We just picked Maria up from camp.
Cause we have a kid who goes to things like camp…
She went to White Water camp with church, slept outside under the stars, rafted along the river, went to a concert outdoors, ordered her own food along the two day drive up the coast of California. The hundreds of junior highers showered exactly zero times. They jumped off huge rocks, ate dragon flies and read God’s word.
She lost her glasses but bought these $1 sun glasses.
The kids were so happy to have her back home.
When Maria came home, we were so impressed with her, with her time at camp, with the choices she made within the 7 days away from us. I want to share a couple of them so that people can know this is coming from a child who was adopted at an older age. And also, camp, this is one of the things that lights a fire in my heart for adoption. Camp transforms lives, it did for my friends and I, it’s a luxury, an adventure, a break from life to learn about God, find who you are in Him. I wish all kids could experience this, kids with fear, anxiety, low self esteem, rejection, and turmoil. I wish they could all go, get invested in, loved, find that they are brave and loved.
A girl can dream.
Andrew had given her $60 for all her meals and needs, “Budget,” he told her, “Think about how much you will need each day and divide it up and spend that much or less,” When she arrived home she handed him $6. “I gave some to my friend who had run out when they needed food,” she told us.
“I ate junk food in the car,” she smiled.
“Good,” we said, “That’s what camp is for.” We smiled at each other, thinking about this girl experiencing all of this.
“One of my friends was drinking like 7 cokes at the concert one night and said, ‘Come on Maria, there are no parents, just drink them, it’s fun!’ and I told her, ‘No.'”
“You did?”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to even though she was. So I told her no.”
Dang, I think this girl may have an easier teenage carrier than either of us. Andrew and I were so proud of her that after dinner that night we had her sit down and told her that teenagers are famous for giving in to peer pressure, and that if she already has the ability to listen to her own heart and good sense, we were proud of her and knew she could avoid some sad things in life, and handed her the extra $6. She was so excited, smiled ear to ear.
I have more things to blog about one day, about Poppy and life. Trying to ease in maybe a little 🙂
She is such a gem!
What a treasure of a daughter! And I love that she’s able to experience things like camp. I know it’s a huge highlight for our Compassion teens and they always write about it!
She is a treasure. <3