Week 43 - LOST Bus Reunion
Wow, this week was crazy. Every time that I sit down to write a blog, there's so much to cover. This week, things turned even crazier than usual, so there’s even more to talk about. Thankfully, we are bringing in more experienced bloggers to help this time.
Well this is crazy
Our journey continued in Holland, Michigan, where the LOST Bus idea was birthed. The original guys, Chad, Ben, and Derek, bought a school bus in 2011 and cleverly named the acronym LOST - Lending Our Services Traveling. This week, we finally had the long-awaited reunion. Chad and Ben took a moment to share their insight with everybody. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did:
Dressed in our best to hit town
“Where to begin with this blog post... it's been nearly 11 years since I've done this and a lot has changed in my life but it's fantastic to see the bus life lives on. It's not too often you get to sit across the table from someone who is living out exactly what you did years ago but in the present. Many of the stories swapped are only something people who have lived life on the road would understand. I think the coolest take away from everything summed up is there are still fantastic people out there that don't get enough credit for making our world a better place. That being said, Cain, Josh, and Davis are doing just that. I couldn't be more proud of these 3 men taking what we started so many years ago and doing it better than we did. I had the pleasure of helping them with service projects around west Michigan. It brings a smile to my face as I sit here and type it out and think about it again. Sadly though, our time together was short but the fact the whole OG crew and current crew got to serve together and get to know each other better was a memory I won't soon forget. It was also fun to live vicariously through the bus boys as I am in a world of a toddler and a baby in diapers, a much different world than them, but just as special in its own way. Thank you to everyone who has made the LOST Bus possible, both then and now, and thank you to Josh, Davis, and Cain for representing everything the LOST Bus meant to me. “
-Chad Deters
“When Chad, Derek and I embarked on our journey twelve years ago, our very first stop was an unplanned one in Charleston, South Carolina. We were a couple days into our journey, and everything about the future was completely unknown. What we had was a bus to call home and a vision to travel and help people across the U.S. We had left our supportive community of friends and family in our wake and were constantly wondering if the rest of America would embrace our dream of “Lending Our Services Traveling”. We had what we thought would be enough money for a few weeks of diesel fuel and food, so we ventured south to put ourselves out there and find out.
Near Charleston, the bus broke down. We limped to the side of the road and waited for a mobile mechanic to come to our aid and likely extract a large percentage of the money from our pockets. We were feeling defeated until we met a smiling and energetic stranger who gave us a glimpse into what the next 16 months of our lives would be shaped by. Shawn Dupre invited us into her home for dinner and showers, offering to help in any way…said she absolutely loved what we were doing and that we could park the bus in front of her house once it was fixed.
It’s hard to explain how profound that invitation was. This invitation went way beyond the home cooked meal and hot shower. This invitation demonstrated that a stranger would go selflessly out of their way to support our dream. Our experience of hospitality in South Carolina propelled us down the road with optimism—confident that our crazy idea could actually work if we could just keep bumping into the kindness of strangers.
Shawn didn’t just have us over. She invited her friends and family to join, so the house filled up with friendly faces and we enjoyed getting to know an amazing group of people. Southern hospitality is a very real thing. One of the people we met that night was a middle schooler named Cain.
Fast forward about 12 years—to last week…
Cain, from Charleston, is no longer a middle schooler… he’s a college graduate and quite tall. He’s on the back patio at my parent’s house in Holland, Michigan because his bus is broken down and in the shop. Him and his friends, Davis and Josh, built a school bus into a home on wheels. They call it the LOST Bus. They’re 20,000 miles into their cross-country journey of service and adventure. My parents offered them beds and showers and home-cooked meals since their bus was in the shop. So, last week I found myself sitting in my parent’s backyard with four generations of my family, two of my very best friends (Chad and Derek) and the 6th LOST Bus crew. It’s hard to express how grateful and absurdly happy this all makes me.
All these years later, our little experiment of traveling and helping people lives on in a bigger way than I could have ever dreamed. In South Carolina, Shawn was just the first of hundreds of helpful strangers who showed up to support the LOST Bus vision. People from every walk of life and every corner of the country have stepped up to support the idea. Our journey went on for 16 months and over 20,000 miles of road. And, now there have been 6 crews—6 journeys that have inspired hope and built friendships all around North America.
