For Carter and Easton Grothusen, this year’s Middle School Camp was a catalyst for their acceptance of Christ. But the journey to their decisions started before they were even born with the prayers of a family friend.

Carter and Easton, heading into 8th and 6th grade, attended Pathway’s Middle School Camp for the first time this summer. Both had been asking more questions about God and church recently, but neither had ever experienced an event that placed Christ and faith so strongly in front of them. “Camp was either going to make or break their religious experience,” recalled their mom, Celeste.

In reality, Carter and Easton were hesitant about attending camp. But in March, Jennifer Tarbutton, the daughter of the Grothusen’s former daycare provider, Ivette Tarbutton, gave both boys their first Bibles for their birthdays, and their hesitancy turned into excitement. Once at camp, Carter heard everyone around him talking about Jesus and he decided it was time for him to accept Christ as his Savior. Unbeknownst to Carter, Easton also made the same decision.

“I was so proud of him because I didn’t know if he was going to do it,” Carter said.

After telling their parents they’d both accepted Christ in the car after camp, Carter and Easton asked to go straight to Ivette’s house where they shared the news with her. Camp was the setting that prompted the boys to accept Christ, but Ivette’s faithful persistence had been just as instrumental in leading them to salvation.

“Ivette was always more than just a daycare provider,” Celeste recalled. Ivette had been Dallas and Celeste’s neighbor before Carter and Easton were born and they all regarded each other as family. As soon as she found out each time Celeste was pregnant, Ivette began praying that their little boy or girl would accept Christ someday and be involved in a church.

Throughout the years, Ivette continued to pray for the boys, read the Bible to them continually, and always invited them to church. She said she felt truly blessed to have the boys share their special moment with her and she has no plans to stop praying for their future.

“I’m just so overjoyed and want them to know how important a decision this is,” Ivette said. “Now that they’ve taken that step, they can’t just stay there. I am definitely not done praying for them.”

BY ROSS FITCH | PHOTO BY BROCK GLENN