Running the Race

We just got home from 2 more weeks at Ponca Bible Camp, one of our favorite places on the entire planet. As usual, God was at work, and we had an amazing time seeing Him do His thing. As an adult going to camp as a leader you go in with the role of serving the kiddos, teaching them about Jesus, equipping them to live all out for Him, and making sure they have a terrific time in the process (not to mention making sure that they are safe, take showers, and remember to take all their stuff home with them on the last day). But God always ends up showing me that I have quite a few things to learn as well. And somehow He uses the kids, changing their role from my "students" to my "teachers."

These past 2 weeks were different than any other year I have been at camp. My main responsibility was to take care of Coralyn. I guess that was my primary role last year too, but I could put her in a Johnny-Jump-Up or her wheely cart thing and she was good to go. If I absolutely had to, I could wear her in a carrier. This year that was definitely not possible. I was hoping that she would want to sit and play with her trucks all week like she had when Lawrence was watching her and I was counseling earlier this summer. We brought the trucks along, but I don't think she touched them but one time the entire 2 weeks! Instead, we spent our time going up and down the steps, playing with balls on the basketball court (in the heat of the sun), pretending a ladder laying on the ground was a boat, attempting to play ping pong or pool or foos ball, drinking countless cone cups of water, making just as many trips to the bathroom, and jumping on the bed. The hard part wasn't keeping her entertained as there was plenty to do; the hard part was having enough energy to keep up with her! I wasn't feeling well at all, and by 9 am I was ready to call it a day! Thankfully, I did get to take a nap every afternoon while Coralyn slept. I don't know how I would have made it otherwise!

Anyway, about the stuff God taught me...

The first week, the speaker was a missionary with Wycliffe. He showed the kids how so many different people doing so many different things are needed to accomplish missions work, and how God uses every role to get the job done. I was praying earnestly for the kids to catch the vision of missions and realize how they can be involved, not just when they grow up, but right now. Several kids did share on the last night how they want to go into missions work someday, but what really blew me away was how God worked in the counselors' hearts. Almost all of them mentioned in our last staff devotion how God had shown them a way they can use their talents for the sake of missions. I was so thrilled, I had goosebumps. All this talk about missions (especially since the speaker's daughters had just returned from Uganda) stirred up my own desire to serve overseas once again.

God seems to have other plans for us right now though. And I am okay with that because I see Him so at work in our lives and how He is doing something that is totally different than I ever expected when I graduated from Moody and thought I had my life figured out :)

At this time, God is affirming, shouting out really, that we are right where are supposed to be, that we are running the race He has set before us (as the speaker talked about the 2nd week). Lawrence and I both feel that God has given us a ripe mission field right here in Liberty. It is kind of two-fold.
First, as a teacher Lawrence has the opportunity to develop relationships with his students throughout the year. As a result, he is able to invite his students (and the boys in the Boys to Men program he does) to camp. And the awesome thing is that those students end up inviting their friends and there is this huge ripple effect as kids come who we don't even know. I was crying this year as I watched him talk to the 9 boys and girls from his school on the last night. He challenged them to be bold at school (like David and Daniel and Josiah who they learned about during the week) and to invite their friends to come back next year. He taught them a secret code they will have so that they can talk about how they are doing in their relationships with Jesus. The coolest part of all is that every kid in that circle left knowing Jesus as their personal Savior (not all of them came that way on Sunday). I am already excited about next year and seeing who God will bring to camp and how He will work in those kiddos' lives.
Second, we are now licensed to be foster parents. During our classes, we were told that a child hadn't been taken into custody for about 6 months. Knowing this, we didn't figure that we would get our first call to have a child stay with us for a long time. WRONG! On the Friday before we left for Ponca, we sat down to figure out the schedule, activities, etc. and were planning on packing for camp so that we could leave Saturday afternoon. Just minutes after we turned on the computer, the phone rang. It was a call for a placement! We quickly changed gears and were even thinking about taking the foster child (I can't post his name or pictures) with us to camp, as he is 11 and would be the age of the campers. We rushed to Wal-Mart to buy paint and curtains to get his room ready. Our minds were going a thousand miles an hour as we tried to figure out everything we needed to do to be the most prepared to add an 11-year old boy to our family. Ends up we weren't able to take him with us to camp, but he will be joining us on Tuesday. I am scared and nervous and excited all at the same time. I have no idea how to raise an 11-year old boy (let alone an almost 2-year old girl who is my flesh and blood)! I have no idea if he will like us or enjoy being in our home or if he will connect with us at all. I have no idea what kind of food he likes to eat or what his favorite color is. I am going in this blind. Except that God is going to show me what to do, every step of the way. I truly believe that God has placed this boy with us for a very specific reason (don't know what it is yet, but I know there is one). I know that I am going to be stretched and challenged in ways that I never have before. I also feel like I am going to learn about God's love for me in a whole new way and how to show that love to those around me. I know that I can't do this, that I will make mistakes, but in a way, I have a peace about that. It's at times when I am helpless and have to totally depend on God that I draw closest to Him and learn the most from Him. I have a feeling that I am going to be on my knees quite often in the next few days and weeks.
As if God is telling me that foster parenting is the exact mission field He has for me (and that I don't need to be thinking about the future and the what ifs of going overseas), we have received yet another call for a placement and an e-mail request as well. Just since we got back from camp, yesterday. Of course we were not able to say yes to those placements as we are trying to get our house back in order and get everything ready for Tuesday. Still, I can hear God loud and clear: "You're right where I want you!"

And so we will keep on running this race that God has laid out for us. We have no idea what lies ahead, but we do know that God is going to show us the path He has for us and that He will be with us every single step of the way.

Will you please run this race with us by praying for us and our foster child? We certainly need as many people on the sidelines as we can get, cheering us on and helping us stay on track.