VBS - Voyage (day) Five

Well, that's it. VBS is over until next year. So sadful...

But, I know I had a fantastic time, and I'm sure that everyone else did too. My prayer is that the Christian kids, parents, and workers walked away from this week being closer to God, having learned more about Him; and that those that are not believers may question salvation and come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Please be praying with me for these people.

Last night went absolutely fantastically! So many strange and funny things happened last night I'm not even sure I can remember them all.

While out with the 5-6 graders, we played touch ball, or something like that, basically ultimate football just with a round ball about the size of a volleyball or basketball. That was fun, but the really fun part was when we just gave the kids water balloons and let them have at it! A few minutes into it, after most everyone was wet, some of the kids thought it would be fun to gang up on me and soak me all at once. I wasn't planning on getting wet...but it sure felt good!!! I was so wet that I wasn't even completely dry three hours later when I got home. But it felt awesome! It wasn't as hot yesterday as it was Thursday, but pretty close.

When the 5-kind class came out, we let them run like mad for a little while then organized a game of switch bases. I still can't figure out what the difference is between switch bases and sharks and minnows. I think they're the same thing. That class and the 1-2 grade class are the hardest to control. They're all crazy maniacs after they've been sitting still for a while, but then you add water balloons to that...phew. YIKES.

Unfortunately, we had one accident. My friend...let's just call him Bob....got hit in the face with the football. Really hard too. Knocked his glasses off his face and left a huge red mark on his cheek. On the way home his one of the nose pieces of his glasses fell off. He's going to have to get completely new glasses today, I think. But, he was alright after a minute. Getting hit in the face with a football can't be fun.

Mom let Poppy and I ride home with Bob (that sounds really strange lol) because she had to take the little ones home to go to bed and we wanted to stay to help clean up. So, we cleaned up the church, probably close to record time too! And then we drove home. Thankfully, Bob felt like chatting the whole way so we had a ton of fun on the way back too just talking about random things.

But, now it's over.

We have our VBS review meeting after the church service tomorrow, but besides that we've gotta wait until next year. If I have the option, I think that next year I'd like to do the same thing I did this year - memory verse coordinator and game worker. For I really loved doing both of those jobs this year!

Thank you guys for your prayers! They were so very appreciated!

Please pray for Chelsea as she is going to be helping in her church's VBS soon!!!

And lastly, "Keep your eyes on the lighthouse, it will always guide you in!"

In Christ alone,
Buttercup

VBS - Voyage (day) Four

Hey Y'all!

Oh man, I'm just now getting my act together at...almost noon. haha.

Ok, well, last night went amazingly! It was SOOOO hot outside, and we had gnats like you would not believe, but God is good and we didn't have anyone get hurt or get too hot!!

Our poor skit team forgot their lines - like, all of them - but they pulled it back together and the show went on! If I wasn't around them a ton and didn't know how they usually acted, I probably wouldn't have really noticed - these guys on the skit team are doing a great job!

Oh gosh, we had a scare last night! While outside with the youngest group (5-kind) I counted the kids a few times to see if we had all of them. We were supposed to have thirteen, and I counted to twelve probably a dozen times. Finally, I ran inside and asked their leader exactly how many of them they were - 13. I asked if any had come into the bathroom - no. Oh man. Not good! I ran back outside and had the other leaders count too. Soon, their leader lined them all up to go to snack time, and I didn't hear any more of it. Apparently they either had 13 and I had missed one every time I counted, or one of the kids had taken their name tag home the previous night; but all turned out good. Still scary though!!!

Well, that's all I've got for last night. Tonight is our last night of VBS...and I've got mixed feelings. I LOVE VBS, but I'm exhausted! haha. Oh well.

Please be praying for us (workers, kids, parents, and guests from another church) today as we wrap up our 2011 Vacation Bible School. Thanks so much for your prayers! They are appreciated!

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

VBS - Voyage (day) Three

Howdy y'all!

Wow! I slept in until 9:30! I NEVER do that! Guess that tells you how exhausted I was. But compared to the leaders of the 5-kind class and the leaders of the 1-2 grade class, I was full of energy!

