explaining that
Orion Lakes is
located behind
s ome t r e e s
at the back of
church property.
“We bulldozed a
trail through the
woods to make it
easy for kids to get
to church.”
B o u c h a r d
didn’t land at the
trailer park until a
Kensington church
member approached him with a
compelling offer. “She told me she
and her friends had been praying
God would send a church staff
member to move to this park,” he
related. “He impressed on them
they would have to help make it
happen, financially. So they bought
the home for me.”
Contrasting
Realities
While Bouchard’s communities are
only yards apart, the daily lives of each
population are as different as the sun and
moon.
“My park families fall under the ‘least of
these’ category,” he explained. “It’s an inner-
city, low-income community. Many come
from broken homes — not all, but many.
Money and food are in shorter supply than
the average suburban household. Faith is
not part of the picture; they weren’t raised
in it. It’s something they don’t have time for,
and it’s not part of the culture.”
The church community is mainly from
a suburban background, Bouchard offered.
“It’s awealthier crowd that grewup in church
or had it as part of their lives when they
were younger and they’re returning to it,” he
added. “Faith is important. There is a stark
difference between the two communities in
the way their lives are lived.”
On Sundays, Bouchard oversees the
Bible teaching, worship, games, skits,
videos, and anything else he can imagine
to make sure that time in church “is the
best hour of every kid’s week,” he related.
“How do I capture kids’ attention and help
them fall in love with Jesus — that’s my
weekend job.”
This fall he began teaching classes that
families take together, to give newChristian
parents tools for growing their faith and
helping them lead their kids in discipleship
and Bible study.
The rest of his time is spent in the trailer
park, finding ways to connect with families
often
struggling, broken, and
only there for a couple of weeks or
months. “I learned very quickly
that I’m just a step along the way,”
Bouchard said. “Some sow, some
till, some weed, some water, some
see the fruit. It’s tough to see the kids
go, but I trust fully that God’s Word
will not return void in these kids and
families.”
Joining Yesterday
and Today
Bouchard doesn’t get paid for his
involvement with the trailer park families.
For him, it’s the fulfillment of a bold,
lifelong dream.
“One of the biggest fuels for moving in
here was the time I spent living in trailer
parks in Flint, Michigan, with my family
growing up,” he said. “We were poor, but
my parents were always great to me. They
taught me about Jesus. But I remember
hearing yelling and screaming and the
police being on my street almost every
night. I remember seeing one of my friends
removed from his home by children’s
services.
“As I got older, it was always in the back
of my mind: What if I moved to an area like
that for the purpose of reaching it, to bring
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Cedarville Magazine
