Mountains and Lollipops

I absolutely HATE sending any of my children away from me. This morning my middle child, Matthew, went off to church camp. They attend Dry Gulch USA in Pryor OK. From here it is over 8 hours of driving. It's an amazing camp. The kids ride horses, take a train ride, swim in a massive pool, ride tubes in the lake, and hear about Gods love for them all in the process. I know my babies have asked Christ to be Lord of their lives, so all of the fun stuff they get to do is just icing on the cake. But for a child who has never received Christ I can see why Church on the Move offers such exciting activities. As a friend put it, if they learned that a lollipop would bring a child to Christ, Church on the Move would offer an entire case of them. I know that Matthew will have a great time. And I am glad that he doesn't get to miss out on fun just because he's going to a "Christian" camp. But it sure is hard to let him go. He's been gone precisely forty-one minutes and I already miss him. The house already seems quieter (even though the other two are still sound asleep). I'm already counting down the hours until he comes home--one hundred eight in case you're wondering. But I am also believing that God isn't going to take him up to the mountain and not show him amazing things. I know God's purpose for Matthew's life has long been working itself out, and I realize that this week is just another step in the process. So I will miss him, and long for his smile, and sense of humor, but will remember that all the while God is moving in universal strides in the life of this little boy.