Portrait Project #2-Royal Family Kids Camp

We set out on an adventure on Wednesday....four women, no kids, driving two hours west of home life to bless some very deserving foster kids at their summer camp. Well, as God so often has it, Wednesday turned into so much more than we had planned, envisioned, or even hoped.
The day was filled with an abundance of laughter, unexpected challenges, heavy hearts, joyful occasions, hands ready to serve...all pressed down, shaken together, and running over to make for a day that only God could have put together...

We (Me, Liz, Holly, Kara) rolled into camp a little before 3pm. We arrived unexpectedly early, by a few hours, so we had some extra time on our hands after we got Holly's cake and my equipment set up.
The church me and Isaak were a part of in California always told the youth, "find a need and fill it", and I just love that simple saying because it says so much...and that's just what we did. We asked where they could use extra help, and we helped....
We decorated a trailer loaded with benches used to haul the kids around camp, vamped it up with balloons and streamers, and transformed it into a limo,
Kara and Holly helped primp the girls before their big dinner/dance-they pinned dresses, did hair, applied make-up, and got in some God-appointed personal time with very special girls.
We all had the opportunity to sit in the dinner hall and eat with all the children, we cut and served them their cake, sang "Happy Birthday" and praised God for each one of their lives.
All extras-none of which was on our "to do" list when we set out at noon, but ended up making our time there so much more.
I just love it when God throws in a little extra somethin' somethin'. :)

Photographing these children was for lack of a better word-amazing. The boys all came to me wearing an array of over sized vests, blazers, dress shirts, some donned party hats, others had little do-rags, bow-ties, neck ties, you name it, these little gents were wearing it. The scene was right out of a commercial, like they were all playing dress up in their Dad's clothes. It was very endearing.
The girls were also a sight to see. Every little princess wore a prom style dress, all in an array of colors and styles, with each ensemble as unique as the girl wearing it. I hope they felt as beautiful as they looked.
Each boy and girl manged to smile for me at least one time-no matter how cool or uncomfortable they felt-each child had their own moment and it made my heart overflow with joy.

As a parent you see these kids and wonder how anyone could hurt such a little treasure...that's what I went home thinking...that's what I woke up thinking...I looked at my girls in the morning and was floored with gratefulness to Him who blessed me with their lives. I hugged them tighter, longer, listened to them more attentively, play with them more enthusiastically, prayed over them more passionately...wanting to be the best steward of the children that God has blessed me with. I'm not perfect, and a lot of moments I let slip away, but the foster kids we met will always serve as an added reminder in my heart of just how important parenting is.


(And as the icing on the cake-on our way home Holly got a ticket, we had to wait for a train, had to drive in the pouring rain, stopped at a McDonald's with no ice cream for a late night snack, our bodies were so stiff we could hardly move- but it gave us a case of the giggles I haven't seen in a long time. We had reached the point of exhaustion where everything was hysterical and we became delirious with laughter. It was a whirlwind of a day-but it was a great day-it was a God orchestrated kind of day.)

(no pics-due to the fact that the kids are minors, and the nature of their pasts, I will not be posting pictures to protect their privacy)