She Called Tonight

Torrey has been in Pensacola this week with our church youth group.  They are on a mission trip ... they call it "a mission trip with a camp feel."  They spend their days serving the people of Pensacola and their nights are spent worshipping.  Last year she came home sick but begged us to send her back again.  Remember?


Anyways, the kids get to pick their "track" ... service, VBS, sports camp, set up (it was pretty cool to see those kids on the live feed in the worship area moving from seat to seat praying over whoever was going to sit there before the kids were let in the room).  Torrey picked evangelism.  


I'm going to stop here and remind you that Torrey is a bit shy.  Well, more than a bit.  She doesn't love to order her own food or her drink from Starbucks.  I really questioned her decision and wasn't super quiet about it.  (Shame on me.) She stood her ground ... she told me that she needed to get stronger in sharing Jesus.  (Double shame on me.)


So, early Saturday morning, Torrey headed out for the drive to Pensacola.  Full of excitement of all that was going to happen.  Dean and I couldn't wait to hear about all that was happening to her and through her.  Um, the phone didn't ring.  At all.


We have gotten texts ... welcome to 2011 with a teenager!  Here are some snippets from our "conversations" this week ...


"...I'm super excited to get there."
"Today was so much fun.  We talked to a bunch of people ..."
"No.  I really don't want to go home.  I love it here." (um, that one hurt ... not going to lie!)


I wish I had access to Dean's phone because she texted him some pretty cool messages about her excitement after one message in particular ... she had looked forward to that particular speaker for a long time.  Suffice it to say that she had a blast and loved every minute of her time in Pensacola.


Or, so we gathered from her texts ... because we hadn't heard her voice all week.  Until tonight, that is.  The phone rang at 11:30 and it was our girl.  


And, the really cool thing was that she was overflowing with excitement to tell us all the things that had happened to her this week.  I will admit that I cried.  She has struggled with one girl this year ... as in all year.  Rush Week brought them back together.  She was able to love on a friend walking a hard road tonight.  She talked to a woman about Jesus for 45 minutes today.  My girl.  My shy girl.  She was like a tea cup that was overflowing and more and more is poured into the cup.  I could have listened to her all night ...


But ... she had a plan to head to the beach for one last hurrah, so off she went and I was left to ponder all that she had shared. And as much as I have missed her, I wouldn't have kept her home and away from this experience for anything in the world!