Memorial Box Monday

So Linny told me I had to do a Memorial Box post (click if you don't know what a Memorial Box is) when my cameras were found...and I have to admit I didn't think I'd be writing one. Not for lack of faith, mind you. I was just at peace with my cameras being gone. Don't get me wrong, I wanted them back...I was just okay if God felt there was something I needed to learn by losing them.

So here's what happened. We were on a big family vacation to Hume Lake (amazing, amazing Christian camp in the middle of the Sequoia National Park). This was the vacation I had prayed and prayed that Dorie and I would be home for. It was the last night of our trip, and we went down to the lake to take family photos (kind of a tradition). I was irritated because Dorie was being silly and I wanted a good shot of the two of us together . We left the lake and went for the absolute yummiest hand-dipped milkshakes at the snack shop, and I set my camera bag down next to me. Apparently I walked away and left it there but I didn't realize it until we were home the following evening.

When I called the lost and found, the sweet girl told me she had no cameras turned in. She even called the snack shop to check. Nothing. I was bummed. My camera and zoom lens are worth $1500, and my video camera another $350. But what really got me was the fact that I hadn't downloaded my video of my first days with Dorie. I had all the photos, but no video of her first bath, or of our memories in Uganda together. But I told the Lord it was okay. If I got my camera back I would be SO grateful, but if I didn't, that was okay, too. In this adoption journey I have come to realize that "things" just aren't important. That video footage was of no eternal value. But I was still disappointed in myself for being so careless.

Two weeks passed, and suddenly I had a call from the lake's lost and found. They found a camera bag that they thought was mine. They needed to verify the contents with me. Instead of asking me about my cameras and lenses, she asked if I traveled a lot. I began to tell her that all my pictures were of my daughter and me in Uganda. Then she asked if I'd possibly have a ticket for the Vatican in my bag...the funny thing is that I had been to the Vatican in 2008 on my way home from Africa. I never keep momentos like that, but for some reason I'd thrown it in a pocket of my camera bag and never threw it away. I had actually noticed it just before our trip and had planned to throw it out, but I didn't!

Thank You, Lord! You are so good to me! I am so thankful!

My camera was delivered to my front porch this afternoon! Everything is inside! Amazing! So I pulled out that little ticket from the Vatican, and Dorie put it into our Memorial Box (the one I won from Linny's blog!)...now we will both testify to God's faithfulness in this situation for years to come!