Many of you know that our bus was in an accident coming home from our trip to Washington D.C.  This event, though no one was hurt or injured, was frightening for us all.  We thought we were stranded in Richmond, Virginia without transportation, lodging, or food.  Instead, we were met with kindness from state troopers, warmth from the vehicles provided by the towing company, and transportation to find food. The generosity didn’t stop there.  Anita Willard, and her son Ben graciously picked us up at the restaurant and took us to a nearby hotel.  Anita is the son of Otis and Gladys.  Cookie and Destry, a very kind couple, also helped shuttle folks.  Destry is Joe Kitchin’s brother.  Bernie and Helen Miller graciously gave us their hotel points so we could stay at no extra cost to us. Bernie and Helen are Mitch Miller’s parents.  Robert, Ashley, and Mark drove to pick us up the next morning.  Many people worked together to find a way home for 23 people stranded in Richmond.  Everyone was eager to help, hug, and show love when we returned to our Springfield family.

When I returned home from the trip, I was alone, and I became sad and frightened.  That evening, I opened my Bible up to the book of James.  James 1:2 says “My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”  I had been full of fear until I read these words.  I learned that God doesn’t want us to be scared of what could happen, and he doesn’t want us to dwell on bad things.  Instead, he wants us to celebrate when we have trials!  It sounds like a crazy idea sometimes!  Rejoice when things go wrong?  What?  That’s crazy!  However, It must be true!  God wants us to be happy when we are faced with trials.

After reading God’s word, I began to reflect more on the trip itself.  Many friendships flourished as we leaned on each other for comfort and support.  Before the accident, people were playing games on the bus and talking in excited tones about the inauguration.  We visited the National History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, and the Old Post Office during our stay.  We were able to go up in the Washington Memorial and look out at the Lincoln Memorial and Whitehouse buildings.  We could see the mass of people preparing for the inauguration, and we knew we were there for an event that would go down in the history books.  We took pictures at exciting places, we ate together, we laughed, and we enjoyed fellowship in the William Penn House.