Children's Camp at CrossTimbers

I got to go with both boys to Children's Camp at CrossTimbers right after school was out this year. This was the first time I had been to CrossTimbers and we had a BLAST! The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma has really done a great job of gearing this camp to kids and keeping them busy!

I stayed in a cabin with girls that had just finished 3rd grade. What an experience! They were great girls, but there was drama - what else would you expect.

The girls in my cabin!

The kids got to experience a lot of things that most kids don't get to do on a regular basis. The mornings were camp activities and they got to do something different each morning - target sports (slingshots, frisbee golf, and shotguns) water sports (canoeing, tubing, and fishing), and ropes course (rock wall climbing, low ropes, zip line, and leap of faith pole). Each afternoon was focused on a mission lesson. They learned about native american missions, African missions, and personal missions. In the evenings, they had chapel led by the Camp pastor for that week (our Camp pastor was our very own Glenn Barber!).

G at Target sports.

One of our favorite "youth" was one of the staffers at CrossTimbers this year. It was great to see and spend a little bit of time with Amanda.

G and M with some of their friends!

M tried the Leap of Faith pole. Basically, you are harnessed in with safety gear, you climb a VERY tall pole and try to stand on it, then you jump to try and get a bandana hanging a ways from you. When you jump, your lines are held up by your friends on the ground - they keep you from falling! M got to the top, but slipped as he tried to stand up. So proud of him for trying! I would not even be able to get to the top!

One night during chapel, M came to me with a tooth missing. It had fallen out right in the middle of chapel. We finally had a top tooth gone!

G really wanted to do the zip line - so off he went! Again, not something his mother would attempt, as it involves climbing to the top of something tall!

Chapel each evening was in the outdoor ampitheater. This was the view of the sunset we had as chapel began each night. What a beautiful picture the Lord gave us!

This is our group from FBC Moore! What a fun time we had!

New Life Ranch

I had the privelege of going with CHA's 5th Grade class to New Life Ranch for Creation Nation. New Life Ranch is located east of Tulsa, OK and is really only about 15 minutes from Arkansas. As we were preparing for this trip, I was talking to my mother-in-law about it. Come to find out, New Life Ranch is where my in-laws met while they were in college - at a BSU retreat. How cool is that!?!

This is the chapel at New Life Ranch.

One of the activities the kids do is water exploration. They have nets and they wade in the water to find the little creatures that live there. At the end of their time, they evaluate how healthy the water is and also talk about the many unique creatures God has made for us to enjoy.

They also spent time fishing and learning how to make fire. The scenery here was breathtaking!

This is one of my favorite pictures.




The kids have a devotional time each morning. They find a quiet place outside to study God' word.

While they wait for dinner, the kids really got into carpet ball. Really just a long table with pool balls. They tried to knock each others balls off the table.

One of the free time activities was rock wall climbing. They could also kayak or canoe. The outside time was limited, since we got a lot of rain while we were there. They also spent hours playing keyhole tag and dodgeball.

CHA's Fifth Grade class - 2010

Spring 2010

Wow! So much has happened since I last posted - and again, I am not very good at this, but I am trying.

After much prayer, on April 30, James accepted a job at Headquarters with Southwest Airlines. That means we are moving. We have been in Oklahoma 8 years and with family. This is going to be a hard one, but we know that God is in control and we are trusting Him with all the details.

Very soon after that (the day after Mother's Day), a HUGE hailstorm hit our house. James had had knee surgery that day. The boys were with James' parents, so he and I sat in our room, listening to the tornado sirens go off and the hail pound our house. We had never heard or seen anything like and honestly I hope we never do again. Here are some pictures of the damage (that is the neighbor's car, not ours).

The hail was the size of grapefruits and went straight through the decking of our roof.

Life goes on and we put our house on the market to sell - with a new roof for the new owners.

Thanks to Mom, I was able to go with Garrett on the 5th Grade trip to New Life Ranch for Creation Nation. Mom stayed and helped James and took care of Mason. We had a great time on the trip with great friends, learning how God is even in the little things.

We wrapped up the school year and said goodbye to great friends and Christian Heritage Academy. We have been blessed by the teachers, staff, and friends at CHA. They have left a lasting impression in our lives and on our hearts.