The [Adventure] in Not Knowing What to Do

[Adventure 205]

My thirteen year old wants to do something somewhere but is wary of doing things places because covid-19 and not knowing if friends are doing the thing and not knowing what's safe. I want them to be able to do the thing, but I don't know what's right or ok or safe either. 

So we signed them up with a sense of hope and anticipation of good things. It's not for a few months. We're going to continue to monitor the safety of doing the thing. This particular child needs this. 

In the midst of this big decision, I got a text from a pastor friend of ours who was desperately seeking a chaperone for a mission trip to North Carolina he's undertaking with five teens. My husband has work and I have three important medical appointments during the time of the trip, so I messaged my 19 and 21 year olds and asked if they were interested. Austen was the first to get back to me, saying that they would love to do it. I let Pastor Brian know and sent him their phone number. Apparently they had a nice chat and Austen is excited about how fun the trip will be. Their girlfriend, Sophia, isn't as excited about Austen being away for a week, but she'll survive. Mal contacted me minutes after Austen agreed to chaperone and may have been a little disappointed she missed out. 

For me it was an easy decision to reach out to my children to see if they'd be interested in taking on the task, but not as easy to put the decision of going on a mission trip amidst covid-19 in their hands. I'm sure they'll be as safe as possible, and I trust Pastor Brian not to put them in danger. I didn't know what the right thing to do was in the moment, but at the same time trusted my children to make the best decision they can for themselves. 

Many times in life we just don't know what to do, what the right thing is. In those times I take time (even if it is a very short time) to breathe, to pray, and to feel what the right direction is, even if I can't figure out what the right decision is.