"Prevent not the little children from coming unto me."

Jesus, to His apostles when they tried to keep the little ones from "bothering" Him

As I write the article today, I am preparing for my last official ride on the Gospel Chariot. For those of you who don't know, the Gospel Chariot is a wonderous wagon, pulled by an old tractor, that rolls through the streets of Happy, Texas for one week each summer picking up and dropping off the kids who will be attending Vacation Bible School. I have been in charge of the chariot for nearly three decades now, greeting the kids as they board for Bible class, and then helping them down as they get off after a full morning of Bible class.

The Gospel Chariot was the brainchild of some enterprising folks back in the 1960's. At first it was a full-sized cotton wagon filled with haybales for the children to sit on. At one time they had to add a "caboose" to hold all of the kids. Now we have modern day seating - metal benches welded to the floor of the trailer that we have to cover with cushions when the sun gets too hot. Half of the kids arrive early in the morning instead of waiting for the chariot to pick them up as they don't want to miss a moment of the adventure that awaits. We start out with as few as fifteen or twenty, but by the time the chariot has made its rounds we are packed with sixty or seventy or more. Our singing on the Gospel Chariot songs typically alert the ones who are awaiting us at home, letting them know that the chariot is about to arrive.

As the kids hop aboard they are surrounded with love. They know just about everyone, in our small community, but the friends greet one another as if they have not seen each other for years. I know that you will be impressed that I have always made it a point to greet each of the kids by name, regardless of the number of kids or how long it has been since I have seen them last. The boys I have named "Bud" or "Hoss", and the girls I have named "Sweetheart". I have found that as long as I remember which ones are the Hosses and which ones are the Sweethearts, we get along quite well.

Once aboard the wagon we get down to some serious singing. The old staples are there, from "I'm in the Lord's Army" to "Jesus Loves Me", but the new classics, from "Little Rabbit Foo Foo" to the Chevrolet Song are always in high demand. We talk about what the kids are involved with, from Little League to swimming to family vacation plans. I always try to ask how many are recently out of prison and other such small talk. I like seeing the kids laugh and especially as they are traveling to or from something as worthwhile as Bible class.

Once at the building the important work begins, with each of the kids getting ready to go to their assigned class. The teachers are always prepared and many have been teaching our VBS for over a dozen years. About 45 minutes into our day we break for snacks. I feel sorry for many of these kids, for it is at snack break that I realize many of them haven't eaten for days, as they will often go back through the line for seconds and thirds on the cookies and punch. After they have had about twenty minutes to run off some of their sugar, they are back to class for another 45 minutes, and then it is back to the chariot for the ride home.

Over the years we have added two "spritz" bottles for the hot ride back. As the kids ride in the blazing sun, a quick spritz of water is often the only thing that sustains them on that 20 minute ride home. Many of the kids ride all the way back to the building for extra spritzes, and then run all the way home when we are through. It is a great day, and a great week.

But, all good things must end and I am retiring this year. I am turning the reins of the wagon over to one younger and with far more energy. And, though I will miss the ride of the Chariot, I am glad for the years I have had and for all of the memories they have brought. But it's time to stop the reminiscing for now, and get ready to roll that Gospel Chariot along for one more ride. It is a very, very good life, is it not?