Mobile Makeovers

Night 1 – Doing it for the people!

Yesterday was unreal.

Around 10pm a small group of us arrived back at the office where the bus is parked… I talked to my wife and kids, we prayed, and I climbed up to start living on top of the bus for the next thirty nights straight. My friend Dave built a pretty secure platform on top of the bus for my safety. It includes a porta potty, a small heater, and a little power so I can blog about my experiences.

However, I know people are probably wondering ~~“what in the world does living on top of a bus prove. Better yet, why in the world would you do it in the middle of winter. It makes no sense.”~~

Well, to me this means everything. This past year, our organization encountered thousand of people through service. We served tons of apartment complexes, and served a couple thousand homeless individuals in the heart of the city, and I noticed something very unique among all those we served. People have lost hope, a sense of self-worth, and even dignity. It is hard looking into the eyes of people and knowing that the only self-worth they have is their existence (meaning they feel they only feel worth because they are alive). In fact, I can remember encountering a lady in the apartment complex where we serve that said, “I feel like I am forgotten about… and I’m all alone…” This same lady said that she hadn’t eaten in a week because she was a senior citizen and had few resources.

No matter how you slice it, communities and people who live in poverty deserve to have a sense of self-worth, dignity, and even receive help that could possibly help them rebuild the pieces to their lives. We’ve seen recently in the news a underlining call for all people to start working in communities to restore the broken pieces that leave stains, and scars that never go away.

One of the ways #lovebeyondwalls would like to start helping the community is by reaching out to communities and homeless individuals by providing makeovers with our bus. These makeovers would be more than physical touchups, they would be like a launchpad for people to taking steps toward permanent change.

Still… ~~This doesn’t answer why sleep on a bus…. does it…~~

Well, I am staying on this bus because we are serious about transforming the bus, and sharing compassion with many people who have no hope! We desire to go mobile to serve people in the city of Atlanta. It’s just that simple. I believe in what we are taking a stand for… And I believe that we will be able to band together with other organizations to help people.

Terence

1 DAY AWAY – Mobile Makeovers

We are only one day away from committing 700 hours to take a stand to live on top on the bus (30 nights in a row) to raise awareness, and resources that will empower us to serve more people in the city of Atlanta.

LBW-TakeTheBus5

LBW Team

2 Days to before – Mobile Makeovers!

Below is a brief video of Dave explaining the structure that Dave will build on the bus to make the 30 day experience safe!

LBW Team

Servant Leadership – Mobile Makeovers!

I don’t claim to be the best leader, but I have learned what my favorite leadership style is… It isn’t the most popular leadership style, but it is one that most aligns with how God has made me.

In fact, when you look at the New Testament, you’ll see that Jesus used the same model of leadership. What is it? That’s simple. It is “servant leadership.” It’s leading by serving others. Let me warn you though ~~it’s not popular in a culture that tells you to place yourself first ALL the time.~~

In fact, if you were to do a google search right now on leadership styles all types of styles would come up that are often used by those leading organizations of all sorts. However, one leadership style you’d be hard pressed to find is servant leadership.

Why? Because servant leadership “is an age-old concept, a term loosely used to suggest that a leader’s primary role is to serve others (Haskett, Forbes)”

This past year, I have led with this style because it places people as the main priority. It’s grassroots, time consuming, and has high involvement, but is totally worth it when you see people touched and impacted…. In fact, it doesn’t always come out perfect, is messy, and has high risks, but the end goal is always to serve others. That’s what I believe God is most pleased with.

This morning, I felt the need to mention servant leadership because this is what we are aiming to display by getting our mobile makeover unit off the ground. Of course our approach is a little untraditional sometimes, but we are aiming to serve others in such a way that #lovebeyondwalls can play a major role in seeing people’s lives transformed. ~~No agenda, no motives, no gimmicks,~~ just servant leadership.

Some have asked why live on top of a bus for 30 nights straight (and even called me crazy for attempting this)… But it is simple… To help us serve more people as we aim to get our mobile unit off the ground. I care about people, and have a deep desire to see people receive love, hope, and life transformation.

I ask that you keep me/us in your prayers as we embark on our next servant leadership journey. Additionally, think about supporting our cause by “Getting on the bus…” and clicking the image below.

Terence

Top Four Challenges of Living on Bus – Mobile Makeovers!

It hit me this AM around 5… It is only four days left until I attempt to do this!

Yesterday, when I picked my daughter up from school she hands me a card that touched my heart… For the last month, my wife and I have been preparing her (and my son) with the information I have been sharing about living on top of the bus for 30 nights.

I told her that she’d see me everyday but that I would be living on a bus trying to awareness/funds so we can help people with #lovebeyondwalls. At first she was uncomfortable because she said, “It was dangerous and she don’t know how I would take a shower” (LOL). But, yesterday it clicked for her. She has been serving with her mom and I since she was a 1 year old. We have modeled our lives in showing her how to be a giving person.

So yesterday she walked up to me, and says, “Dad, I will always be your best friend, and will help you…I’m going to be there…” In fact, she has encouraged me more to start and finish. Check out out card with my beard all grown out…

This touched something deep within me, but it also caused me to start to think about the top four challenges I’ll face while up there. Here they are:

1) I’ll be staying up there at night in freezing weather. Although, I’ll have a power supply it will still be very difficult because the wind chills will get rough.

2) I will not be able to be with my family. Living on the bus will have me away from my family for a large number of days. I will see them, but it will be very difficult.

3) I will not have tons of social interaction. There are some days where we are going to ask people to come out, but I will be on top of the bus tons of hours and not around anyone. I am going to post my number so random people can call me and check on me.

