Sending Him Off

Well, today is the big day! Our oldest (13) loaded the bus and is off on a 900 mile trip to camp! He was a little nervous about going but is thrilled that God answered the prayers for him to go on this amazing adventure! When this camp opportunity presented itself we began to pray as a family that God would provide for his every need. When my husband lost his job, Kyle came to us the very next morning and said for us not to worry about him going to camp. He told me later that week he had been looking into things and some places would hire kids at 14. When I mentioned why he would want to go to work he said, "Mom, to help out the family." We told him we wanted him to be a kid and we would continue to pray that God would make a way, and did He ever! The following are just a few of the answers to prayer we received.

Finances - The door opened for Kyle and myself to fix lunches every week for a kind group of ladies and gentlemen. They graciously paid $6 for lunch and helped him raise enough money for registration and those extra supplies needed when going on a trip. He also worked a few odd and end jobs for family to bring in some spending money. He was even given money by an anemones friend at church. This came Sunday morning when we knew we were still short. When we totaled up his money he was short only $2!!! Without knowing his little brother came to me and said, "Mom, would this help Kyle go to camp?" He opened his little hand and inside was his two dollars! My friend, what a mighty God we serve!

Shirts Kyle was in need of clothing, shirts mainly. My sister called one day and said she found a deal online at Penny's and was able to get Kyle 6 shirts and with coupons, a gift card, online sale she saved around $130! What a blessing it was for him to get the shirts he needed and to see God answer the first of many prayers!

Shoes & Shorts - Not knowing his tennis shoes were to small he asked if we could pray about him getting a new pair before going. After going through his clothes we realized he needed some shorts as well. We set out for our favorite thrift stores and before leaving Kyle prayed that God would direct our path and show us the items we needed. We used the money from that weeks meals so he had $30 and we needed shorts and shoes! We went into the first thrift store and we found 4 pair of shorts for $7!!!! What a blessing! Two of them were brand new! Since his foot grew to a size 14 we did not find any shoes. We got into the car and praised God for what he provided. Next we were on a shoe hunt! We had $23 left and getting a size 14 was going to be a challenge to say the least. We went into Ross and he began to look and saw nothing his size. I could see the disappointment on his face and not so much disappointment as much as maybe a little worry. He knew we did not have the extra money to add to his $23 and he really needed a new pair. When I walked over to help, I noticed a pair of shoes on the bottom rack. I picked them up they were size 14!!! The only pair of 14 in the store! I hesitated to look at the price because I could tell when I picked them up they were a good quality shoe. I flipped over the tag and it said $80, Ross Price $29.99, Clearance Price $19.99!!!!!!!!!! Oh, my heart began to flutter and I said (you know in a calm Mom voice so not to act like they are cool or anything), "What about these?" Kyle looked at me, and with the biggest smile he said, "Are you sure?" When I told him how much they were he almost jumped out of his old shoes! He said he saw them but did not even look at them because he knew how expensive they were. He said he and his best buddy Jesse were just looking at them in a skateboarding magazine last week! God did that my friend! God provided for not just his need but his desire! The shoes fit like a glove and we rejoiced all the way home, and in fact, he is still in love with the shoes!

Suit Jacket since the first night of the conference is Wednesday all the boys were going to ware suit jacket and tie. Kyle did not have a suit jacket so that was another expense we were not planning on. We could have told them we did not have one and it would have been NO problem but we wanted to see if we could pray for one! We began to pray, my sister looked several places for one. She looked at stores where she always finds deals and there were none to be found. About the best deal we could find was $99. We found out a local suit store was going out of business but with Mark loosing his job there was no extra to even look. One evening another member at our church mentioned she had some suit jackets for my husband and she would bring them to church the next service. She said they may need alterations but we could have them if we wanted. Would you believed one of them fit Kyle perfectly!!! I'm telling you, when he came out with that jacket on, tears filled my eyes and we thanked God as a family for answering yet another request.

These are just a few of the prayer request that God answered over the past few months. What a blessing it was for Kyle to see faith in action. What a blessing it was for him to see the impossible become possible. What a blessing it was for us to have an opportunity to teach him the when God is your focus, all things work together for good. What a blessing this whole process has been. We did not have the money to send him but God did and He provided every thing he needed and so much more. For us, going to camp is not just about a week away from home having fun, going to camp is just another learning experience preparing him to one day leave our nest and head out on his own. Going through these baby steps of faith as a child are preparing him for the mountains he will face one day as an adult.