Radiator!!!

So our little band of hooligans at Plow Creek Farms officially got a radiator from a little Truck Mechanics place in nowhere Illinois. Thanks be to G-d for provision that exceeds what we deserve every day.

As for me, I'm currently sitting in Colorado Springs determining what steps to take next in terms of belongings, relationships, school debts and so forth.

By this coming monday the Bus and I will both travel to Bushnell, IL for a music festival called Cornerstone, that's put on by JPUSA.
And from there the plans aren't really set in stone.

I apologize for the brevity of this note, but none-the-less thank you for the continual prayers.

my name is marcus and i live on a busted up bus thats goin nowhere

that's right... no radiator! while john gets to watch people get all kissed up at a weddin' in colorado the rest of us get to deal with a bus that is missing a radiator- and a new one costs eight hundred bones. needless to say we aint got no eight hundred bones. we got some money but not eight hundred of anything. And we can't move the bus untill we do, and neither can the folk we're tryin to give a ride to. right now we have gary, myself, bailey, nikki (gary and bailey's good friend), bear (the dog), adam (the kid we picked up on the way to pappa fest because he was ridin his bike from north carolina to papa fest and his back wheel got destroyed), corey (the kid we tried to pick up in indiana but we couldnt get a hold of but then met us in chicago with john after john got back from the funeral), jobi (our friend from Jesus people who is supposed to be at corner stone now because he is supposed to set up and then play in a few bands at the festival) and two hitchhikers from florida named chrissy and nathanael, and one dead fox. thats 11 things that are all trying to get to cornerstone but dont have much of any money and no 1984 international harvester radiators. But we at least get to pick strawberries on the plow creek grounds (the mennonite community that hosted papa festival). They are being overly generous and helpful and we are very blessed by them. They have opened their community for the last week for papa fest,( which was a good ole time of community gatherin, meetin and greetin, learnin and sharin and fellowshipin and worshippin and celebrating) and are more than gracious with our antics.

i'll be somewhere a workin for my lord.....

if yould like to pray for us, please pray that the 9 humans on this bus and the one alive animal and the one dead animal would find a way to get to the next place God wants us at and that we would be aided in getting there and in our journey. I feel the need for God's provision now more than i have alot in the past- and it's funny because he has provided for us so much and most of the time when provision is brought up i make sure not make it sound as if we need any more than what God has already granted us- but at this time we have no option other than to pray for his provision or go mennonite. both are really not that bad, i think.

Also please pray for the Matheny family (Howard, Sonshine, Shaenah, Howie, Tony, Woodrow Clives, Malaki, and Oso) as their Grandma is in Critical Condition in the hospital and the family is having to deal with that and help each other.

shaloam

Loss and Prayer

This morning the bus left from Pittsburgh,PA to continue it's quest to PAPA fest, with two new ride-a-longs. As we entered the Ohio border we stoped to thank some people who had helped Jake, Gary, Marcus and I as we had passed through hitch-hiking on our way to Chicago. However, the resturaunt at which they ate apparently has run out of business since the last time we were here, and had shut down. So please pray for the Encouragement of our friends at the former Heidens Restaurant and Lounge. It has to be more than confusing to do things like help people out with free meals and paying for hotel stays, and then have your restaurant shut down.

Then our bus headed towards Cleveland on our way to I-80 to continue on our way towards Chicago. And since this is were our friend Patrick Hickey lived and let us stay on our last time through we gave his phone a call, and left him a message. And by the time we were outside of Cleveland(on the otherside), I got a phone call from Patrick's phone. His Uncle told me that last night Patrick was in an accident and didn't wake up afterwards. And then he asked me to make sure all of his friends found out.

After about an hour of trying to deal with this news and calling people, we pulled the bus over and prayed. And after prayer and thoughtful consideration, I decided that if Patrick's family would like, it would be good to go back to Cleveland and be with his family as a representative of some of the friends Patrick had at SPU.

I parted ways with the bus at the nearest rest-stop to hitch-hike back to Cleveland, and within two minutes of standing at the onramp facing back east I was picked up by a young man, who ended up being willing to give me a ride all of the way to the Hickey's front door.

I say all this to ask for your prayers, first and foremost for the family and friends of Patrick as they mourn, and secondly for continued traveling mercies as the bus continues to make it to Indiana to meet up with friends, and pick up riders for PAPA Fest. And thirdly to pray a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for our friend Patrick, and for provision.

Thanks for your prayers

Just a thought and good reminder

If we believe that Christ is G-d.
And If we want to be close to G-d.
And Christ said, "When you clothed the naked, you clother me."
Shouldn't we want to be with the naked, all of the time?

