Wild Weekend

This past Friday, we celebrated Alexa's birthday--she turned 8 years old--by taking her and a friend to Dixie Landing. (Am I old enough to have a daughter that is really 8? Does this mean I have to grow up and start acting like a responsible adult? It's amazing how old I'm getting but how young I feel!) We dodged the rain drops for over an hour before heading to the mall for a little cookie cake and some birthday shopping.

While we were at the theme park, Mikaela, our 3 year old, got bit by a mosquito on the ankle. It began to swell over the next 24 hours to the point where she couldn't even walk. Fearing the worst, Rachel and I took her to the Lake After Hours on Sunday afternoon. As we sat in the waiting room for nearly 2 hours watching old Scooby-Doo re-runs, an elderly lady came in, assisted by her daughter. Her thumb was wrapped up and bloodied, and the look on her face told us she was in severe pain. We found out that she had slammed her thumb in a car door as she was leaving church that afternoon. Alexa looked on in compassion...I could see God was stirring something in her. We encouraged her to go pray for the elderly lady, but she seemed a bit reluctant to step forward. She probably thought, "Daddy, that's your job. You're the preacher...I'm just an 8 year old."

I sat in my seat, watching this whole scenario unfold, and hoped that she would take the risk. Sure enough, Alexa walked over to where the ladies were seated, introduced herself, and asked the injured one if she could pray for her. When the woman agreed, Alexa laid hands on her and prayed the healing power of Jesus Christ over her life. The elderly woman was crying, her daughter was crying, Rachel was crying, and everyone in that waiting room had just witnessed the awesome power of child-like faith. How cool is that?!!?! Now, all of a sudden, the exploits of Shaggy and Scooby-Doo seemed to pale in comparison to the encounter we had just witnessed. In my mind, I saw every sick person in that waiting room standing in line, as Alexa laid hands on every single one--I guess that's the preacher in me that dreams of doing ministry one day along side my children! Lord, help us as parents to encourage and empower our kids to release their faith in a world so desperately seeking it!!!

P.S--Mikaela is doing just fine, now. She's wide open, full-throttle!!