Round and round

After my tenure on the Andy route, my pastor needed some help.

His secretary was the captain of the Moses route, but he felt he needed her on property Sunday mornings and not on the bus.  She loved that route and the kids.  He hated to ask, but needed her at the church.  He came to me and asked if I would be able to take the route.  I was overjoyed.

The last Sunday was scheduled for our old captain.  On that day the workers and I planned a big farewell party for her.  We promoted the day and had a great attendance.  The children wrote her notes of love and appreciation.  We put a crown on her head and served cake and drinks.  I still remember the tears on her cheeks as she was grateful yet sad.

I had the route for about a year before I headed off to Bible college.  We had some crazy promotions like a small haunted house in the basement of one of the Sunday school buildings.  I got in trouble for cutting the pony tail off of a boy.  He did ask after all, but his mother was not amused.  One of the men who helped drive became good friends with me.  I can’t count how many Domino’s pizzas we washed down with Vernor’s together.  He’d slip me the occasional Butterfinger candy bar.

I learned so much about reaching people from the bus captains at our church.  Route lists, Saturday visitation, songs and games on the bus and winning kids to the Lord were all part of the curriculum.  The thing that rubbed off the most, however, was the heart they had for the kids.  It was as deep a love and concern as I had ever seen.  They taught me to recklessly give my heart to the people I served.

When we came back to Flint to start our church, we used to treat our kids after a long day of visiting.  One night we were sitting in a Dairy Queen and a young lady working there approached us.  She said, “Are you Joel Stiff?”  I said I was.  She then told us, “When I was a little girl I rode your Sunday school bus to church.  I still remember getting saved and baptized.”  I couldn’t believe it.  She rode that bus almost thirteen years before as a little girl and she remember me.  It was the first time I became aware that what I was doing made a lasting difference.

One pastor of mine called crossing people’s paths who you’ve helped in the past “clipping coupons”.  I liked it.  It made me want to do more for Jesus.