He Answers The Prayers Of His People, Memorial Box Monday

We entered the prayer meeting on Thursday night with very heavy hearts. An hour and a half later, we were praising God, rejoicing, singing, and heading home with our feet barely touching the ground. Abby was alive and well. We were all preparing ourselves and trying to find the strength to somehow praise Him even if the news was tragic. But when that Aussie airbus spotted our girl and the boat was right-side up in the water and Abby was able to communicate with them and let them know that she was, "fine," we were praising the Almighty God for protecting and providing for her and answering the prayers of His people.


For anyone who read this and might wonder about Abby and the merits of her trip, here's my two cents. We have known the Sunderlands for years. We homeschool in the same group together. Our children are friends. They love the Lord with all their hearts, souls and minds. And they know and love their children. Many parents in our hectic society don't know the hopes and dreams of their children. Many children don't have the time to dream or aspire to anything. The Sunderlands are countering that culture. They believe that the teen years can be useful and productive. They refuse to buy into the modern day trend of extending childhood and settling for foolishness, recklessness, and idleness in their teenage sons and daughters.


This was Abby dream even before it was the dream of her older brother (who completed his journey last year). Abby is an expert sailor and her parents made sure that she was in a vessel that would keep her safe. She was prepared for every situation. A forty year old sailor could not have handled the circumstances any better than 16 year old Abby. Her parents allowed her to take a calculated, well planned, expertly managed RISK. Life is all about risk taking. Growth doesn't happen without it.


In my humble opinion, many of our teens are in much more danger sitting in front of a computer or driving around their own home town on a Saturday night. So today in our memorial box, we will put a little sail boat that represents the dreams of a young girl and the mighty God whom she serves who is bringing her home safely so that she can continue to love Him and dream big!