Fearless Kyra Mae, tester of Elders.

For Memorial Day we joined our sweet Exodus Church community for a cookout in Valley Crucis (near Boone, NC).  It was a day full of fun, sun, food, and water.  Very cold water. 

Around the warmer end of the afternoon most of us headed down to the creek, which had rose? risen? to the equivalent of a river thanks to the rain earlier in the month.  A bunch of the kiddos and some of the adults get in and "slide" down the rocks.  Pastor Brian always stands at the end of the "rock slide" and makes sure the kids, and some of us adults, get out of the water safely.  

To be honest, I thought it would be another year or two before I stuck more than my toes in the water, especially with the girls.  I should have known better.  I mean, hello, have you met Kyra Mae?  

She wanted in the water the second she saw it.  Kid was basically clamoring for the spot where the big kids were and she might have bruises show up the next few days because of how tight I had to hold to so she wouldn't go under.  Teagan wanted to go play on the playground so Josh went with her because he didn't have a  change of clothes.  With apprehension, I took Kyra and we readied to go "down" the slide.  I can't even tell you how cold it was.  Putting our feet in was one thing, putting our whole bodies in was another.  I'm getting chills just thinking about it.  Kyra, however, didn't miss a beat.  She loved it.  So, we went again.  This time my feet got pulled from under me.  I got pulled all the way under, lifting Kyra as high as I could (and remember here, I'm all of 5'3") to keep her from going under.  I know what you're thinking, "Oh, no!".  Honestly, that is not what went through my head.  Of course the goal was to keep Kyra above the water and no it was not fun getting submerged, but I still wasn't worried and I didn't panic.  I knew Pastor Brian was there and I knew a few of our other reliable men would not let anything happen to either of us.  I knew that if Kyra had started going under that Pastor Brian would have grabbed her and the others would have gotten me.  Thankfully they just had to grab my arms and hoist me up.  Crisis averted.  

I started thinking about the situation when we were heading home, you know, in those moments I was staring longingly at God's creation and not nodding off from exhaustion.  I've heard Pastor Brian say on more than one occasion that he and our Elders are responsible for our church.  Not in a creepy they need to know everything we do and control it kind of way but in a they are going to be the ones to stand in front of God for our souls kinda way.  I had a whole new understanding about the Elder's of our church and the peace I have because they are leading us.  Our community.  My family. Me.
I am so thankful that if I ever start to feel like I'm drowning or that I've been taken under I know that the Elders of our church will always be there waiting to catch me and lead me to safety.  My family and I are grateful for the way they lead our church community and we are so thankful to be under their leadership.