Last night went great!!! The skit was SO funny! And they got their point across with flying colors - we can't save ourselves, only through Jesus Christ can we be saved. Four of my best friends are in the skit, and man, they are doing a FANTASTIC job!!!

Outside, we did water balloons during game time! Oh, it felt SO good!!! We played a the game where you have two rows of kids facing each other about four feet apart, and they have to toss the water balloon to their partner without breaking it, take a step back, and do it again. The last team to still be going wins the game. Because we had an uneven number of kids, I (in all my wisdom) offered to be the last kid's partner. Let's just say, I was the one to get soaked from the knees down. The bottom few inches of my shorts, and my shoes and socks were soaked, but man did it feel great in that hot weather! My partner and I, I must say, did pretty good; I think we got probably 20 feet apart, still throwing a 5in diameter water balloon!

Again, your prayers are so very appreciated as we try to teach these kids this week and as we shine as lights for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thanks, y'all!

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

Vacation Bible School!

Hey guys!

I am SO excited! This week is my church's Vacation Bible School! I LOVE VBS!!!

I originally wanted to post every day about VBS like I did last year, but I have failed so far...so, I guess I'll just catch up in one post. :)

For VBS this year, we are doing a sailor theme. It's called Summer Seaquest, and it's from VBS Reachout Adventures. This being at least our fifth year of using this company, most of the workers know the basic setup, and this makes it SO much easier!

This year, I am the "Lighthouse Drill Commander", in other words, Memory Verse coordinator. At the end of every night, I quiz the kids in their age groups on that night's memory verse(s). Also, since that only takes up 5-10 minutes at the end, I am helping out of doors doing the games. And guys, it's hot! But praise God, both nights so far there has been a breeze, and it hasn't been quite as hot as we anticipated, and most important of all, we haven't had any heat injuries! Workers or kids! Water, water, water, and God's grace!

Oh! Also, we've got these awesome hats this year! They're little, white sailor caps, and I love them. :P All the workers (minus those adults that don't like them...) have hats, and all the kiddos will get hats on Friday right before we do our Super Summer Seaquest Sundae!

Ok, well, let's get on with this...

Saturday

On Saturday morning, some people from our church got together and put door hangers promoting our VBS on the doors of the houses and duplexes surrounding our church. Our church building it situated right in the middle of a large housing area, so from the church we can literally walk across the street and put up a door hanger. So, I'm not sure exactly how many door hangers we put up, but I'm nearly certain that it was around a thousand.

We were blessed on Saturday morning with high spirits and great weather, so even though we had less people than usual, we got out probably the same number of door hangers! It was awesome!

Sunday

On Sunday we had our All Workers Meeting, that's when we went over all the main and last minute stuff that every VBS worker needed to know. It went on great.

Monday

VBS started Monday night! Because our church is so small, to have enough workers to put it on, we have to wait until most of them get off of work, so our VBS is from 6:30-9:00. That means, that all of us workers have to be there from 6:00-9:30, so it's a long night! But SO worth it!

Monday night is usually the day with the most issues that must be resolved. But surprisingly, this Monday night went on very smoothly! We were all very, very thankful! Also on Monday night, because it is the first night, we have to register all the kids that do not normally come to our church. The kids that normally come to our church registered on Sunday after the service. But all in all, Monday night was awesome!

Tuesday

The second night of VBS went even more smoothly, praise God! We had two more kids than the night before, so that was a blessing! Lord willing, they will, and maybe more, all come tonight!

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All of the workers did their jobs with flying colors! The group leaders and assistant group leaders (Captains and 1st Mates) did great with their kids. Although the leaders of the 5-kindergarten group are utterly exhausted by the end of night (four of them for 15 little kids that all have WAY too much energy!). The sound booth people did great with the sound (obviously lol) and the slides. The music group, especially since we have live music this year, did fantastic! I love the live music idea over just the VBS CD! The people in the kitchen making dinner for the workers and snack (later in the evening) for the kids are also doing an amazing job. The game workers are doing awesome. Our director is also doing great! I think that's everyone...but if not, EVERYONE has been doing an awesome job so far! All the workers are so committed to this!

