We had to piece this together, as only John was out the entire time. The rest of us were in and out, depending on our conference responsibilities. This series of posts was mainly written by Mom, with some details added by others.

To answer questions asked, this was a normal street with no signs of having any problems. Imagine the shock when this all happened. We have since found out that some of the roads in Bow Island are not in good repair. We discovered that.

God’s Hand of Protection #1

When Steve drove around the corner to back into the parking lot, he was about to back up, going very slowly, when all of a sudden he felt the bus mushing down. He thought, “oh, no” and instantly threw it in reverse and that’s when the drive axle sunk as well.

Steve turned the bus off, and then tried to get out. The door unlatched, but instantly there was the sound of grinding rock and the door wasn’t moving. He realized right away what had happened. The bus’s wheel was buried enough to put the bus door on the ground, unable to open.

The girls came out, and Sarah saw Dad and Jesse with their heads stuck out the windows. Dad told them, “We’re in trouble.” At that moment, Sarah noticed the bus leaning and the wheels sunk into the asphalt. A wave of unbelief swept over the girls as they took in the scene!

John and Joseph were upstairs setting up chairs with a man who came early to help set up. The man’s wife came in and said to her husband, “Honey, I think you need to come out and look at the bus.” The tone of her voice seemed several notches higher then normal, and they knew right away that there was a problem.

Back outside at the bus scene, Steve looked at the coordinator and said, “We are going to need big tractors to help get us out. Do you know anyone with a farm nearby?” She said she did, and went off to begin to call. Jesse handed Sarah her laptop (she had her camera already with her), and she went inside the church to post a blog post.

About that time, others were starting to show up as well. One was Reg’s sister, who lived across the street. She said her brother was a welder, and she would call him. Reg was key in our rescue operation. He got the other equipment that we needed, helped with the process, and stayed the whole time. If we have a vote, we think Bow Island ought to “Knight” him.

Many of the townspeople gathered around to watch. They all had ideas of how we should be gotten out. Jesse didn’t stay in the bus very long, but as soon as a ladder was located, he was able to climb out the back bedroom window. Steve and I stayed in the bus.

John was doing research on what towing operations were available to come out and help. He reported to Steve, and it was decided which one was best in a nearby town to come. (Auto Spa, funny name but the owner is a pro!) However, in John communicating with the towing company some more, they realized they hadn’t understood the “depth” of the situation. They were able to look at photos on the blog to be able to see what the situation looked like. It was decided that they would wait until the farm equipment arrived before the decision was made to have them come.