Faith - It's a Vivas Thing!

Jul 13 2010

Camp, Day 2

Day 2 of camp was probably one of , my favorite days. It was our first official full day, so we really didn't know what to expect. There were however, two things, that would happen this day. The first was that it was one of our girl's birthday; the second was it was water day at rec…and we were told to be prepared to get soaked.

Ok then!

At breakfast, birthday girl needed a little glamour to get the day going. In order to get her day started out the right way, we announced her birthday to the dining room and had a combined effort of singing, "Happy Birthday!" We also made sure her birthday was announced in front of the 1900 teens attending worship, although they did say her last name wrong. (I'm sorry for laughing, dear.)

And then there was recreation. Not sure what to expect, we threw on some shorts and t-shirts and headed over.

Our youth group was split into two family groups. We still did everything together, but for recreation, we were on opposite teams. It'd probably be a good thing to know that we are all pretty competitive. I'll also state, that as a leader, I have the option of not participating, (instead delegating) if I don't want to. Yeah, well, ok.

Our first game was holding a thick pvc pipe full of holes over a bucket. We had to work as a team to cover the holes while other's poured cups of water down the pipe. First one to fill the bucket wins. We didn't do too bad and I managed to stay completely dry.

I may get them a bit jumbled as we went quickly from one game to the next. I'll say this: for the first two or three games, I stayed dry. And then it happened.

We came to a game where we had to run to a trash can and fill our hair with water, then run to our bucket and ring it out. The first team to fill their bucket wins. Ah ha! Birthday Girl has long, thick, hair! She'd also just stubbed her toe and wasn't really up to running back and forth. (She did anyway!) We had another girl who had long hair, so she was up for the challenge, too. Our other family group's team was a bunch of shorter hair, so I thought we had it in the bag. But then, things started to really become well, um, competitive…and before I knew it, I was ducking my long hair into the trash and rining it into the bucket, too! And I was, um, well, rather wet. And laughing.

And we headed to the next game. Which involved a trash can full of water, a bowl, a sponge, and a bucket. Rules: line up up in an assembly. One at bucket, one with sponge, one with bowl. Person with bowl runs to trash can, fills up bowl. Throws bowl of water from designated spot to person with sponge at designated spot. Person with sponge catches water from bowl with sponge. Sponge person then throws sponge at person with bucket. If sponge lands in bucket, person with bucket rings out sponge and they all move forward a spot. If sponge misses, person with bucket rings sponge over head, then moves on. Object: fill the bucket.

I'm sure it all started innocently enough. Our two family groups were standing on the same side, next to each other. In order to get to the trash can of water, we had to pass by each other. And it was a race, after all. And we were wet. And hot. And did I mention competitive?

Somehow, someone's bowl of water was, I'm sure of it, mistakenly bumped into. And then, somehow as we were running back and forth, we just kept spilling each other's water. And then somehow, we all ended up soaked and lost track of what we were supposed to be doing. And then somehow, we were in the absolute best waterfight that we've ever been in! (I felt sorry for the poor referee who gave up on us.) And somehow, we were in fits of hysterical laughter. And boy, did we have fun!

We moved on to the other games and followed the rules. We played water dodge ball and other stuff, and then it ended. And we headed over to the tree to listen to our Red Rumble leader share the Word with us.

And I won't say who, but one of those trouble making teens of ours thought it was funny to toss a bucket of water unexpectly over my head!

Later, we talked about our fun and agreed while it was a great bonding moment, we definately would set the example and follow all the rules the rest of the week.

And much later, we ended the day with hostess cupcakes, hearts, and laughter to celebrate the birthday. And we laughed and laughed at pillows and popping cupcakes and a near food fight.

Yeah, these types of days are just a little part of what makes camp so fun!

Jul 12 2010

Camp Day 1

This week's blog is for the parents of the wonderful teens I went to camp with! I know as a parent, there is nothing greater than your teen coming home from camp and sharing their wonderful stories of the past week. But let's face it, they don't always tell you everything. Ha ha

I thought it might be nice to share some of the things from a leader perspective. So…

On Monday, we finally arrived after driving all night on the charter bus. We were tired, but the weather was beaufitul. I'll have to say, personally I loved the registration process because they were so organized! Anyway, it was a huge blessing to find out our dorms were only a few steps away rather than a trek across the college! We spent the first few hours unpacking and hanging, waiting for dinner and worship.

I tried to take notes during the week of things that stood out to me so I'd remember when I came home. Monday night we were singing in worship. I'm not one that usually looks around while we are singing and praising the Lord, but I happened to have been…well, sneezing. When I was in control again, I looked beside me. What I saw really blessed me. It was a room full of teens just singing and praising in full worship; one in particular struck me. He was standing there, eyes closed, face lifted up, just singing to our Lord. Honestly, he reminded me of an angel at that moment.

I quickly looked away, not wanting to interrupt his moment, and went back to my own singing. I remember thinking later, "What a great way to start the week."

And what a great week I had to look forward to.

Jul 05 2010

5th of the Month

It's been over a year since I wrote about the Steven's family and the loss of their son, and our dear friend, Josh Stevens. I thought today would be a good day to share more.

