We've had an amazing week in Orange Beach, AL (along with the 75 others we took to Student Life Beach Camp). It was unlike any other "youth camp" I have ever attended, and let's just say...I've been to quite a few! The worship was phenomenal, and Matt Chandler without any hesitation, spoke the Word. Our students were convicted and challenged and to see their passion and desire to live for Him is both exciting and encouraging.
He did not come to get, but to give.
He did not give grudgingly; He gave willingly.
He did not give as little as possible; He gave as much as was needed.
He did not live for the approval of those around him; He lived for the approval of God.
He did not live for the Kingdom of this World; He lived for the Kingdom of God.
He did not come to be served, but to serve.
He did not come and teach us to simply live life like everyone else, but to live it, like Him........upside down.
This was the first year Todd and I have taken our own kids with us to camp. The primary reason was due to Caed and the care that he still requires. Each summer when camp time or mission trip comes around, we just send them off to Lubbock and let them spend a week with grandparents. However, we really felt differently this year. I know my parents would have gladly taken on all of Caed's feeding tube and med care, but I just hated to dump that on them (along with 2 other kids!).
(Even at camp, Caed's daily med routine didn't skip a beat.)We also felt that Reagan and Caed are now at the age where going to youth camp would be fun for them, and fairly easy on Mom. It was so nice for us to be together as a family (minus one) while Daddy was "working." Summers can be rough for the families of youth ministers because they are gone so much. This year, it worked out perfectly for us to go together. They absolutely LOVED it!! And I LOVE the fact that they are getting exposed to teenagers on fire for God! Caed of course, is enamored with teenage guys, in particular. He wants to be just like them.
It was a long, tiring week for the kids....getting up at the crack of dawn, out on the beach all day, and then going strong until after midnight (for 5 full days). Plus....don't forget the 15 hr. bus ride to and from Alabama. They were troopers though. Just hung right in there and went with the flow.
The night we finally arrived back in Celina, it was late, and everyone was exhausted! We had left Orange Beach about 10am and didn't get home until 12:30 the next morning! It was rough, to say the least. Todd of course was busy with all the students, parents, etc....so I began unloading ALL our luggage. (Caed had a whole separate suitcase filled with only medical supplies and medicines). I felt pretty confident that I had found everything, but was honestly just ready to get home and crash. It wasn't until I was 1/2 way down the road that it hit me. CAED'S BACKPACK!!!! He had been hooked up that morning, but by noon his feeds were done. We took his backpack off and stowed it away in the overhead storage area on the charter. It wasn't so much the "backpack" that was the issue, but rather the PUMP! (the $2000 little machine that helps supplement nutrition to his gut) I was sick! Reagan, Caed, and I had waved good-bye to the charter bus as it pulled out of the church parking lot only 15 minutes before. I knew there was nothing we could do that night. And of course the next day was Sunday.....so odds were we wouldn't be able to get a hold of anyone that day either. Todd called the charter company, left a very detailed message, and then we had to wait. I can't really describe the feeling that I have felt the last 2 days. Something we have done day in/day out for over a year......something very crucial to Caed's health, and then all of a sudden....it's just gone! I will be honest in saying there is a part of me that has LOVED it! He's just a regular little boy that can put on his pajamas, crawl into bed, and simply sleep. No night time meds....and no hooking up to a machine. When he is not on his feeds, he obviously has fewer stools. So, the past 2 nights he has been able to sleep all night uninterrupted. Now then....the other part of me has been slightly worried. Your mind can take you to some scary places if you let it. I know Caed is ok being off the feedings. But, it's like I said before..... something you do every single day (so much so....I know I could mix that Neocate and prime the pump in my sleep!), it's just nerve racking to all of a sudden stop!
Todd finally got a hold of the company late this afternoon, and they DO HAVE IT!! Praise God! So, now we just have to make a trip up to Sherman and get it back.
Another thing that happened with Caed this week was pretty big in our book. This summer he has been allowed the freedom to swim again (no central line). However, he has been very sensitive about his G-tube showing. So he always wears a shirt with his bathing suit. On Day #3 however....he asked me if he could "be like the teenagers" and not wear his shirt. I excitedly told him "YES!!" But then he told me he wasn't sure because "people might make fun of him." I reassured him that NO ONE would do that and if he wanted to take it off.....then he should! (I also had to remind him of the pictures of our little friend Devin swimming with his scars and G-tube.....thank you Colleen for posting those....you will never know the confidence that has given Caed!)
(Devin's story)So, drum roll please............................................................
.......ta da!!!! I was SO proud of him for having the confidence to "just do it!" You have to remember we were not in the privacy of our backyard or at a friend's pool. But rather, there were HUNDREDS of people all at the beach and pool area. I think the only comments made were from some little kids in the pool who just simply asked Caed "what's THAT?" ha! Each time Caed ran to tell me what they had said, I had to remind him they weren't making fun of him, but rather just curious. I encouraged him to have confidence and to share with them his story. (slightly different when Caed tells it........"my tummy was hurt and I had surgery"......is about the extent of it. ha!) Anyway, this moment may look very normal, but I assure you it brought this Mommy and Daddy great joy! It was yet another "first." Caed soon became so comfortable with the whole shirtless idea, he went to the tennis courts and played there for quite awhile.
Our only rule with the shirt was the sand. When he wanted to go to the beach, we told him he needed to put his shirt back on. The idea of all that sand getting in and around the opening of his mic-key button was not something we wanted to gamble with. Nebraska told us he could get in the salt water, but just to make sure he washed off soon after. (just in case)
the teenagers had a fun time burying Caed
Fierce game of Beach Dodge ball
Caed also made a huge milestone by learning to "swim all by himself." He has been a little behind because of the summer he lost last year, but he is catching up beautifully and swimming like a (one-armed) fish now. Thank you Amy for the time you spent helping him!!
Our accomodations. Far stretch from the usual showering with a garden hose and sleeping in 50 year old bunk beds in cabins with no AC! Praise the Lord!!!
It's been 11 days since we've seen our little "nugget" (Reagan & Caed's nickname for Caleb). Oh how we have missed him!!! But, we know he has been taken great care of by Nana, Grandaddy, Grammy, and Great-Granny. Or....we might say, he has taken good care of THEM!! Thank you all for watching him for us. We love and appreciate you for allowing us to have this week. We are meeting 1/2 way tomorrow to pick him up. Can't wait!!
**one other update: Caed's last blood draw from the first of the month came back EXCELLENT! Nebraska is calling Caed their "IRP Rockstar!" (now down to only 1-2 stools/day) Thanks for your continued prayers for him. He really IS doing amazing!
The LORD will protect him and preserve his life;.......the LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness. (Psalm 41:2-3)
