I wanna go to camp....

So Redding Young Life is interesting. It is interesting in the sense that we're trying but sometimes it just doesn't look like much is happening with all of the trying that is going on. This coming weekend is Junior High Winter Camp at Woodleaf. In reality ALL I want to do this weekend is link arms with Hannah and take some girls to camp. In all of our trying, we find ourselves at a very difficult spot. Girls wanna come, all the girls we know, wanna come but it just so happens that Young Life camp is not cheap. It's actually REALLY expensive for the girls that I've been sharing life with. 

I sometimes think I should concentrate harder at the other middle school where girls I know could ask their parents for $100 bucks and never look back. I think about how convenient it would be if I could call a girl up and say I need your money tomorrow, can you come? But, truth is convenience has never really been a part of my Young Life journey here in Redding, why start now? How could I even imagine not figuring something out so that these girls can go to camp. 

I was praying this afternoon. Mostly selfish prayers of really wanting to go to camp myself. It's been too long and I really want to go and be a part of the life changing work that God is doing around these parts. I began to think selfishly and pondered... I'll pay for them to go. I've got some money coming in. All I want to do is go to camp. I'll pay. So I called/texted some girls and said...Hey lets go to camp. Even if you don't have any money! 

It was really fun to say!

I talked to some parents and from the sounds of it at around 7pm...I'm taking some girls to camp this weekend!!! :) Yippie!! But that isn't even the coolest part of the story. I called Lily and told her my idea about paying for a girl to come and she said she would too. That makes two girls going to camp! Then I came into the house and told Mandy and Hannah about the plan and they both got pumped up and Mandy said...I'll pay for half a girl to go to camp! I said HECK YES! Then Hannah called her parents and they said... we'll pay for three girls to go to camp! Then I called my brother and he said... I'll pay for Mandy's other half!!!!!!! Then I called/texted a few other people and I'm at this point still waiting for their responses, but even without them...

WE'RE TAKING GIRLS TO CAMP!!!

We called the girls  and talked about going to camp without the deathly fear of asking their parents for money. With that opportunity came freedom! There came an urgency to get to camp. And they don't have any idea what's in store for them. They have no idea what God has p His sleeve for my friends this weekend. I thought my prayers and thoughts were selfish. But as I think more about my "selfish prayers" I note, the God of the Universe listens to the beating of my heart. He knows that I long for my junior high friends to know that He listens to the beating of their hearts and the longings of our prayers! 

I think this story is proof. Proof that God himself is shining His face on my beautiful girls (and me:)) And we don't even know what He has in store for us this weekend!!! :) I'm sooooooooooo excited!!!