Bates '08

Just returned from Bates Creek Camp in Potosi on Friday. What a week! This was Youth Week and Johnny, Lauren and I all went down. (Alex isn't old enough for youth week yet.) 300 kids from 13 through 18 years.

Talk about hormones :)

It really was amazing. I don't know where to start.

I've always been a cabin leader for girls week so I was new to this. We took 14 kids: 10 girls and 4 boys. They were truly a great group of kids and we had a blast. (As you can tell by the first pic!)

The crazy looking pic of us standing on a plank of wood was team building exercises.

And Johnny is sliding down a 200 foot piece of plastic soaped down and named the ultimate slip 'n slide! You will not see a pic of me on that.

The best part of camp was definitely worship.

Our speaker was John Stamper and in addition to being an awesome youth pastor, he has started an outdoors ministry: soelive.com. His ministry partners with Bass Pro Shops to present the gospel with outdoor shows focusing on students.

I don't have definite numbers, but I would say at least 20 kids were saved this week. Not including re-dedications made by students to live for Christ in a bold way.

Johnny and I aren't sure who came away more refreshed; the youth or us!

...you belong in the zoo...

We got in a trip to the zoo while Aunt Lisa, Mikayla and Rachel were in town. So fun. There was a new baby giraffe, too. He was hiding behind a tree but we got a pic.

It's so funny to watch the kid's reaction to the animals like the goats. They loved them. Ricky and Rachel brushed them and hugged um.

We had a ball on a virtual roller coaster ride (yeah, at the zoo). It was a 3-D movie you watched in a very unstable, moving seat. We even got Grandma and Shawnee on it. We failed to point out the loop-de-loop on the picture of the ride. They survived. The kids loved it so much we had to ride again after we took a trip on the train. It really just made me want a real roller coaster.

I think I need a Six Flags trip now.

Rockstar Alex

Yippee! Alex's room is done. Okay, after painting 9, (yes NINE) pieces of furniture, drywalling a wall (the blue one) and going through tons of ten year-old stuff we are DONE with Alex's room! Mission accomplished...both of the girl's rooms redecorated this summer! Props to Johnny for his first dry wall job (that I've seen anyway). It was done just in time (bearly) for Alex's 11 year-old sleep over. Four 11 and 12 year-old girls. Very loud....the room and the sleep over. But she loves it. And I may get to read a book or two now this summer!