Several months ago the opportunity arose for Butterfly to sign up to go on a mission trip with her Sunday School class in church. It was going to be a week long trip where she would be able to do yard work, stock food pantry shelves, play with underprivileged kids, visit with the elderly in an assisted living facility…you get the idea.
And of course…my Butterfly jumped at the opportunity. (For the record, I think it may have had just as much to do with a trip sans parents as it did the chance to go on a missions trip!)
After some discussion and time to think about the fund raising aspect of her trip, we all decided that she should work and raise as much as she could. We believe that she would get so much more out of the trip by earning the money herself than by having it donated to her, and that with 4 months of time available, she could get close to her goal. Privately, we knew that anything that she didn’t raise, we would cover, but we wanted to see how close she could get.
And so…she set to work.
She made candy hearts to sell at Valentines Day.
She washed windows.
She cleaned out cabinets.
She scrubbed floors.
She made decorated clipboards and then sold them to friends and family.

My girl worked.

And by the beginning of May, she had earned all $300 dollars required to go on her missions trip.
And honestly, the fun for her began back then, at the beginning of May, in knowing that she had managed to raise that kind of money all by herself (and with the help of the wonderful friends and family who let her work for them and bought what she was selling. Thanks so much for encouraging and supporting Abby!)

It was so fun for her Daddy and I to get to see this side of Butterfly.  She was an entrepreneur!  There was nothing that she wouldn’t do.  Her mind has been (because it still is!) running constantly with other things that she could make and sell.  She has since learned to crochet and has made hair scrunchies, wash cloths, head bands, blankets…all to learn better how to crochet so that she could potentially sell more.

The girl’s gotten a taste of blood (or perhaps money!)

She left yesterday on her trip.  She was bounding and squealing – ready to leave.

I watched her load up in the van, excited to get going and I saw who she was becoming.  It is so easy sometimes to hold your kids in a box.  Keep them at a younger age.  To mire down in the everyday rather than standing back and watching in awe at who they are becoming.

I was given a gift yesterday to see who she is becoming and to fall in love with that girl.

My prayer for her is that in this, her first week away from us, that she will be swept away by her creator.  That she will come to know Him in a different way, and that she will love that.  I pray that she will adore the opportunity to serve other people, those less fortunate than herself, and that she will crave more of that.

I am praying that when she returns, she will see how blessed we are as a family, and that she will be thankful.  I know I am.

Will you join me in praying for her this week?