dereke's blog | The Lost Bus

Lost Bus Chapters- Read, Review, Write

Submitted by dereke on Tue, 2012-05-01 12:16

Traverse City! Are you serious? This town has seemed to take a liking to the bus and it's ideas! We have had so much attention and people expressing interest in the Lost Bus for the short few days we have been here. Needless to say, we are feeling very welcomed and surrounded by people who are like minded. We crossed the bridge on Friday south bound to Traverse City and arrived around 5. A friend of ours Chelsea met up with us to fill the honorary third Lost Bus position for the weekend. Like I was saying, people were calling, emailing, and flagging us down left and right. We have got connected with the community of Traverse City in just a few short days. Most importantly, we love the community!

Lake Thoughts

Submitted by dereke on Tue, 2012-04-24 11:18

Eventful as life usually is, the past week has been no exception. As typical as a week could be, the contrary to usual life has been the case. We are a member down, and the remaining feeling of nostalgia for the Lost Bus tour Ben and I are holding on to tightly. The opening story has got a new atypical skew to it. Where as we usually struggle to remember how long we have been traveling for, how far we have gone, or what state we were in last, now the hiccup comes when explaining the missing person from the bus. Quite possibly the hardest part of our explanation is the discussion on remaining tour days left. It seems scarily close every time I talk about it... and then reality sets in, it is.

Sweet Home Alabama + Brother Adventure

Submitted by dereke on Sun, 2012-04-15 18:08

Better late than never! A lot has happened with my future plans in the last week. Let me start from the beginning. I had a job offer back in Holland, MI that I was certain I would take. I booked a plane ride home to sign off on it and get my summer planned. After an amazing week with Courtney on the bus, we landed in Pisgah, AL. For some strange reason we bagged our plans of traveling East and seeing the East Coast like we had been talking about for months. Instead, we headed up the heart of the country to North East Alabama to volunteer on some disaster relief work.

Bama Bound

Submitted by dereke on Tue, 2012-03-27 23:16

So we have left the great state of Texas. Our last week spent in Sugar Land was a good one. We spent most of the week days at people's homes helping with projects. We picked three efforts to commit to and checked them off day by day. A lot of the work we did was hands on like fixing things or moving things. Every person we helped was in need and it felt good to give them a leg up on the projects or help them with things that they weren't capable of doing them selves. This kind of one-on-one work was a new type of work for us on the bus. Usually the work had been with organizations or groups, not so much for one person or one home. After helping these three houses, I think it won't be the last time the Lost Bus stops and helps out single people like this.

Austin--->Sugar Land / Bridge Jumping--->Sky Diving

Submitted by dereke on Sat, 2012-03-17 22:07

Yes, I am behind on my Blog. Ben and I both are for the same reason. Let me try and explain, hear my plea.

Two weeks ago now, chad flew out of Austin, TX. Ben and I stayed. We made it through here last year around the same time and loved it. We stayed at the Austin Stone church and got to see how they are involved in the community. This year we weren’t sure what we would do when coming through.

Susan is a girl we met last time that brought us to feed the homeless one Tuesday morning. She instantly was a friend even though we only knew her for a few hours. We kept in contact over the last year and this time through, we went to stay with her and her roommates Emily and Brittany.

The Lone Star Reintroduction

Submitted by dereke on Fri, 2012-03-02 13:20

Texas chapter has begun. I love this chapter. Last year, Texas was the biggest surprise for me in terms of states. I had these ideas of what Texas would be like, and what Texas people would be like. I was completely wrong. Upon crossing the border back into Texas this year, my thoughts and refined ideas were reinforced. First stop at a gas station, many people were very friendly and approached us to talk. The next stop in Junction, TX, we immediately realized everyone was friendly and kind. I'm glad to be back!

The Crossroads Between Crazy and the Sand

Submitted by dereke on Thu, 2012-02-23 00:51

Back to reality. Sort of... today was a somber day of traveling through south Arizona where you can see for miles to the next jagged outcrop of rocks. The last 5 days have been a mix of events, places, and life styles that all contradict each other but have a geographic similarity that brings them all together. I feel like these days would be an excellent start to a movie just because of the craziness.

Gardening 101

Submitted by dereke on Tue, 2012-02-14 03:15

Olivewood Gardens, one of the most peaceful places I have ever been to. Picture a lush garden, palm trees, a slight sea breeze, a panoramic view of your surroundings, and the warm sun of Southern California all put together in a few acres. This is it, it is great, and it was the Waltons (Walmart founders). They generously donated this piece of property and home to an organization that eventually turned it into Olivewood Gardens and Education Center. Our time spent here is sometimes very tranquil and relaxing, but it isn't always this way. After working with a school group the first day, we were asked to dig a garden bed. This garden bed was quite the task considering the ground was rock hard and the trench was large. The project was a great intro to our time at Olivewood.

I ain't as good as I'm gonna get, but I'm better than I used to be

Submitted by dereke on Mon, 2012-02-06 13:52

Santa Monica for Super Bowl sounded like a good idea so we ran with it. We left the dream center yesterday and headed to the ocean. We had a great time hanging around the downtown scene here last night and saw my team lose... Its not so much that I like the Patriots as I just haven't ever liked the Giants. But we had a good time meeting the locals here and seeing what the area looks like. Not sure how long we will hang out in town for until we start heading south towards San Diego.

Derek- Video Blog

Submitted by dereke on Sat, 2012-02-04 12:03

Hey Everyone, This is my first video blog, trying something new. Tell me what you think!

Content:
End of Ontario/ Chino Stay
Working with Crosspoint Church
Human Trafficking Rally
Going to Hollywood!
Meeting Rob Dyrdrek at the Santa Anita Race Track
Price is Right and Jay Leno Show
Meeting John, Bryn, and Sophie- The Three Laws
Future Plans- The Dream Center and Olivewood Gardens and Education Center

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