Week 42 - All Roads Lead to Holland

The migration of Monarch butterflies is one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world. Covering thousands of miles from Canada to Mexico and back again, it requires four generations to complete the migration - each new generation instinctively knowing to pick up where their predecessors left off. Salmon, turtles, and whales all remarkably know to return to their birthplace if they wish to spawn, lay eggs, or give birth, but the monarch butterfly somehow knows to return to the birthplace of its great-grandparents to complete one migratory cycle.

This week, as the bus arrived in Holland, Michigan, the symbolism of the monarch butterfly is abundant. In 2011, three friends bought a school bus, built it out, and birthed the LOST Bus right here in Holland. Now, six generations of LOST Bus crews later, and traveling in a different bus entirely, we return to a place we have never been. Our only connection is the shared mission/belief/good idea that was born here, and although it is not a tangible connection, it is very palpable.

We had planned on returning to Holland for quite some time now with the intention of linking up with the original crew, but we were not supposed to get here until next week. Our plan was to work somewhere in Michigan (other than Holland) this week, but as we approached the Great Lake State, the instincts of the bus seemed to hone in. Every lead we took, line we set, or attempt we made to find work in the entire state of Michigan seemed to fall through unless it was in Holland. In Holland, we had ample opportunities. Instead of stubbornly postponing our arrival to Holland to the dates we had planned, we decided to give in to the Bus's instinct and let her go where she wanted - back to Holland, back home.

The poetic symbolism of the return to Holland is evident, but what might not be so evident is how much I felt like an actual rockstar this week. Think about it, we already live on a bus, touring around the country, but this week when we rolled into town, strangers already knew about us - we had fans! A stranger (fan) at the beach referenced the LOST Bus T-shirt I was wearing and said, "I love that project, what a great idea they had." She had no idea that we made a second bus or that I was on it; she just knew and loved the concept of the LOST Bus from her time in Holland. Another lady, named Nicole, caught wind that we were coming to town and invited us to come to her yoga studio for a free class. She is also making bracelets for us (perks of being a rockstar)! We even had to deal with paparazzi this week as the local news channel did a story on us and the non-profit we were volunteering with.

Our yoga class (Groupies) taking tour of the bus

"Grant Me Hope" is the nonprofit we had the pleasure of working with this week. Their mission is to find loving, adoptive homes for foster children before they age out of the system - alone and facing homelessness. Grant Me Hope's main initiative begins in marketing, as they produce high-quality videos of foster children and air these videos on partnering television news stations in numerous states to introduce the child to thousands of potential families. The strategy is shown to work, but even so, some foster kids fall through the cracks and never get adopted. When a child ages out of the foster system, their chances for success in life drop significantly. Less than 2% further their education, 25% become homeless, and 71% of the girls become mothers before the age of 21. Not wanting to forget about these kids that fall through the cracks, Grant Me Hope has adapted and expanded their mission to provide housing for aged-out foster kids where they will be paired with mentors, learn life skills, receive budget counseling, participate in bible studies, and ultimately receive the guidance needed to transition into adult life.

The woman behind the mission at Grant Me Hope is Helen Zeerip - one of the most exceptional persons I have ever encountered. Her assistant, Netty, was bragging about Helen to us behind her back on Wednesday - I could not remember all the details, so I asked Netty to write a sentence or two summarizing her earlier praises. Here is what she had to say:

"Helen is a force of nature! She doesn't ever slow down, let alone stop when there are people facing or experiencing homelessness and in need of help. Along with owning a trucking company and founding, expanding, and growing Grant Me Hope, she also got the Hamilton Area Veterans Memorial built (sought permission, land, local support, and fundraised for it), and we still manage most of the ongoing work for that. She's working on a separate homelessness project to hopefully get a shelter opened in Allegan. She has served on numerous boards and committees from the local Hospice board to the Davenport University School of Business board, to the state board of transportation, and that's just naming a few. Helen has been recognized as a small business leader by Inc. 500 and other organizations; she's received numerous honors and awards, including Lakeshore Athena, as a woman leader in business and community service. And after all that, she was awarded with grandchildren - I'm pretty sure they're her favorite!"

While we are at it, I will go ahead and toss on a couple more praises that I noticed throughout our week. Even with all she has consistently going on, Helen makes lunch for the homeless every day (she fed us lunch every day too and usually sat down and ate with us, being present in conversation even though I'm sure she had a million other things to think about). Right now, there are five people (maybe more I honestly lost track) living in her house that are of no blood relation to Helen but are just in need of a helpful hand. Also, Helen has given a Ted Talk, which is rad.

During our week volunteering with Grant Me Hope, we worked at "The Rock," a former restaurant that is being remodeled to accommodate up to 16 young men who have aged out of the foster system and house parents (if anyone is interested in living a life on a mission, they are hiring house parents). On-site with us was an all-star crew captained by Tom (a retired pastor who now fills his time with construction projects), Austin and Chase (two of Tom's grandchildren), and Willy (a member of Tom's church from when he used to pastor). When we first started working, we were a little confused why some of the crew only called the boss "grandpa," and others exclusively referred to him as "pastor," but by the end of the week, we were calling builder Tom grandpa too.

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We loved spending time with this bunch outside of work too. We enjoyed a shared meal and walked on the local pier with Tom and his wife Pam. Austin and Willy joined us at the fair, which featured motocross, extremely sugary lemonade, and rides that had me thinking I might be revisiting that sugary lemonade at any moment. Willy really came alive stating, "I love hanging out with you guys, makes me feel young again!," and Austin told me the next morning that it was the most fun he had ever had. I asked about all the fun we had at work all week, and he revised his statement to, "the most fun I have ever had outside of work."

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Along for the ride again this week was our great friend Tommy Fairbairn. His presence on the bus was so enjoyable that we convinced him to change his travel itinerary from a Friday morning Amtrak to a Saturday morning (3:00 am) Greyhound bus so we could spend one more day together. In addition to getting us to skateboard a lot more, Tommy brought a freshness to the bus that rejuvenates. Before we ever set out on our journey, we made the goal to remain excited and energized each and every week - no matter how many times we answer the same question or retell the same story. It's not an easy goal, and it's one I have to be constantly working on, but with Tommy around, it was easy to remain energized, excited, and appreciative for all the blessings we encounter on the road.