the Dave and Shawn show: Family Camp... well, sort of

Dave was scheduled to be home for two weeks before he left again for Outreach with the DTS students. I was looking forward to spending time with him and feeling a little annoyed that we would have to share the base with two different teams during those precious days as a family. Regardless of how I felt though, the first team arrived and settled in for five days of ministry.

I immediately was convicted of my selfishness as we got to know the first group. They were students of a YWAM training course and had come with hearts wide open to love on Guatemala. They were cheerful and willing workers, putting all their energy into every ministry they were involved in. They uplifted us in our Christianity, parenting of Z, and work that we are doing. I enjoyed having their team here and could see God using their efforts every day.

The first team overlapped with the second, and for one night we didn't have a single empty bed in the whole base. In fact, one of our staff moved out of her room so we could put more people in there, and we put some of the boys on the floor! The next morning we said goodbye to beloved team one and greeted team two.

They were a large group, 21 people in all, including four leaders, from a youth group in Delaware. The very first day I was impressed when a couple of the teens sat on the ground outside our room and played Playmobil with Z for over an hour. I got to chatting with one of the leaders, a mom of one of the teens, and we hit it off right away. I felt revived to see them interacting with Z and be able to relax and have a conversation with another mom. I began to realize that God had sent us exactly what we needed, even if my heart had been resistant to receive them.

Over the next week I felt life poured back into me in a way I haven't felt in an extremely long time. The team embraced us like one of their own, and Z was the team pet. They constantly played with him or carried him around. The girls were doting and affectionate, letting him sit on their laps when they watched movies in the sala, or playing endless hours of Playmobil and trains with him. The boys were equally as friendly towards him, playing tag, teaching him to hit a baseball, and goofing off with him at every possible opportunity. I felt rejuvenated and appreciated by the team, and even broke my "I don't play games" rule almost every day to enjoy round upon round of Jungle Speed at the lunch table.

Thursday morning our family went into town to do some errands, and came back stressed. Dave and I weren't communicating well, and although neither of us voiced it, we both were wishing that we could just go on a date and have a nice time with each other instead of spending our family time quarreling. A knock came on the door and two of the girls invited us to come downstairs because their team wanted to talk to us. We followed them down and found the whole group sitting around the table, smiling.

"We've decided to send you on a date," Matt, their leader, said. "We'd like to babysit Z for you and we've even taken an offering to cover your meal." (Paraphrased, sorry, Matt, I'm sure you said it in a cooler way than that.)

Then he handed us enough money for a very nice dinner. I almost started crying right in front of them, I was so happy and thankful. In the evening Dave and I got dressed up and went out for a delicious, peaceful meal together. We enjoyed having time together, literally stress-free; we knew Z was happy and well cared-for, we knew the food was paid for, and we knew that this wonderful group of people really wanted us to have a romantic date. It was probably the best evening we've had together all year... and then when we got home we got to play games with the team!

Sometimes it surprises me what God does for me. He saw that I was feeling discouraged and worn-out, so he sent ambassadors of joy in the form of two amazing teams. Being part of the Outreach, and having Dave be the leader of the DTS has been a stressful process for me, and living at the base has been a challenge as well. I didn't want to share the base with any "strangers", but God sent them here, knowing that I needed them. Obviously He brought them here to help other people too, but those people can write their stories on their own blogs. Ha, ha. :)

In these past two weeks Dave has loved playing games and doing ministry with the teams, Z was entertained and cherished, and I was befriended and encouraged. It's been like family camp around here!