My church kiddos and what no one ever expected…including me.

Oct 27

Well the time has come for me to introduce you to my kiddos (church kids)!!

First let me tell you a little story about a calling to go on a mission trip. Well it starts with Beth our children’s minister at the time and Haiti mission trip guru. I completely blame her for challenging me to do this, but who could have predicted that a mission trip to Haiti would change my life in such a dramatic way. Really, we all should expect a mission trip to change us but I never…never thought it would change mine this way.

Those who know me know this is truly not something I would even remotely consider doing, but since going and being around all the kids there, I returned with this nagging tug at my heart that I needed more from my church and something was simply missing in my Sunday school class. There was nothing really, wrong with my class, you see I believe you get out of a class what you put into it and at that time let’s be honest, I was just showing up. Also, Troy and I have been married for 31 years now and never had children (human children that is), so when it comes to church and Sunday school classes well, we really don’t fit the mold that most churches have. We never had kids to discuss unless you count our fur babies, but they don’t have the same issues as human kids, we didn’t participate in all the children activities nor did we fit in exactly with the classes of our age group because we didn’t have growing children to discuss. We had careers and puppies which most of them had also but lets get real… kids were their life (as they should be).

While in Haiti where I was surrounded by kids all day and watching our church programs work, it made me focus more on what I was missing regarding church and once again Beth was more than happy to help me find my way straight to the children’s ministry when we returned. I soon after found myself taking over a Sunday school class full of fourth and fifth graders. YIKES!!

I had no idea what I was doing or even if I could do it, but I found my way and with the help of a few eager girls and once again I found my place in church.

In this class I met four eager and completely beautiful girls Kinsey, Grace, Allie, and Maggie. Let us see what I can tell you about these girls…well, Kinsey and Allie had been friends practically since birth. Although glued to the hip and always together, they were two quite different girls. Allie simply gives the best hugs and at that time in life although not completely sure of all things life, she always had a plan and seemed to know what she was going to do and how she was going to get there. Kinsey loved being a girly girl and when watching her she seemed to be a million miles away dreaming of whatever girls dream of. Then there was Grace who had just this infectious smile, which usually was followed by this sneaky little laugh and a growing leader inside of her. Then there is my Maggie, well she just wanted to be as good as or better than the boys at everything and loved getting her brother in trouble as often as she could. With these four and many others (sometimes outnumbered) and with the grace of God we found our way through countless bible studies, songs to remember the books of the Bible, church camps and so much more. Along the way I also found that my relationship with these girls was more than just a Sunday school teacher relationship. I found a love my heart had no idea it was missing.

Well I stuck with these four and many more for the next four years moving up and teaching the next class to not lose touch with them. I got the greatest blessing getting to watch them grow up and change into strong beautiful young girls. I also was given the best gift because their parents allowed me to really be a part of their lives and influence them (hopefully) in the best possible way, because we all know I don’t respond or act like the average parent and or adult for that matter.

Along the way I added to my kiddos (my tribe) by two…Enter Luke and Morgan a part of the self-proclaimed DREAM TEAM!!! These two were a force to be reckoned with and they had a mission for the Lord, and they had fun doing it. My Luke as I like to call him and The Favorite one as the others like to call him…what can I say but his mom and dad raised him well and I LOVE that boy. He has the most infectious smile and kind soul but still a little mischief when needed. Then there is my Morgan the girl whose heart is big as the ocean yet will keep you at arm’s length because well, she likes her personal space, which sometimes gets invaded when your Mrs. Vickie. These two being best friends conquered fears, challenges, girlfriends, boyfriends, school, and a few difficult people in their lives. Then there is Beth who started all this craziness with getting me to go on a mission trip with her…I am still stunned by that to this day, but she is simply an amazing woman with a Godly heart for the people of Haiti and all those around her. She and Morgan found their soulmates which grew my tribe by two adding Kyle and Matt. Well what can I say about these two strong, gentle, caring men who won the hearts of these ladies but…. we pray for them daily (insert laughter) …

