VBS

I have had a very busy week going to "Saddle Ridge Ranch" each day. I helped with our Vacation Bible School this year by teaching the 3-year-olds. This was my granddaughter, Sophia's class! I had 3 wonderful helpers!! Such a great team!

Sharon Nickel

Jana Church
and Drew Friesen.

Each morning we would go to the opening. The kids would bring offerings each day. There was a boot for the boys and a boot for the girls to put their money in. Daily it would be announced who was ahead - boys or girls. You should have heard the wooping and hollering of the girls or boys when they would win! In the end the boys won overall and over $700 was raised to send 6 inner-city kids to Morning Star Ranch.

The children would sit on blankets with their class. Our class of 7 children sat on the yellow blanket. At least we would try to keep them contained to the blanket. They are 3-year-olds so it wasn't always easy.

Hannah was with the 5-year-olds and she sat close by.

The kids loved to sing and do actions with the songs.

Even little Luke who was with the two-year-old class.

After the opening, we would go back to our rooms and start the day with some more songs. Cowgirl Molly would invite them to sing with her. We'd sing

"If you love Jesus, Moo like a cow"

"God made me"

"If you're happy and you know it"

"Zacchaeus was a wee little man"

"Jesus loves me"...

The kids LOVE to sing!

We had a different story each day. You can read what Oliver had to say about the story. (click on Oliver)

After a story and a craft, we would go outside to play. The first day we couldn't because there were sooooooo many monstrous mosquitos!! The next day we brought some bug spray for all of us and by the end of the week, somehow the mosquitos had left.

Ollie enjoyed this little craft. Ummm....exactly how many legs does a horse have?

I had brought a horse and teepee from home that the kids enjoyed.

Three-year-olds sometimes have attitudes:

But mostly they were just plumb happy.

I made stick horses for each kid. I had purchased some towels on sale at Wal-mart and could make 4 horse heads from one towel. Found a whole bag of fringe at Et Cetera for 50 cents. In all, I think each horse cost maybe around $3 and just 1/2 day to put all together.

Each day we would ride our horses out on the range (around the church).

The watering hole.

VBS was so fun - but exhausting by the end of the week.

I heard that 11 children gave their lives to Christ. I have a poster that says "Fulfill the Great Commission - one child at a time". That's what it is all about! A very fun and fulfilling week!!

Wow!

Seen out my front door. Wow! Just glad we aren't under that cloud though.

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Tomorrow we start Vacation Bible School. I'm going to be teaching the 3-year-olds and am so excited about it. Bible school is for kindergarten through 6th grade, but we do have nursery for the children of workers. While our kids were in Wisconsin for 10 days, I spent my time preparing for VBS. Lots of crafts to prepare, stories, decorations. I am so happy to have my granddaughter, Sophia in my class as they came back late last night! And Hannah is right next door with Miss Joan, who was her pre-school helper last year. Excited to see how God will work in children's lives and also in all of us who are working too this next week.

Faster!

Clouds

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands."
Psalm 19:1

"He makes the clouds His chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind."
Isaiah 104:3b

Laughter

Reuben

"His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

We received a call yesterday that Allen's brother Reuben (this is his family in the picture) who lives in Lyons had a farming accident. He fell out of the loft of a barn while manuevering hay bales and the elevator. He fell 13 feet and the elevator fell on top of him.

He was life-watched to Wichita. They were told that in only 50% of such accidents do they survive. He broke 6 ribs, has a bruised lung and fractured cervical vertebrate. But he will survive!! And no paralysis! So very grateful!

This morning I read in "My Utmost for His Highest" - "Our Lord never worried and was never anxious, because His purpose was never to accomplish His own plans but to fulfill God's plans." Our circumstances are never too much for God to handle. "Do not fret" Psalm 37:8. He watches over us in all the difficult places and He will not allow even one trial that is too much for us. Don't doubt His love.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will" Matthew 10:29

Garden

Summer is here in Kansas.
HOT!

Last month I took these pictures of my garden.

We are having 90-100 degree weather and I am watering - a lot! Trying to keep my pretty flowers alive.

You may notice in this picture that I am carrying an umbrella while watering my plants. No, it isn't that I'm worried about the sun. Do you see that little speck beside the tree? I'm being dive bombed by purple martins! I mean they come within a foot and they screach as they swoop at me! It is scarry!

The umbrella protects me from them.

I now not only have dog-phobia ..... I have purple martin phobia too. I think next year we won't put up our purple martin house. We thought we were being so nice providing them with such nice accomodations and what do they do? They hate us! Hope your babies grow up and you all fly away soon!!