I typed the following paragraphs a few days ago, but it didn't upload for some reason..Our kids are had the time of their lives at Camp Electric. Right now they are backpacking with Mike, Leah, Micah KIVU style. The little ones and I are spending some more time in the rv
. By the time we get home, we will have been gone for three weeks, all inside a 32 foot RV. We are ready to be home but God has done some amazing things on this trip, especially with our sweet Gabe. He has come alive and is willing to spend that ever so important snuggle and play time with us.
As I'm typing this, Janika, Kael and Elli are watching Toby Mac and Kutless in concert at Camp Electric. (Mike, the other kids and I are in our RV in a KOA campground having our own kind of fun). This camp is a dream come true for them. They spend 5 days being mentored by Christian artists, in their chosen specialty (Elli- voice, Janika -guitar, and Kael- sound board). Each day the kids will join about 900 other Christian kids in worship, then they have break-out sessions with the artists followed by a concert each night. We are so excited to see how God will use this in each of their lives.
This camp was a well deserved thank you to them for rolling with all the punches thrown at them this year. They have learned so much and handled it all with such grace, often with more than we have. If not for their prodding, we wouldn't have stepped out to adopt our newest kids. Now, it is our greatest delight to hear Leah say, "Mom, I didn't understand who God and Jesus were, but Janika tell me at night in our room." Or Micah telling us, "Kael is my best friend." Then, we see Layne snuggling Elli on our way to camp this morning, with a huge smile on her face, as she feels so loved in Elli's arms.
Last year, we were "cautioned" by many that this adoption would not be fair to our triplets--As I watched them celebrate their thirteenth birthday last week, I was so thankful for the life lessons they have learned this year. It hasn't all been easy, but MOST of it has been filled with joy. We have had, and continue to have struggles with one of our newest children, as this child learns to deal with trauma and learns how to attach. E,J, and K have gained a clear understanding of forgiveness and healing and also a hope for this child's complete healing. They've learned to pray first and they've realized just how very close they are to each other. They've learned valuable communication skills as we walk this road of healing together as a family. They've even been exposed to new career options..Janika is now considering being a child psychologist. We know that God works all things for good, for those called according to HIS purpose and we are seeing that played out each day in our home.
Just a sidenote- we knew to expect God to really do amazing things at Camp Electric, as was evident by the amount of things that went wrong on our way to get here...
1. Our transmission had to be replaced on our "new" RV - it only had 16,000 miles.
2. Mike's credit card got compromised and therefore cancelled on day 2.
3. We ended up staying for 3 days in Rapid City, instead of 1, thanks to the transmission issues and it resulted in some LONG driving hours to get here on time.
4. The potty in the RV was out of commission for awhile while Mike was driving.
5. Our child who is struggling, really struggled in Rapid City and we wondered if we were going to be able to make this trip--we decided to press on and this child is doing really well now.
6. Our sweet, old Lab, Nick, got really sick when we were at our cabin for the kids's birthday and we had to say good-bye to him after we had been home a few days and a few days before this trip...It was a sad, sad time for all of us, as he was a great, loyal friend to all of us and helped all of our kids through times of grief.
Janika, Ellison and Kael- I take GREAT JOY in being your Mom. I am so proud of you and especially of your hearts. Happy late 13th! I can't wait to hear your stories!!