It has been almost two years now. Up until I became sick a few months ago, we continued our monthly tradition of Steven's Soup. During that time, my sweet friend, Barb, was grabbing the Drama Queen and taking care of her (including feeding her, which is hard with all of her food allergies!), and helping us out tremendously! Now that I am better, my kids (and Shelbie) are ready for soup again. So today, we make soup!

These days, a gigantimous pot is needed. It involves 20 lbs of potatoes, and lots and lots of love! I thought I'd re-post the recipe in a larger quantity for anyone who might want to make it for their family and share it with another family! You can still find the original recipe, in smaller quantities, on the link above.

But first, let me share a little of what has happened in the past several months. The Steven's family has started the Josh Steven Foundation. Here is a small quote from their web site:

"Josh was always doing something kind for someone else. We believe that
when he was kind to others, seeing how it made them feel, it inspired
him to pour out more kindness. It was a necessity to him. And when a
person would say “thank you” to him, it filled him so full, that it
would make his day. This is how and why we came up with The Josh Stevens
Foundation and the Kindness Card.
It’s a simple way to “catch” a child and let them know that their
genuine kindness can change the world. Our hope is that children being
“caught” will be inspired to be more kind, more often."

I'd like to encourage you to check out their site and see how you can be involved in passing on some kindness!

Ingredients

Love, as much as you can put into it

1 cup butter (I use earth balance to keep this dairy free)
6 qts
organic chicken broth
2 diced sweet onions
20 lbs red potatoes,
peeled, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cayenne
2tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp sea
salt
3 12 oz tub sour cream ( I use tub Tofutti Better Than Sour
Cream)
3 8oz tub cream cheese (I use tub of Tofuttie Better Than
Cream Cheese)
3 heaping tsp dill (fresh is best)
1 tbsp minced
garlic
1 bunch of fresh chives chopped up

Place onions and
potatoes into a large pot. Add chicken broth, garlic, cayenne, pepper,
and salt and bring to a boil. Continue boiling until potatoes are
tender. Mash potatoes with a potato masher (or a larger spoon thingy)
until there are small little chunks of potato mixed in. Add butter, sour
cream and cream cheese, chives and dill and simmer for about 15
minutes. If soup is a little watery, you can add in a bit of potato
starch to thicken it up.

Here's a little added tip: the broth should just cover the potatoes, giving enough liquid to boil; add a little more, add a little less. The soup is much better if the spices are added in while the potatoes are boiling, but you can add them in later if you forget.

For those who can have dairy, top off
your bowl with colby jack or cheddar cheese and enjoy. the Smart One likes bacon bits added to his!

But before
you take a bite, please remember Barb, Drew, Shelbie and Sammie in your
prayers…and if you knew Joshi, share a few memories as you sit around
your table eating the Stevens Soup!

Jun 30 2010

It’s been an Honor to know you, my friend

Today's Just for the Joy of It is a bit different then my others. I say this, because though my heart is saddened, I will have joy.

A very dear friend of our family is in his final stages of living here on earth and on his way to be with our Maker. And as I sit here, wondering if the call will come soon, I smile as I remember his smile, and what he has meant to our family.

We met Vern and Lois many years ago. I honestly don't know how long, but we were immediately drawn to them. They have that wonderful sense of humor that doesn't come along too often. Vern is known for wearing his silly t-shirts with saying on them that are meant to make you laugh. I remember when my hubby turned 40, I wanted to get him some t-shirts like our *old geezer* friend. I call them the Vern t-shirts! To make hubby's celebration even better, it was Vern that lent his wheelchair to us so that we could wheel my *Over the Hill* husband into his home. These days, I wear my husband's t-shirts a lot…and I always think of our old geezer friend when going to put one on. (He even has Geezer 1 on his license plate.)

Things about Vern that have brought us joy:

The way his face lights up when he sees us. Seriously, nothing makes you feel better than knowing that someone is thrilled to see you.

The way he could talk your ear off.

Knowing that he adored my kids as much as they adored him.

As we pray for Vern during these last hours, we rejoice that He will be free from his pain and dancing at the feet of Jesus. I came across this song tonight. I've never heard it before, but it touched my heart. I hope it brings you joy.

About an hour after I posted this, Vern went to meet his Maker. You were loved, and we'll miss you much.

Jun 24 2010

Things that bring me joy

I haven't had a lot of time to blog this week. It's been kind of busy with Vacation Bible School and such. I don't have any pictures, but I do have a few words to say. 🙂

Serving in the kitchen and bringing meeting new people has been joyful.

Swimming laps with my new *BFF* and going to bed exhausted has brought me joy.

Having breakfast with a *newish* friend has brought me joy.

Having my oldest son show up unexpectedly always brings me joy.

Our Wednesday nights with Miss Kathleen ALWAYS make me smile.

But, I think the thing that has really warmed my heart this week is…

That the Talented One is working with four year olds this week at VBS. Completely out of his comfort zone, and not feeling 100%, he has still been there each morning to teach them about God.

B-boo has gotten up early and left the house each morning by 7 am to get to the church on time. 🙂 She's been watching the little ones, then helping with the 5th and 6th graders. And loving it.

And the Smart One. It's been so much fun to watch him up on stage helping to teach 260+ children the dance moves to *Saddle Ridge Ranch.* And then, he goes and helps with the preschoolers.

And the younger ones spend the week learning new things about Jesus.

The week is almost over, but it's definitely been full of joy.

For more Just for the Joy of it, click on the picture below.