Well, I have to leave in a hour for VBS tonight. Please be praying for all the workers, the kiddos that will be coming tonight, and the parents that are dropping their kids off. Thanks, y'all!

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

The beginning signs of busyness...

...are starting to come.

Have you noticed? Students all over are watching this thing creep up on all sides as summer fades into the busyness of the fall semester.

Sports are starting;

School supplies are being sucked up from the stores;

People are going to just a few more places before they must buckle down to wait till Christmas break;

Registration for everything that you can imagine is happening;

Etc.

Our precious summer break is coming to a close...oh, well, it had to happen sooner or later, it does every year. I guess we should expect it by now. lol.

Being busy is a good thing, and a bad thing. For one, you don't waste as much time, or, put more bluntly, you don't have much time to waste! I mean, between Church, Youth Group, Keepers at Home, Gymnastics (hopefully!), AWANA, Co-op, Go Ye Therefore, Mission Minded Teens, trying to earn some money, and High School in general (and all those other things that, for some odd reason, seem to show their surprising faces at the most inopportune times) I'm not going to have that much extra time to burn! But, on the other hand, being busy also means that you might not be able to fit everything into your schedule, and you must put the most important things first, which is sometimes very hard to do.

As this new semester comes creeping in we need to be in prayer, 1. that God would lead us to be witnesses wherever He leads us, and in whatever situations He puts us in; and 2. that we would always put Him first; and finally, that we would use our time wisely and effectively to His glory!

Just as a warning, I will probably be posting less, just like all you other bloggers out there, which also means that I will probably be reading and commenting less also. So, don't be offended if I nearly cease to visit your blog for a while, I do love reading y'all's blogs! and commenting! (Who doesn't love comments?!)

Who besides our Lord knows what this next semester holds? Honestly, I can't wait till stuff starts up again!

God bless!

In Christ,

Buttercup

Summer...

Hello my dear readers! (and maybe some visitors???) I hope you are all having a great summer! It's hard to believe that it's already August! Almost time to start some hard-core high school work. lol. So, what have y'all been doing this summer? I have created a tag to answer just that question! Tags are so much fun. :D If you do it, I would really love for you to comment on this post and link to yours so I can see it too! :) Here we go!

What is your favorite outdoor thing to do in the summer?

What is your favorite indoor thing to do in the summer?

What is your favorite book you read/are reading this summer?

What is your favorite movie you've watched this summer?

What is your favorite place you went this summer?

What is your favorite summer drink and/or food?

Have you had a favorite summer? If so, which was it? and why?

Are you sad summer is over? or are you ready for other things to start?

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So now I'll do it, and then you hop over to your dashboard and you it yourself!

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What is your favorite outdoor thing to do in the summer?

Definitely swim!

What is your favorite indoor thing to do in the summer?

ORGANIZE!!! muahaha! I love boxes, I love folders, I love anything that assists you in organizing a messy space! That has been my love for the last few weeks, organizing! hehe. okay, that was weird...

What is your favorite book you read/are reading this summer?

I think I'm reading it now! It's called "In the Hearts of Wild Men" by Ernest Herndon, and I'm about a fourth of the way through it, but I think it'll be my favorite! I'll write a review on it as soon as I'm done...I might need a reminder though. lol.

What is your favorite movie you've watched this summer?

Okay, It's going to sound weird, but I think my favorite*s* are the Veggie Tales "Minnesota Cuke" shows. :) they're so funny and cute! We watched "Samson's Hairbrush" and "Noah's Umbrella".

What is your favorite place you went this summer?

Our grandparents house. :)

What is your favorite summer drink and/or food?

hmmm....MALT! I love you, my dear strawberry or chocolate Sonic malt!!! lol.

Have you had a favorite summer? If so, which was it?

and why?

I don't think I've had a favorite, to be honest...

Are you sad summer is over? or are you ready for other things to start?

I love having extra time, but I am ready to be around people outside of the family more than just on Sundays. lol.

