Summer Travels

Father's day weekend for the last three years has been pretty special. Three years ago, our small group in Reno decided to venture out for a father-son camping trip. To keep that tradition going, last Friday we packed up some clothes and the boys, boarded another flight back to Reno, and set off for the weekend.

Not long after we landed, Kenny gathered up the boys and wisked them off to the wilderness along with his closest friends and their sons. As much as I'd love to detail out what happened in their 48 hours, I can't. They never seem to come back with many details. The most I get out of my boys is that their favorite part is roasting marshmellows and eating s'mores.

However, marshmellows and s'mores barely scratch the surface of what is really happening out there. The purpose of these camping trips is to let each child know that the men have pledged to stand as father figures for them and will assist when needed in raising them up according to Christ's teachings. In fact, during one camping trip, each of the fathers gave their son(s) a compass with Proverbs 3:6 written atop it; "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight".

What a blessing that my husband participates in something of such magnitude. He has bonded in friendship and brotherhood with a group of men who value their roles as fathers and are active participants in parenthood. In todays society, we see fathers portrayed as bumbling idiots, hen-pecked and inadequate. This is a far cry from what the truth is when describing the group of men who Kenny camps with every year. They are men of integrity and character. They are loving, intelligent and family supportive. Most importantly, they are God-honoring and God-fearing men intent on raising their boys up to walk in their footsteps.

So, even though I know that my three sons are out in the woods with not enough hand sanitizer and are most likely attempting to see who can burp the loudest, I trust that this is all part of raising boys. And that is just what Kenny is doing...actively raising our boys to be God-seeking men. What a blessing that is.