Orphan No More: 730 Days Later...

Two years ago today, a giant double decker/mobile thrift store on wheels rolled up on my college campus and ROCKED. MY. WORLD. I had just started college and wasn't quite sure what I wanted to major in or do for the rest of my life, other than serve God, love Him, serve His people, and love His people. I had no idea who Steven Curtis Chapman was, that an organization called Show Hope existed, or that the global orphan crisis was as big a deal as it really is. Man, it's absolutely incredible to look back on these past two years and see what the Lord has done in and through me because of this one day.

It's because the bus came to my campus.
It's because Hannah asked me to volunteer for a shift and I ended up spending my whole day hanging out and volunteering with the RBP team.
It's because people like the Chapmans decided to use their God-given platform to advocate for the orphan through the works of Show Hope and to let people be a part of it.
It's because of the incredible creativity of the Show Hope student initiatives team who dreamed up the idea of a double decker mobile thrift store rolling from campus to campus, engaging with college students by hooking them in with a giant Red Bus.
It's because of God's intricate and perfect timing that the bus didn't come a day sooner or later, but came at just the right time for Him to open my eyes to the millions of kiddos who are orphans, just like how I was a spiritual orphan for so long.

All it took for me was this one day. This one day that happened 730 days ago changed my world forever. Being where I am now, chilling in a hotel in Arkansas, where I'll wake up and head to school #18 in state #4 of the RBP Fall '14 tour, I couldn't imagine getting here without those few hours spent two years ago. It's INSANE how God uses one moment to start a fire that rages on inside our hearts for years to come. The "advocating for orphan care/learning about the plight of orphans" fire in my heart has only grown since that day and this internship has continued adding fuel to my fire.

I'm so thankful the fire He started that day led me to Show Hope and the Red Bus Project.
To the hundreds of college students I've met over the past month who have walked past a tent and stuck around when asked "Have you heard of the Red Bus Project?"
To the dozens of Lindsey's and Terra's and Stephanie's I've met who have asked "What more can I do?"
To a tour team who is like a family now more than ever, who unconditionally loves one another and the students we meet everyday.
To a cause that is not just near and dear to the heart of our Lord and Savior, but to a cause that will never leave my heart.

God can do a lot in 730 days. Shoot, God can do a lot in 730 seconds. I firmly believe we all have that something, that one thing, that one moment (or multiple moments), where God just turns our world upside down and opens our eyes to something we've never seen before. Praise Him that He does though, because this crazy ride called life wouldn't be the same without the driver's seat being occupied by Him.

So here I am, 730 days after the Red Bus Project came to little bitty Campbellsville University in the middle of nowhere KY on their second tour ever, hoping to engage with college students about the global orphan crisis and getting them excited about the opportunities they have to get involved and make the difference in the lives of the orphans.

Well, they wrecked one girl for sure, and boy, am I glad they did.