarious. My favorite this week was: “You gotta relax hard to work hard.” As the captain of team morale, Josh kept our spirits high and our project exertion in check. After three hours of morning work, he would start a countdown for lunch. Then lunch might take 90 minutes, followed by another 90 in errands perusing the aisles of Costco, Walmart, and Home Depot. After a few more hours working in the afternoon, the boys opted for play, either on the scooter dirt track or a little skateboard time dropping in. 
Every Tuesday morning, they slowly begin the day reading a devotional together and considering how they’re living out their faith while on the road. Most of all, there is a sense of unhurried, purposeful flow that stands in contrast to our scheduled lives back home. We weren’t bound to the clock, and I relished that freedom. I loved leaving my phone on the bus all day, using my body to do manual labor that made me hungry and also counted for the day’s exercise, and then going to eat excellent food surrounded by a whole gang of good people.

Takeaways

This week was a helpful refresh, reminding me how and why I felt so alive during my own ‘funemployment’ six years ago: openhandedness, a propensity to meet strangers, and saying yes to opportunities. As I head back to the East Coast and wade into the routines of life, I’m taking a little bit of the LOST way with me – committing to carving out what can be replicated and cultivated: slowing the pace and saving time for play, contemplation, gardening with others, and service above self.

A Quick Reflection and Prayer from Debbie

It’s interesting that during our trip, both my Fitbit and David’s Apple Watch stopped charging. That had never happened before, and we feared our devices were toast. Once back home, an alcohol swab to the connections fixed the problem, but for 7 days, time and the usual rhythms of life literally stopped. We got to go to camp with our kids as temp crew members of the LOST Bus, unhindered by the regiments of time! 

My thoughts closely echo Jessica’s (though probably not as eloquently) so I’ll close with a prayer of thanksgiving for our time with the Lost Boys (in a format suggested by Stevie at Light Church):

It would have been enough to travel vicariously through your blog, but we got to experience life firsthand on the LOST Bus.

It would have been enough to hear about your day via a phone call, but we were witnesses to your collaboration and synergy. 

It would have been enough to be with only the three of you, but we had the sweet addition of Jessica and Georgia as well.

It would have been enough to work side by side in silence, but relationships were strengthened through easy conversation.

Easy conversation would have been enough, but those exchanges were punctuated with deeper questions and honest answers. 

It would have been enough to share a meal, but to share laughter over a card game reminded me to save time for play.

It would have been enough to laugh, but tears are good too. Let them be reminders that you are regarded highly, loved deeply, and missed greatly.

With a thankful heart,

Mama Compton