CENTRI-KID... DAY 4...

OMC! OMC! OMC!

Day 4 of CentriKid is always OMC! OMC is our final day of recreation at camp, and it is the biggest, craziest day! OMC stands for Organized Mass Chaos. Every camper will compete for their color by completing task cards. Every player is trying to complete a different task, but the biggest rule of the game is that you can’t say “no,” so everytime a camper asks another for help, they must stop their task and help. After a camper completes the task, they drop it into their team’s colored bucket and get another task card from the numbered flag indicated on their completed card. The team with the most
task cards in their bucket wins! While adults don’t complete cards, they still help kids with tasks, take pictures, help in the No Fly Zone, and get very messy.

CENTRI-KID... DAY 3...

 This will be short... sorry! Energy is waning and tomorrow is a big, big day! OMC!!! And for you rookie parents, that means ORGANIZED MASS CHAOS!! And it's probably the most fun any kid will have while at Centri-Kid. The four grades will compete against one another and one of them will be declared the winner at the end of OMC. More details tomorrow...

Jake and I spent the afternoon at the ER with Caelin. I'll send an email with more details but all is well now.

The morning started with Parkway being awarded the gold medal award for the day. Each morning 4 leaders are pitted against one another in hopes of winning the coveted gold medal. Thanks to my love of word games today was our day!!!

Other happenings of the day...

CENTRI-KID... DAY 2...

Did you know I hate mornings? I really, really do... And did you know we have the noisiest shower ever? And that a camp like Centri-Kid would schedule breakfast for 7:45? Grrrrrrr!!!! But I was awake with a smile on my face and a song in my heart before 6:30 getting ready for another great day of Centri-Kid. After breakfast we began our day with a Quiet Time. Pray that campers will use that time to quiet their hearts and really concentrate on the devotion and Scripture reading for the day.

Our theme this week is GAME ON! Today's focus was from Daniel 1. Daniel's obedience points us to Jesus. Daniel was able to obey God because he knew God, and he knew obeying God was more important and beneficial than obeying man. So our prayer today is that kid's will make the wise choice like Daniel did. Leaders have a time of worship and Bible study just for them. This morning was a thought-provoking time about surrendering it all to Him. Was it a new concept? Of course not. Do we do that on a daily basis? Of course not. Really makes one think about how much control we allow the Holy Spirit to have and how much we try to do ourselves.

Timmy wins the prize so far for eating the healthiest meal. He actually had a green vegetable plus a salad for lunch. I was impressed... oh, and a plate full of goldfish crackers. :-)

Campers spent the morning at Bible study and Rec. Then it was lunch time with a really lonnnnnng line. Track time takes up the afternoon until 4 pm when then it was our swim time. Each church is assigned a particular swim day and time. Dinner came next with better choices - just my personal opinion... then PARTY! followed by a time of worship then church group devotion time before heading for bed. We have some very tired boys so I think they will make it to bed sooner tonight than last night. Here are some photos of the last 2 days...

CENTRI-KID... DAY 1

Day 1 of Centri-Kid is complete... the hallway is quiet and has been for an hour... and we are hoping that everyone is sleeping and resting up for an even busier day tomorrow. Our trip down was very uneventful with only one stop needed. Girls were in one van; boys in the other. I can't speak for the boys and their trip but our girls were great. 

We arrived at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar about 2 p.m. We were met by CK staff. I went to check us in... the campers and other sponsors got their t-shirts and picked their tracks. After a group photo we went to settle into our dorm rooms and were free to do whatever until dinner at 5:45. 

I seemed to have spent all of my time making sure our campers were reminded of everything they needed and I forgot many things - a pillow and towels just to name two of them. A pillow was found in the preschool wing at church. I made a quick trip to Walmart for towels and a pillowcase. And now it's time for bed and I can't find the pillowcase. I think the heat has gotten to my brain and fried it.

After dinner it was CELEBRATION with loud music... loud cheering... loud games... yeah, everything is loud during certain parts of the day. The kids went to their BIBLE STUDY while the leaders were given many, many instructions. Thankfully, I'm a detailed person and have it all written down - guess I should have done that about towels and pillows. The last thing each evening is CHURCH DEVOTIONS where just our group gets together for a time of sharing and exploring more of what it means to have a relationship with Christ. 

Here are a few photos from today that I took with my iPhone. We will have better ones from our cameras as the days go by...

A NEW YEAR

Yeah, it's been a while... a long, long while... since I even opened my blog page. And it's not because I had nothing to say... I have plenty... and if you read our Christmas newsletter you already know what a tremendous blessing this year has been with many celebrations in the Wescoat house... and they were all a reminder of how truly faithful God is in our lives.

As usual, I began to think about New Year's Resolutions.Oh that blessed time of year. When we determine once and for all we are going to change our ways and live up to the high expectations we have always had of ourselves. Ahh, what an inspiring–and often frustrating–time of year as we focus on our failures and shortcomings. The nature of the resolution is to fix areas of life that have fallen short and make plans (often in our own strength) to change them.

I really don't even like setting goals (even though my supervisor at church requires it of me) and dreaming about how my life could be different only adds to the frustrations…

But what I want to do is celebrate God’s presence and His goodness in our lives. And that was so evident this year - Mom & Dad's 80th birthday, Chris & Kayla's wedding, the birth of Josephine (Jodi) Hope, Chris' completion & certification as an EMT and firefighter, Charlie's trip to China, even a rescue dog named Skippy... as well as so many little things too numerous to mention...

As we focus on changing our habits: eat less, exercise more, floss daily…I think we should spend at least a little time remembering God’s goodness in other areas. Remember the triumphs, the successes, the breakthroughs. Remember the many times God’s faithfulness and compassion “saved the day” and changed situations for the better.

What are you most thankful for in 2011?

CENTRIKID, DAY FOUR - OMC

The favorite day of most campers... OMC (Organized Mass Chaos)... the girls are ready!!Most important meal of the day...

Sara's rest time...

Olivia is ready to go green for OMC...

Go Joe!!

Nick's ready for the fun...

Lauren and Team Red...

WE LOVE OMC!!!!

Look closely and see her big smile... time to throw water on Mrs. Chris...

"High five your leader with shaving cream!"

Lia getting messy for the yellow team...

Andrea reading her task card...