Children are always surprising us adults.

Anne left daily fun projects for our children while she was gone.  Will is excited about
his latchhook project.  

Children are always surprising us, and that is not always a bad thing.  Last week while Anne was in Kentucky, both of our children were sitting on either side of me in church.  During the service we have a children’s offering for specific missionaries.  The children are asked to come to the front and put their coins in little tin containers, or piggy banks while the congregation sings a hymn.  Well, this Sunday proved to be a little different, in that I was pressed to get the kids ready for church all by myself, and I forgot to get the missionary offering before we left the house.

When the portion of the service started for the children’s missionary offering to begin, our kids looked at me blankly, and I could see in their expressions, they were wondering where their offering money was.  I shook my shoulders and apologized and told them that I forgot.  Will then sadly looked at me and asked if he could go up front and help the little kids put their offering into the piggy banks.  I told him he could do so, and before I could get Abby to stay, she dutifully tagged along with Will.  There are times when challenging moments come into play in life, and this was going to be one of those instances.  Instead of Will going to the front of the church to help the little kids, he starting asking members of the congregation if they would like to donate money to the missionary offering.  It was during this time that I saw Abby dutifully standing by Will as his support in his new quest.  She did not know what Will was doing, but she was bound to help regardless. 

Abby enjoying swimming with her brother.

Meanwhile, in the back, I was the dad trying desperately to flag his son down, that is, when I noticed what he was doing.  Afterwards in what seemed like an eternity, I got his attention and he came back to the pew, confused as to why he was being recalled.  Half smiling, and half embarrassed, I whispered to him that it was not appropriate to raise an offering that way.  He looked a little confused, so I went on to say to Will that people have to give because they desire to do so, not because someone asks them individually to make an offering.  He then began to understand what I was telling him.  After a few moments my heart began to calm down, and I then patted Will gently on the shoulder, letting him know that I loved him very much.  I marvel in how kids always find a way to surprise one, especially when you least expect it. 

Later, in talking to a friend in the church about the situation that had transpired with Will, I observed her thoughtfully look over where he had been sitting, and she paused in her thought, and then smiled at me.  She then resumed in the conversation with what appeared to be her thinking out loud, “I wonder what kind of man he will turn out to be?”  This very kind lady really has a soft spot in her heart for Will, so I took her comments to be that of a positive nature.  Her words have since made me think of Will’s future as well.

Evening view from our deck.  Missing Anne as I took
time out to relax after the kids were in bed.

This week in church I had the joy of having Anne at my side.  She got back only just yesterday from Kentucky.   I picked her up from the airport in LaCrosse, Wisconsin with the children and I being so exited about her return.  She got to her flight in Louisville, Kentucky airport just minutes before they administered delays.  Many individuals were missing their flights due to security measures being instituted, along with a severe storm that was hitting just after Anne took off with her flight.  God’s hand was answering our prayers that allowed her to get back home safe. 

During the course of the service today, I found myself so happy that my family was all sitting in the pew and that we were all together again.  After a few moments, my thoughts were broken up when a parishioner came by and dropped four dollars in my children’s laps.  Then, before I could fathom what had just transpired, another person walked by and dropped a number of coins in their laps as well.  At that moment I was in total amazement, “What was going on?”  Then more money was handed down from the far side of the pew to our kids, and by then it dawned on me what was happening.  Last week, many of the church’s perishioners saw Will asking for money for the missionary offering, and so they wanted to be sure that he and Abby had money to give to the missionary fund today.  I smiled to myself, and for a moment, it was fun watching Anne being totally confused, (like myself earlier) as to what was transpiring.  I then took time to explain to her what had happened last weekend with Will.  After fathoming our son’s efforts to raise money for this particular missionary, Anne just gently smiled and then softly drew our two children closer to her side.  I sat there in the pew, and accepted how wonderfully God chose to work through a little boy.