And as life can…my life changed again, and Troy and I were set to move to North Carolina. I had to find a way to say goodbye to these kids and I seriously had no idea what I was going to do without them. I needed them more than they ever needed me. Well that horrible day came and I said my good byes with a truly broken heart but knowing I would always stay in touch with them and would see them when I was in town, but it was not easy letting them go no matter how short or long it would be before I saw them again. I continued to see them when I was in town working and one Sunday at church while visiting one of the girls mentioned she had nothing to do for fall break. I immediately said well you guys can come visit me if you would like and that started a new adventure…CAMP MOREHEAD!!!!

So, the adventures of meeting halfway from Tennessee to North Carolina began. These amazing families gave their girls to me for a week almost twice a year. Fall breaks and Spring breaks were never the same. I have never felt so much love and been so tired in my entire life all at the same time. I have such respect for these and all other parents who do this all day every day. I just had them for a week, and I needed a week to recover, but I would not have given this time up for anything. I got to see these girls challenge themselves, grow, fall in and out of love, through divorce, school, sports, dance all which lead them to become even stronger young women. In our adventures at Camp Morehead all topics were open for discussion, there were epic monopoly games, late night shenanigans upstairs that I never knew about at least not until the videos appeared on Instagram the next day, random bathroom pics, cooking, exploring, shopping and always deep discussions that they may or may not have always wanted to have but I hope they grew from.

I am reminded of one of our deep discussion while riding in the car one day. I was seeing them struggle with people that were coming and going in their lives as well as struggling with each other as they grew and were finding themselves going in different directions. The story I told them of was about Roots (not ROOTS the movie with Orpah in it) but about tree roots… This was a story I had heard that resonated with me and seemed appropriate for them that day. A story not only of roots, but branches, and leaves…. see there are people in our lives that come to stay and some that come to leave. That is their sole purpose in our lives as well as we are that purpose in their lives. Let’s start with leaves: Leaves come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and blow in all directions from left, right, up, or down and leave. These leaves and or people are to only be in our lives for a season. They come and go with the change of the wind. They can change our lives as much as we allow them, but they were never intended to be with us forever and we need to acknowledge that and grow from it because they have their season. Then there are branches and branches can be deceiving. They look strong but when you step out on them they can break and some people are branches in our lives, they will be strong, grow and produce leaves, but they can break and leave during the storms of our lives leaving lasting impressions on us whether good or bad, but they also have their season. Then there are roots!! Roots are strong, they feed branches and leaves. If fertilized correctly they grow and multiply making beautiful trees. When you find those types of people in your lives you hold on to them, you nurture them, you feed them, you love them, for they will last many seasons in your life. Those root kinds of people will be few and far between, but they will be strong and will remain a lifetime.

I will always be a root for these kids. I will always pour into them to make sure they know how strong and loved they are whether apart or together. We are stronger for having been a part of each other’s lives and these kids, me and their families are rooted in more than roots, branches, and leaves.

We are rooted in the three…The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirt because without our Lord Jesus Christ none of this is possible. With his grace my tribe has grown in the past few years. As I mentioned earlier, we have added two husbands with Beth and Kyle getting married. Then soon after bringing sweet Nash into this world. Matt and Morgan got married!! Along with all of that, there have been countless other accomplishments. I have seen four of them graduate from high school, three graduate from college, two of them with a masters degrees, three to start adult career’s, and oh did I mention I move back to Tennessee!!!

So, when I said that I never could have expected how much my life could change after a mission trip, I meant it. It has been an absolute joy to have been a part of watching these kids grow in Christ, grow in their lives, and move forward into adulthood while always staying just a call, text or visit away. May they always know they are rooted in my life and most importantly my heart.

I LOVE YOU: Luke, Morgan, Matt, Beth, Kyle, Nash, Kinsey, Grace, Allie, and Maggie!!!