Well, ask and ye shall receive

Seriously.

Last week I posted about being $1,000 in the hole with camp. That's a big friggin' deficit. I didn't know how we were going to make it up, I really didn't. I had a feeling my coworker would put it all on her credit card and just suck up the debt. Neither of us are in a financial position to do that. Not even close. There are few people I know--if anyone--who could put $1,000 on their credit card and pay it off when the bill comes.

Well when I arrived today, my boss told me that she'd totally forgotten about a surplus from last year of nearly $700! Last year didn't cost nearly as much since we did more in-house and we got larger donations from family and friends (before we were "officially" in a recession).

Today, at dinner for my dad, my mom gave me a $50 check from my aunt and uncle. I couldn't believe it. I'm stunned and humbled by the generosity of my family. Times are tough, and Graham and I are lucky enough to not have a kid or two or three to put through college, and my aunt and uncle still spared a hefty hunk for us. That's huge.

We're still between $300 and $400 for camp, but it's much easier to fundraise when you have only a few hundred to make up. A three-digit number is much easier to collect for than a four-digit number.

I know we'll get there. One of my good friends, Amy, is even soliciting her family--none of whome I've ever met--for donations for camp. Seriously. Before, I've always thought I was a generous person, but this really makes me second guess my generosity. Not that I want to "match" people, but it makes me wonder what kind of heart I'm giving with. Here's a friend who's family is giving us money for a terrific group of kids and they'll probably never venture in to visit the school. Wow. I've always tried to have a servant heart. I always try to approach things with a selfless heart and I always give as much as I can, but Amy's sheer generosity and kindness about this whole situation has been really fantastic and humbling. Amy, if you're reading this, I owe you a huge beer. And a hug. And I'll be praying for you a lot.