SUNDAY'S KIDZONE WORSHIP

If I had to choose a favorite part of the week, it would probably be Sunday mornings at KidZone Worship. I'm always amazed at the insight of the kids... sometimes comical, sometimes pensive, sometimes deep, sometimes off the wall.

Today we had the story of Hannah and talked about prayer. Kim asked the question "How does God speak to us?" The first answer from a 9 year old boy was "a talking donkey". Kim agreed that had happened in the Bible and she asked the question again. A 9 year old girl says "a burning bush that didn't really burn". OK, we now know that the kids listen to the Bible stories but that still wasn't what we were getting at. A 4 year old boy raises his hand (as he always does) and says, "a talking penguin". No idea where that came from but Kim simply chuckled and asked the question again... "How does God speak to us?" A little 4 year old girl raises her hand and I'm thinking we're going to get a similar answer and in a very quiet voice says, "He speaks to us through prayer." Ding, ding, ding!!! Now we're on the right track and Kim asks for one more answer. A 5 year old boy then says, "Through His Word". How cool is that?

And today we had the perfect example of answered prayer. We had asked God to protect and be with Captain Chris Pruitt while in Iraq. The week that he left - over a year ago - we had prayed for him and prayed with his sons, Sam and Jack. Many times Chris' name was mentioned during the KidZone lesson or prayer time. And today, he walked his sons to KidZone and later got a standing ovation in worship. Welcome Home, Chris! We praise God that you're back safely.

Today was Teresa's last Sunday in KidZone... and, like Jennie, she will be missed. Both young ladies have been a big asset to our KidZone Worship since it first began. They are off to college... to new adventures... to prepare for the future that God has planned for them. Now we're waiting to see who God will send us to rotate with Sara, doing the preschool portion of the lesson.

Each week the kids put a marble in their cup for bringing homework... and periodically we allow them to have marble for bringing a Bible or for going to Sunday School... or just because they were great kids who listened and were obedient. We gave away our first KidZone t-shirt today because Meredith was the first person to reach 25 marbles. Well, she really had 30 but we had to wait for the t-shirts to arrive. So now she starts over and with her consistency, I'd better think of a new reward really soon.

It has been a blessed Lord's day.

A DAY OFF...

No laundry got done... very little house cleaning - just the bare minimum... and it was a fun day!!

Jason asked if I'd take the kids to swim lessons because Jenny was going to a conference and he had to work. Such memories of swim lessons... Jason hated them - screamed and cried and literally made himself ill. Sara was like a fish - loved the water... loved to learn... and couldn't wait to get in the water. Chris... well, his favorite part was splashing the swim teacher whenever she turned her back... go figure! And now I have memories of grandkids' swim lessons. Sammy won't take his shirt off until the last minute... when it's actually time to get in the water. The first thing they did was hold onto a board (with the teacher) and kick their feet. Sammy didn't hold onto the board... he held onto the teacher... very tightly around her neck. Lizzie does not like getting her face wet. The teacher would take a kid out into the water... hold them... and both would go under. As she started doing that Lizzie came to me and said, "Moppy, I need to go to the bathroom." Lizzie is a very smart little girl but I'm a pretty smart Moppy, too, so I said, "You can go to the bathroom as soon as you go under the water." :-) She didn't argue but neither was she happy. And guess what? After going under, she didn't have to go to the bathroom. So I figure it was either a ploy to get out of getting her face wet or she went in the pool. Let's hope it was the first one. :-)


Sara and I went to see Karate Kid. Young Jaden Smith is cute and a good actor. Of course, it's not as good as the original one but we enjoyed it. And for dinner we were able to lend some support to the BJC Hospice by eating dinner at Chick-fil-a.

Thanks to those of you who have prayed for my sister's husband, David. They are still working on getting his blood to thicken but he is home and has been cleared to go back to work a little at a time.

Saddle Ridge Ranch week

Actually, this past week - Saddle Ridge Ranch, VBS 2010... fun, demanding, exciting, tiring, inspirational... and the adjectives could go on and on... but I'll use Rebekah's way of describing the week.

Sitting... is not something that happened too much during VBS, except when I was working on the newsletter each evening.

Waiting... it seems as though we waited so long for VBS to arrive. We've known the theme for a year... attended a VBS preview in Nashville in February... began recruiting teachers in March and then BAM! It's over!

Glad... for the 10 children who indicated a desire to know Jesus personally.

Needing... wisdom on what we need to do differently next summer.

Avoiding... or at least trying to avoid thinking about next year's theme... The Big Apple... I've never been a big fan of New York...

Enjoyed... the music... the motions... watching the kids catch on... even the very youngest were "roundin' up questions; drivin' home answers".

Preparing... follow-up packets for those who made a decision or have questions; also for those who are unchurched... trying something new this year.

Trying... to catch up on sleep and rest...

