Winnipeg

It is so hard to believe that the last day of day camp is finished. In some ways it is such a relief, but I really am going to miss the kids. On Tuesday, one little girl named Michelle put a bracelet on my wrist while I was standing at the door. She ran off afterwards, so at the end of the day I asked her if I was supposed to keep it. Yes, she replied, because she had another one just like it at home. I was very touched at her generosity and wanted to give her something in return. In the evenings to follow I made her a bracelet out of embroidery thread with all the colours I could manage. On Thursday I gave it to her, and today I noticed that she was still wearing it. That just blessed my heart immensely. This way, maybe she’ll remember me even after I’m gone.

Before leaving for this trip I was organizing my office’s advertising file when I came across a pamphlet requesting aid for a child-mentoring program. I am aware that a table full of psychologists aiming only to obtain volunteers and donations probably carefully worded this phrase, but it touched me nonetheless. It read, “in one hundred years, no one will know what kind of house you lived in, what kind of car you drove or how much was in your bank account. But the world might be different because you were important in the life of one child.” If that is true, then I hope it’s not too unrealistic for me to think that perhaps, by God’s grace in pulling us through this, we have changed the future ever so slightly for the better by coming here. And that is just an overwhelming thought.

There were actually twelve on the Winnipeg team. God Himself took charge and lead us through this experience. This has been an incredible week and I’d do it again in a second.