4) It will be a battle mentally. Because I’ll spend close 700 hours on this bus it will be very difficult for me. I will have a lot of free time, and plan on writing, reading, and posting videos giving people updates.

I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I attempt to do this to glorify God, and hopefully mobilize people to help us get this bus up and going to serve/reach more people in Atlanta.

Terence

Why Get on the Bus? – Mobile Makeovers!

About a month ago now, I had a conversation with my family. Specifically, my wife. She looked at me and asked me a very important question. She asked, “What are you going to do to take a stand for what you believe in?” I responded. “What do you mean?”

It short she was making a bold implication, “If you believe that God wants you to make over lives with this bus, then be willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish that.” Thus we both agreed that I could live on top of the bus 30 nights in a row to bring awareness to several issues, and do whatever it took to help those we are seeking to help (Staying on top of the bus from Dec 14-Jan 14).

Therefore, yesterday I decided to publish the story and let the world know what I am attempting to do so #lovebeyondwalls can restore dignity back to more people through our makeover bus… I have gotten pretty ~~negative responses,~~ but I have also gotten some positive responses. However, what matters most is that I take a stand for our cause, and what God has placed on my heart to do. 30 nights is a long time, but with support I can do it…

My heart is filled with so much compassion for youth who live in single parent households (especially after the tragic events that have occurred recently), and families who struggle day to day in communities that are broken and often times lifeless. I know the makeover bus is not the full answer, but we could use it to start the process of helping/serving those we can touch and help, and mobilizing more compassionate people.

In fact, I overcame a number of odds myself and had a life makeover… I was once a ~~high school dropout, juvenile delinquent, ex-gang member, grew up in a single parent household, was very misguided, and troubled~~ in my teenage years and a portion of my early twenties. However, I beat the odds by God’s grace… (If you’d like to read some of my story, I wrote a book in my younger years called “U-TURN.” It’s the story of how my life was made over and how I turned my life around).

Therefore, this bus means more to me than ~~lights and cameras or bells and whistles~~… It represents the power of life-change. It symbolizes that lives can change when people take interest in other people by helping them take a stand for their lives. It represents that hope is still near, and that dignity can restore brokenness. I don’t have a perfect story, but God used people to get me to where I am today. Someone helped me so we (#lovebeyondwalls) want to help others.

Honestly, I am asking people to do four specific things… 1) Pray, 2) Share the story, 3) Give so we can reach our goal, and 4) Serve by coming out to help us when we start the process.

I truly solicit your prayers as I attempt to take a stand for homeless people, youth, and broken communities that need more that words… They need makeovers. Pray that God helps us change this bus so we can possibly change lives.

Terence

Get on the bus – Mobile Makeovers!

Below is a brief video introducing the next campaign, and why #lovebneyondwalls is attempting to do this!

LBW Team

We put Graffiti on the Bus – Take the bus!

Have you every wanted to see something happen so bad that you would be willing to do whatever it took to see it through, and make sure it happened.

Well, that’s the exact space I’m in right now. Around Sept, we were donated a bus, and dreamed of launching a mobile bus that would provide full makeovers (barbershop, closet, and showers) to this who were in need in the city of Atlanta. And, honestly it has been a really slow process.

I didn’t think we’d transform the bus over night, but each day that passes, I am becoming more and more compassionate about making over communities by building relationships, and launching a program that will give people skills who are in need. Especially after seeing the tragic events that have taken place with people killing homeless people in the city of Atlanta, the horrible police brutality cases, and encountering more families with youth in desperate need.

In fact, we are so passionate about this, I am about to stay on the bus a total of 30 nights until we can raise the funds to change this bus so we can reach people. This is by far the craziest thing I have ever attempted to do, but I am this fired up to see our organization play a major part in stopping violence, providing dignity to those in need, and serving more people as time progresses.

I am literally six days away from staying on top of a bus for 30 days to raise awareness about the need to see lives change. Below is a picture of the bus we have spray painted and put a ramp on top of where I’ll be staying.

Terence

Standing Up for Something!

This year has been really emotional for a number of reasons! Firstly, I think our country has been awakened to the fact that people matter. No matter what color of skin, all people matter and should NOT be treated unfairly, unjustly, or dehumanized.

We’ve seen the homeless epidemic rise, people battle and struggle with job loss, multiple youth lose their lives to police brutality, and poverty continue to place its firm grip tightly around those that are plagued by it.

Second and last, we’ve heard the underlining clarion call for people to unite band together, and take responsibility in their communities. If we have learned nothing else from the events that have taken place this year, we have learned that more people are needed to take a stand for something. Whether it be poverty, violence, employment, etc… more people are needed to stand up and become a bridge for those who are in need.

Right now, #lovebeyondwalls is on a mission to reach communities, those faced with poverty and (young and old) people who want to overcome and make their lives over. Our hearts have not only been broken for the recent killings that have happened in the news, but toward community, youth, and the family structure.

A few months ago, a church gave us a bus to transform into a makeover bus to reach communities and people. It has been a dream of our organization not only to reach people, but to use it as a platform to launch a program to teach people skills needed to function in life. We’d pass along this skills to help people take steps toward having a full life makeover!

In fact, we are so serious about launching this vehicle, we are going to attempt something that’s extremely hard in an effort to bring awareness to the growing need to help families, youth, and those who are homeless in the city. Additionally, we want to mobilize people to get involved in helping us create real solutions. We are going to take a stand to launch something to help make the lives of people over!

Below is a quick clip of what…