August 26, 2013 Journal Entry: The Vital Role of a dad in the home

Father God Almighty,

I am sorry I have not written in so long. For the past two months, I’ve been trying my best to follow close behind each step You take. I want to thank You for how You’ve softened my heart and allowed me to continue to follow You. Unbelievably, I think LeeRoy has begun to follow along too.

Just a week ago, I started hearing about a Christian camp that offers the “ultimate father-son outdoor adventure!” Like so many times before, You used timely, anointed voices to guide me. One recent morning, seemingly out of nowhere someone began sharing just how much she loved the camp. A few days later, I found myself pulling over to the side of the road to help out a stranger who I thought needed assistance. The vehicle happened to be part of a caravan heading off to the very same Christian camp. Soon after, my husband offered me a portion of our federal tax refund. By the time he handed me a check, I knew You wanted our family to attend. So I quickly ran the idea by my husband who halfheartedly said yes. With that, I took action right away and booked LeeRoy and Travis’s first father-son weekend trip.

In the days leading up to their weekend together, I watched as my husband readied his heart for the outdoor experience. Thankfully, all it took to spark his interest was a few videos and a web page that read: “We’ll be sleeping on bunks in genuine covered wagons while enjoying great food, teaching times outside under the stars, and lots of manly activities.”

Soon, LeeRoy was packing his bag, carefully checking off each necessity: flashlights, blankets, warm socks, sunblock, and bug spray, lots of bug spray. I smiled tearfully when I noticed my husband carefully packing his camouflage Bible. It had been a while since LeeRoy had held the Holy Bible so tenderly in his hands.

The original idea was for LeeRoy to spend some time with both of his boys. However, our older son had chosen not to attend. So this past weekend and for the first time, Travis found himself captivated by his dad's undivided attention. Because I was not there to carry all the weight of parenting, our eight-year-old was finally able to see how vital the role of a dad can be.

There was no cell phone service deep in the Sequoia Forest. LeeRoy and Travis had to hike to the top of a mountain and use a payphone to check in. My husband didn’t know that he had to bring quarters, so our calls were kept short.

“Hi, Mom! Guess what? I shot a real gun! A 22 riffle! Okay, here’s Dad.” My heart began to race.

Travis shooting his first 22 rifle 

“You did what?” I said as my husband got on the line.

“This place is great! We’re having such a good time!” LeeRoy said with almost a giggle.

“You . . . you let him shoot a gun?” I stuttered into the phone.

“Ah, he was safe. Don’t worry. Okay, gotta go, honey. Times up on the phone. Call you later. Oh, wait. Travis wants to say goodbye.”

“Bye, Mom. Love you. Call you later.”

Then, the phone went silent. I sat there motionless. Happy they were okay, while also feeling as though I had lost complete control of the situation. I thought about how I had never allowed Travis even to use a water gun in the pool. Now suddenly, he was shooting a real gun with bullets!

A few hours went by. I prayed every minute. “Please, LORD, I trust You, but, please bring Travis home safe. Soon, another cryptic call. “Hey, Mom! Guess what? We played dodgeball.”

Ah, the ease in my heart started to return. “Thank You, Jesus,” I said under my breath. “Oh Travis, that’s so great. You love dodgeball.” I replied.

“Yeah! We played with real bows and arrows Mom!” My heart sunk, and my face turned pale. “Oh, and dad shot me twenty feet into the air off of a big balloon they call the blob! I belly flopped into the lake.” Travis added.

“That’s great honey,” I said trying to mask the utter horror I was experiencing inside. “Can you put your dad on the phone?” I said as the pitch of my voice rose higher. Travis handed the phone to my husband while I tried to remain calm. I told myself, “They are at a Christian camp. Dads who love their children sanction these activities.”

LeeRoy began to speak. He sounded peaceful and happy. He proudly explained how he had launched Travis twenty feet into the air from an inflatable bounce pad. “Some of the other dads even asked me to launch them too.” He said. Then he shared how he and Travis were enjoying milkshakes and campfire worship time together. Unbelievably, when LeeRoy and Travis returned home yesterday they mentioned that they had both made a few new Christian friends and said that they were already planning to return next year. Thank You, LORD, for enlightening and enlivening my heart.

Father/Son Adventure Camp 2013