T he

Relief Bus
R e port
These Things We Do...That Others May Live.

Carmen: A New Addition to the Family

“I became homeless at About one month before having the baby, Austin
18,” says 23-year-old and his wife Darcy asked her to come live with their
Carmen. The Relief family. Carmen was a little skeptical at first. She
Bus met Carmen in says “it was difficult going from the street to a
September of 2010. At family environment. I had been by myself for so
the time she had just long and didn’t have a family environment growing
left a shelter, and was up.” When asked about the future, Carmen says
two months pregnant. she “dosen’t want to go back to being homeless so
Before that, she would that [Baby Eric] can have a life like this.” Carmen
get soup from the bus now has options to keep her from going back to
and then leave. But homelessness.
one particular day Aus-
tin Bonds, (Director of It’s surprising to Carmen that the Bonds took her
Outreach) felt led to go in, even though they didn’t know her. It is that
talk to Carmen. character, amongst many other qualities, that set
Carmen said “he asked the Bond’s apart as a family that is dearly loved
Carmen and Baby Eric my name and then said and will be missed at The Relief Bus. After serv-
he had some things for me from some people in ing for four years with The Relief Bus, the Bonds
Michigan.” will be moving. They are going to Dallas to start a
new non-profit to help the poor. Austin is passing
As it turns out, a team from Michigan had met the torch of Director of Outreach to Josiah Haken
Carmen a previous week, and sent some baby (see back). The investments the Bonds made into
things for her. The problem was that Austin didn’t the lives of Carmen, Baby Eric, and thousands of
know who Carmen was at the time, and so when homeless will continue to flourish for years to come.
Austin asked Carmen’s name, much to his surprise,
he discovered she was that Carmen. Thus began
a relationship between Carmen and the Relief Bus
family.

During that time, Carmen started having trouble with

the shelter she was staying in. They required her to
re-apply for housing every ten days, which would
require her to travel to an off-site office,
leaving her things behind in the shelter. This
process became too much with a baby on the way,
so she moved into another shelter in Harlem which
turned out not be a good place.
The Bonds, with Carmen and Baby Eric
 The Relief Bus Adds New Members to the Team!
Outreach Staff
Josiah Haken
Director of Outreach
Josiah grew up a missionary kid in
Cameroon, Africa, but found himself
being called to a new mission field in
NYC with his wife Chelsea. He con-
siders it a distinct privilege to serve
Jesus Christ Himself in the form of
the poor wanderer, the prostitute,
and the drug addict.
Yazdi Bellihomji (Yaz)
Outreach Team Leader
Born in Iran, raised in New Jersey,
Yaz escaped a life of drug addiction
and is now leading outreaches and
walking alongside the broken and
hurting on the streets, leading them
down the path to freedom.
Lance Farrell
Outreach Team Leader
A recent graduate of Somerset Chris-
tian College, Lance found his plans
for the future interupted by God. He
meets men and women on the street
wherever they are in life, dignifying
the broken and reminding others of
their status as sons and daughters of God.
Johanna Soukka
Outreach Team Leader & Volunteer Coordinator
A native of Finland, Johanna first
came to work with The Relief Bus
in 2001. This is her tenth time back.
She loves to hang out and talk with
people and her compassion helps
her connect with people (especially
ladies) on the street, showing them the love and ac-
ceptance of God.
Please join our monthly support team today for $25, $50, $100 or more so that The Relief Bus
can continue for another 20 years, working to transform the communities we serve in.
All gifts are tax-deductible. Make your check out to “The Relief Bus” and mail in or
give online at www.reliefbus.org. Thanks for caring.
The Relief Bus, P.O. Box 64 Times Square P.O., New York, NY 10108
800.736.2773, www.reliefbus.org, info@reliefbus.org
Facebook.com/thereliefbus
Board Members
Jay Paulson
Partner, Ernst & Young
A graduate of University of
North Texas, Jay is a licensed
CPA in the State of Texas.
His current position has him
based out of Cleveland, OH,
where he is also a member of
the music ministry at Pathway Church.
James Hsu
General Superintendant,
Brack Capital Real Estate
James is married and the
father of two children. He
graduated from Stevens
Institute of Technology with a
degree in Civil Engineering.
He is currently a Team Leader for The Relief
Bus’ Paterson outreach location.
Dave Work
First VP, Senior Trust & Estate
Specialist, Merrill Lynch
Dave resides in Dallas, TX
with his family and is a
member of the Sturgis Family
Foundation, The Dallas
Foundation. He serves as
a Deacon at Northwest Bible Church, and is a
graduate of The University of Texas.
>>>Go to www.reliefbus.org
and check out the Staff and
Board Members pages in the About
dropdown menu
<Try our new
QR code!
Twitter.com/thereliefbus