“You’re never too old”

I have heard people say that God speaks to their hearts or lays something on their hearts. I don’t know. I may just be dense, but the only time God seems to be directly sending me a message, He has to smack me upside the head for me to get it. How many more signs did He have to send me that He wanted me to go to Africa?

Val kept bugging me. She had her heart and mind set on going and for some reason she thought it was imperative for me to go too. God must have figured out that if I wasn’t going to listen to Him, I would at least listen to my own daughter.

She went to Power of One that November and introduced herself to Jen Bell and learned some more about the trip. She came home with that information and her last plea that I should go with her.

I called Dave Bell, Jen’s husband, the next day with my list of questions. Yes, we would get our $250 deposit back if we backed out. Yes, a lot of parents went with their teenagers and it always proved to be a rewarding experience. Yes, the application deadline wasn’t until April 15, but they already only had a couple openings left for the July trip. He also remembered that Jen had met Val over the weekend and Jen thought Val would be a great addition to the team.

We got our applications in the mail two days later. In addition to the applications, Life Promotions requested two letters of recommendation. Which, of course, is a story all of its own.