The deadline to sign-up was drawing closer and the question loomed in our minds… Will every seat be filled??

It was 2006. My grad year of university. Six close friends and I were planning a trip to Missouri. This was no ordinary road trip though. We rented a 60-person coach bus for the 12 hour bus ride. We planned and prepared for months.

>> Destination: St. Louis, MO

>> Purpose: To attend Urbana 2006 (A 4-day missions conference with 16,000 other young adults!)

>> Goal: To better understand God’s plan for each of us & for humanity

The outcome was better than we even expected. Yes, the bus was filled, but even greater that that, our hearts came home filled. It felt as if we had tasted a bit of heaven… every tribe, nation and language worshipping together under one roof. Our worldview was radically expanded and our selfishness exposed. A new calling was instilled in us to live with greater passion and intentionality.

Skip ahead 14 years.

The same words echo in my mind today….. Fill the bus!

No, not another cross-border trip with minimal sleep. This is a much longer journey…. we are heaven bound. Trading the strife & suffering of this world for celebration & community with Jesus.

“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord…. We live by faith and not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5)

It’s a faith thing. I’ve never seen heaven either, but there’s moments like at Urbana that felt like a rich taste. It’s enough for me to want to fill the bus. To bring home as many friends as I can for dinner… forever. Will you climb up the steps and join me in the front row?

With Grace,

Sue