Ending... being thankful that all God did during the week and will continue to do in the time to come.

VBS FUNNIES...

• A 4 year old picks up a VBS flyer the week before we start and says to her mom, "Is this about UPS?"

• On Monday night, towards the end of the evening, one of the first graders asked his teacher, "Are you a real cowgirl?" "I was born in Texas, but I don't know if that makes me a cowgirl. Why do you ask?" He replied "You sure sound like one!" Then he also told me he was born in Houston, Texas. "Really?" I said. "You sure don't sound like a cowboy!" He laughed but I laughed more because he is Asian!

• As the 3 year old class entered the craft room, one of the boys looked out the window and said "It's getting really dark. I should go home and take a nap."

• One of our newest craft volunteers told me our VBS was too realistic. She woke up this morning with a chigger bite.

• One kindergarten cowgirl really liked her class. They could be rowdy because there are "NO MOMS in there."

Pictures are available on the KidZone Children's Ministry page on Facebook and soon to be on the church's website.

WEDDING STORY, PART 2

Yes, I'm aware it's been almost 2 weeks since I promised part 2 of our wedding day. My sister, Brenda, even tried to guess what it was... such impatience. She mentioned the coconut in the icing of the wedding cake. I had forgotten about that... I HATE coconut!

So the wedding and reception are over... we've changed clothes and find our decorated blue Pontiac LeMans waiting for us in front of the church. We were headed to Phoenix to spend the night and then on to the Grand Canyon and Pikes Peak for our honeymoon. A few minutes out (but already on the highway) I say to Charlie "Did you pick up my little overnight bag?" He says no... that he doesn't remember seeing it but "whatever is in there can be replaced, right?" And I said sure - it was no big deal. A little bit further and I say, "Oh, wait... my birth control pills are in that bag!" With a look of fear on his face, he quickly turns the car around and we go flying (and I felt like we really were flying low) back to the church. In the meantime, his best man has found the bag and is trying to catch us. So we get back to church and wait... The bag finally arrives because our best man gave up trying to catch us. Wouldn't it have been nice to have a cell phone? What was nice to know was that Charlie didn't care if I had my make-up or deodorant or toothbrush... he was willing to buy all that new... but the birth control pills? Now that was a much different story... :-)

37 YEARS AGO...

June 9, 1973 - at Morningside Baptist Church, Tucson, Arizona in the sweltering heat, I entered into wedded matrimony with Charles Dean Wescoat... a skinny, long-haired, handsome guy. We were much too young to be getting married but we were crazy in love and didn't know any better so off we went into the sunset. I have two things that always come to mind about that day - and it has nothing to do with the pastel dresses or the frilly tuxedo shirts or the beautiful flowers or even the wedding party. Instead my thoughts go to the rehearsal the night before. We had spent much of the day doing those last minute wedding things and decorating the small church. We were short two candles for the candelabra so that was one of our errands - finding two candles that matched the rest - and we did even though they had been more expensive than the others. So we finished the decorating and went home to dress for the rehearsal. Remember: Arizona - sweltering heat - and many places did not have a/c but had an air cooler. The temps were over 100 degrees but no humidity and many times the air cooler was enough. When we get back to the church we find that the candles have all drooped except the last two we bought... all drooped over in a very symmetrical pattern. However I was not seeing the humor in it. Now my dad is a very thrifty person. My thought was where will we find candles but my Dad took them out of the candelabra, rolled them on a table and put them in the freezer, saying they would be fine by the wedding the next afternoon. If you look really close at our wedding pictures, you'll see that the candles don't stand straight and tall. :-)
And the second memory? It'll have to wait for another day. I have VBS shopping to do. Saddle Ridge Ranch is in 3 days...

TWIML (This Week in Moppy's Life)

Not really a very good title... I don't keep this up weekly... maybe because my life isn't exciting enough to warrant a weekly update. Yeah, I'm feeling rather blah lately... it'll get better.

Sitting... alone on a Saturday morning and wondering what to do today... but actually kind of nice to have no specific plans until evening.

Waiting... for evening when I get to play with the grandkids... that'll perk me up.

Glad... for unexpected hugs from little peeps... invites to DQ... weekends with extended family.

Needing... smiles.

Reading... Healer by Dee Henderson; Daughters of Hope by Kay Strom & Michele Rickett

Avoiding... most carbs... slowly (very slowly) losing weight...

Enjoyed... Luke's (my nephew) wedding and seeing the family last weekend.

Preparing... for Saddle Ridge Ranch, VBS 2010... register here.

Drinking... Diet Coke... no little bottles of Diet Pepsi available at the store... what's up with that? And I was too lazy to go anywhere else.

Trying... to get out of a funk and think about all the positives.

Ending... with a sigh... and pictures.



Mom, Dad & Dominic (great-nephew)





Nora likes her Moby.