Right now, the bus is in the shop having a long list of issues addressed. The owner of a local truck service center is handling all these repairs for free because the owner, Ed, is an incredible person and a huge supporter of what the LOST Bus is doing. Whenever the news tries to convince me that this country is divided and everyone is in opposition, I know not to believe it, because this is the love and kindness I’ve been seeing and experiencing from Americans for over 12 years now through The LOST Bus, without fail. People helping people—a beautiful equation where everyone wins.
Last week I handed the guys tools and screws while they built a brand-new horse shelter from scratch, in two days! They wouldn’t consider leaving the jobsite until the last project was complete and the final details were wrapped up. Their work ethic is impressive. They travel with a whole kit of tools and have the skills to use them. They leave behind a real impact wherever they go. I was able to go with them to serve meals and pass out socks and flashlights to the homeless of Grand Rapids. It was heartwarming to witness how their cheerful positivity put smiles on so many faces that day.
Back when the guys were building the bus and planning for their journey, Derek told Chad and I, “They’re just like us, only better in every way.” He was being funny but also truthful. These guys are carrying the LOST Bus torch and representing our initial dream better than I could have ever imagined. They’re foregoing comfort and routine to embrace freedom, spontaneity and service. They’re getting dirt in their boots, sawdust in their hair, sweat everywhere, without knowing where the next shower will come from. They’re bonded by 20,000 miles of road and countless formative experiences. All three are wonderful people and their personalities complement each other beautifully. They’re equal parts strong and kind, confident and compassionate. As I write this, they’re hitching their way from Ohio to Pennsylvania, trusting the good and accepting the unknown. Hair blowing in the back of a pickup truck, leaning on their backpacks and cruising through Amish country.
They’ve built the LOST Bus into a non-profit organization and are envisioning a sustainable future where the wheels can keep on rolling. I couldn’t be prouder of what this crew has done, or more excited for what the future has in store. Cain, Davis, Josh—thank you for daring to take on this crazy adventure and for elevating the LOST Bus in every way! Thanks for coming to our town and working incredibly hard to help a bunch of people here. Thanks for sharing your amazing stories—it was truly refreshing and inspiring to be around you guys! And America, thanks for holding up your end of the deal—for continuing to be incredibly generous and hospitable to some guys with a crazy idea.”
- Ben Tucker
These guys are awesome. Our time together was remarkable, it felt like we could talk endlessly for hours, sharing stories and laughter. We also had the opportunity to connect with their families. Each of the original bus babes (as they call themselves) now have two kids, giving us a playful glimpse into what our lives could hold a decade from now - a family, maybe not roaming in a school bus, but still immersed in a life of service and adventure.
We teamed up with Horseplay Equestrian this week, an organization that utilizes horses to engage with high-risk youth. Tami and Curt are the driving force behind this initiative, making significant sacrifices to provide free sessions while juggling their family farm, other jobs, and running the non-profit. During our stay, we constructed a lean-to horse barn and worked with Tami on a new fence. She even set aside time to guide us through an activity typical of her sessions. Who would have thought finger painting on a horse could provide such a profound way to reflect on life?
As Ben mentioned, we had the pleasure of meeting Ed, who graciously took on the task of repairing a few issues with the bus. In the meantime, we had to make our way to Pennsylvania to meet up with our families. A standout memory of this year is Ludwig, a German hitchhiker we picked up in California, who ended up joining us for three remarkable weeks. His unique method of travel left us inspired, prompting us to consider it when the bus wasn't an option for transportation. Fortunately, Derek came to our rescue for the initial stretch, driving us alongside his 3-year-old daughter Lucy to Amish country in Ohio. This leg of the journey left us with 300 miles to go. After two more days on the road, we found ourselves under 100 miles away from our destination when sweet Debbie (Cain's mom) came to our rescue and picked us up. While hitchhiking certainly requires patience, it was undeniably an “adventurous” two days on the road, thanks to the incredible generosity of numerous locals from Ohio and Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, the hitchhiking seemed to slow down, and we weren’t sure if it was our new outfits that day. Cain ended up getting a ride with the same guy who picked him up the day before, but we didn’t have much luck before that. It wasn’t until Davis googled it that we discovered Pennsylvania is one of the six states where hitchhiking is illegal.
This week will for sure stand out when we look back on our year. Amidst it all, one thing remains clear - I am grateful for Chad, Derek, and Ben who “accidently” bought a school bus. Their crazy idea has changed my life.
