These handsome boys and their handsome leader just before takeoffWe've been hearing a bit from Sweden this week. The two men from our family are having an amazing experience camping with 40,000 others in the rain in the south of a land we love very much.
They are camping next to the Egyptians and across from the Danes and the Dutch. Several of the boys from our group have learned that the boys (and girls!) from other countries had to work very hard for the opportunity to attend this big event; they wrote essays and showed that they were bilingual. They worked to earn the cost of the trip. They sacrificed to be there.
Our boys were selected to attend by our local church leaders. They raised funds to attend and they were given lots of training and expected to give their time to go to meetings. A pretty small sacrifice when compared to others-hopefully that will sink in and the boys will really appreciate the opportunity they are living over the coming week.
The photos coming back are full of smiling boys, with thumbs up signs or hang ten hands. They look happy, if dirty and rained on, and they look like they belong together.
Like they are friends.
When we left Texas the only things I wanted for Mason were some friends who would help him make good decisions and help him feel comfortable in his own skin. The other of my children would easily find their way, but friends haven't come easily for Mason unless those friends are the same age as his parents-his peers were a feared entity. All the moving, all the trying, all the quirks that make Mason awesome and unique made him feel less than 'part' of his peer group.
I hope Sweden is changing that. For the better.
In the coming week we'll have more pictures to see and a few more emails to read from my boys describing the amazing things they are seeing and doing and the amazing people they are meeting. And I hope I'll see in those photos and soundbites the sure signs of friendships forged. Its all I want for Mason, thank Heaven for his trip to Sweden!
They are camping next to the Egyptians and across from the Danes and the Dutch. Several of the boys from our group have learned that the boys (and girls!) from other countries had to work very hard for the opportunity to attend this big event; they wrote essays and showed that they were bilingual. They worked to earn the cost of the trip. They sacrificed to be there.
Our boys were selected to attend by our local church leaders. They raised funds to attend and they were given lots of training and expected to give their time to go to meetings. A pretty small sacrifice when compared to others-hopefully that will sink in and the boys will really appreciate the opportunity they are living over the coming week.
The photos coming back are full of smiling boys, with thumbs up signs or hang ten hands. They look happy, if dirty and rained on, and they look like they belong together.
Like they are friends.
When we left Texas the only things I wanted for Mason were some friends who would help him make good decisions and help him feel comfortable in his own skin. The other of my children would easily find their way, but friends haven't come easily for Mason unless those friends are the same age as his parents-his peers were a feared entity. All the moving, all the trying, all the quirks that make Mason awesome and unique made him feel less than 'part' of his peer group.
I hope Sweden is changing that. For the better.
In the coming week we'll have more pictures to see and a few more emails to read from my boys describing the amazing things they are seeing and doing and the amazing people they are meeting. And I hope I'll see in those photos and soundbites the sure signs of friendships forged. Its all I want for Mason, thank Heaven for his trip to Sweden!
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