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Feel free to add questions! I just couldn't think of very many. Now, someone please do it. lol. please..... I'm on my knees! You just can't see it! Actually, I'm not, and I'm not begging, but I would love for y'all to do it. :P

Finally, as our dear friend, Tigger, from the Hundred Acre Wood would say...TTFN! Ta-Ta-For-Now!

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

P.S. These are all my pictures, so please don't take them. :)

Youth Camp-out already over...

Well, it's over. Actually, it was over on Sunday afternoon, but anyways...it was great! It was a great time of fellowship, games, devotions, singing, hot cocoa and s'mores! I really wish I could post some pictures of us playing ultimate football, or the scavenger hunt, or just sitting around the camp fire, but I can't. So, I'll just post some nature pics instead. :D

The beautiful lake.

Ducks

Gorgeous sunset.

Cardinal that was too far away to take a good picture of...lol.

Our tent buddy. lol. actually not, this little guy stayed on the OUTSIDE of the tent. :D

Thank you all for your prayers. We had the best weather that we've ever had! And no one got majorly injured besides my counselor. She (I think) sprained her ankle just a few hours before we left. So you can be praying for her healing!

I'll post more pics on Snapshots From God's Creation later! ttyl!

Buttercup <3

Campout this weekend!

Hi-de-ho everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. :( Unfortunately I don't have an excuse for this one...lol.

But! This weekend I am going on our Church's Youth Campout!!! I can't wait! We leave Friday afternoon and get back Sunday afternoon, it is such a short time, but it is so much fun!

I went last year, some of you followers might remember. To see those posts, click here and here. :)

Just like last time, please pray for that we would have a safe trip there and back, it is about an hour away. And that no one would get hurt, especially jumping off of the rocks into the river, which I am not planning on doing. lol. And also that we would have a good time of fellowship and time in God's Word.

Also just like last time, I'll take as many pictures as I can, but I won't be able to post the ones of people, sorry. :)

God bless!

Buttercup <3

Campout this weekend, all over.

The youth camp out this weekend was so much fun! About 26 or 27 people came, 16 campers and 10 or 11 counselors. That was more people than I thought were coming. :) (We have a pretty small church/youth group.) We played ultimate football, sang hymns around the campfire, study God's word together, went hiking, and so much more! I really enjoyed it. :D We got there Friday night at about six, and got back home yesterday (Sunday) at around four-thirty. Saturday morning it rained really hard for at least an hour, so we were all confined to our tents. :( But we had a bunch of fun anyways. :) I am hope I can go next year. Here are some pictures, it was SO beautiful out there! I did not take as many pictures as I wanted because of the rain.

This is a Black headed Buzzard, if I am not mistaken. :p

This tree had HUGE leaves!!!! This not my hand, LOL, it is my dad's. :D

I love this flower! It is so cool! It only has two petals!!!

I love these flowers too. :)

For more pictures, go to our other blog, I will post more there later. :D And thanks for the prayers y'all!

Campout this weekend!

Hi all! Well, I am so excited about this weekend, because I finally get to go on my church's youth group campout!!! This is my first year to get to go, and I am so excited. :D Trust me, I will take as many pictures as I can. :) If you would just pray that everyone would be safe, we have a safe trip there, (it is about an hours drive) and no one would get hurt, and of course, that we would all have a blast and everyone would benefit from it; that would be great. :)

~ Buttercup ~

Summer Fun in January

It's a nice day today, so Mom wanted us to go outside to play in the sunshine a little bit. It was warm enough, I thought, to play in the sprinkler. I also thought that all of my siblings would also enjoy it.
So, I got into a tee shirt, capris and a bathing suit cover-up, and ran outside to play in the sprinkler! Now, Mom had warned me that the water was going to be very, very cold. And I knew that, I just wanted to have a little slice of summer in January. Some of my siblings ran outside with me to play in the sprinkler. Then my little three year old sister thought that it was a little too cold, so she started crying and went inside. The cold water got to my little brother next, so he ran inside.
Before I knew it I was alone. The water was cold, I admit, but it was too much fun to let the cold water get to me! Over time, I got lonely and bored, so I too headed inside. Turned off the water, changed clothes, then wished that summer weather would come to warm up the water a little!