Picture Update

I've added some pictures, to our photobucket account from the last couple of weeks. Feel free to check them out at : http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh264/brontosaurous/West%20Virginia%20Jun12%202008/

There might be some left over pictures from Pennsylvania aswell

Peace an Blessings

Heading to Pittsburgh

So on this day of June, in the year 2008, one bus named Train De Vie, four "bus kids," and a dog head out to head towards Pittsburgh, PA. The bus is now equipped with propane stove, electricity, composting toilet, hardwood floors, four beds, four couches, and room for an eventual addition of a refrigerator. In the next few hours the bus will have gravity fed water, and then shortly put it tires on the pavement again.
Our protagonists have spent the last number of weeks building a bus, and building the framework of a community of people, who can use this bus as an extension of their attempts to love their neighbors as themselves. Practicing the principle of loving not with words, but rather with actions.
This bus will leave with gratefully full bellies, and nothing but thanks for the blessings G-d has provided them in the poor state of West Virginia. After a quick stop in Pittsburgh, to say hello to some friends made along the journey thus far, the three boys and one girl, will make the rest of their journey to northeastern Illinois, to celebrate in a gathering of christian communities at PAPA fest.
Right now our community gives thanks to G-d for the mercies he has extended to us thus far, and for the grace that his sacrifice continues to allot us to this very hour. And as they make the descension from Rock Cave, WV the four people riding on the bus as well as nummerous other will be praying for traveling mercies, and the eyes to see, and ears to hear G-d's provision for the journey embarked upon.
After PAPA fest it looks as if some changes may be made to the constituents of this province of De Vie. And so your prayers would be much appreciated, seeing as the member taking a break from this mobile home will be taking some time to seek direction and clarity in their personal relationship with the Father. Since, as a group we have decided that this personal relationship and processing should take a priority, this leave of absence is well understood and well intended.

Thank you for your continuous prayers and encouragements. There's a chance there will not be any further posts on this blog for the next few weeks, but there's more to come nonetheless.

i aint got no time no mo

we is gettin down to the lastest work we can git dun befo' we gone and ran outta time befo papa fest. 'bouts a week i recon and then we got bouts aweek or so before we dun drivin the dang ol bus to the actual festivale. hopin ta pick up som foodstamps on the way so we can really get to feedin.
speakin a which we finally got to the point of bein serious about tryin to come up with some consensus in the group about what we are wantin to do with the bus and what we can commit ourselves to. Its been dumbfoundingly hard for me personally to sit through these sessions as we try to hack things out. i think its good and neccessary for us but it most certainly aint easy. Things that seem simple to me arent always agreed upon and it sometimes seems to me as pretty rediculous and not very constructive to be at the place we are at now. To me it seems like what i am called to is to live out my convictions to serve God and others and love my neighbors as my self in as many aspects of my life as i can, through christian community livin which is based around consensus and accountability. I think that this idea is pretty idealistic to think of right now, but really it breaks my heart when i can't seem to see things as such. i think that we are definitely workin towards some of that, but as of right now we cant come to answer what we are wantin to do as a group, other than to love God and learn more about him. I think thats a pretty good spot to start and i think that its worth bein grateful for to have that much to agree on but it sure is hard to deal with things not workin out as ild like. Not to mention we have troubles sometimes just conversatin' and workin together (which is mighty crucial at this point). But all will work out if we let it- meaning if we let God help us. I think that just as much as i can see a need for others to come to agree on some of the stuff i think is important, i also know that i must realize that not only is everyone at different spots and might not be able to do, or agree with, certain things at this point, i also need to realize my own crap in this; i can't expect other people to be at the place i'm at and i certainly hope that they wouldnt be at the exact same place im at because im pretty certain my discernment and my understanding and wisdom and the way i live those things out are often off by a long shot. The fact that its hard for me to sit through this shows how far off i am.
i know that these things are necessary to deal with as far as growth is concerned- but they suck to deal with.
please pray for peace and understanding bigger than our individual hearts, and for the ability to make these last efforts pull through, so we can get to utilizin our bus (which is excitin as all hell).
god bless
-marcus

Productivity

Despite the fact that we are currently in the poorest state in the nation, the nearest town is half an hour away, and the largest library in the area has the Left Behind Series in the Non-Fiction section of the Library, you would be hard pressed to find anyone in our current abode who doesn't recognize G-d's moving and changing of hearts in our midst.

To say the least we have been more than blessed with our friends Karen and Ron's hospitality and generosity, as well as patience.

In the last two weeks our bus has finally received it's long awaited hardwood flooring, and about 75 percent of the interior furniture in a ready to use state. And within the next week or so, we will have a mounted water tank for our sink, potentially a lofted camper top and complete electrical system(that won't drain the engine batteries!). And maybe even a makeshift hood ornament.
But as far as the four of us go, it has been humbling to go through some of the processing and developing that have been necessary for us as of now. And in recognizing all of our short commings, failings, and weaknesses along with our walls of self defence and insecurity, I think I can say that everyday here has given us the opportunity to get to know ourselves and each other better than we ever have before. And it feels like all of the reading on community that I've done is showing itself as more and more insightful (P.S.: I would suggest reading Community and Growth by Jean Vanier, founder of LeArche communities, where Henri Nowen has been known to spend a lot of time).

And while we don't know yet how we want to define ourselves as a group yet, I think we'll get there sooner or later. Maybe someday we will consider ourselves a "Christian Community" or maybe we will remain as friend's traveling together attempting to love the L-rd and our neighbors.

And until just before PAPA fest in Illinois I think we will continue to stay here working things out and learning more about orthodoxy and the forefathers of our faith from largely monastic traditions.

Speaking of which, thought for the day: Is or isn't the body of Christ immortal? Ha! let the implications of that one stew for a minute.

Thanks again for the prayers, because they are felt in all of our hard conversations for sure.