Passing on some Memories at Kid U

I had a great childhood! I grew up constantly learning new crafts... macrame, knitting, crocheting, sewing, bead making, potholder-loom-thingy, ceramics, leather making, etc. My mom was awesome (and still is). She basically taught CRAFTS for a living... how cool is that! I can still picture in my mind her big giant silkscreening machine, and her giant LOOM where she was weaving a rug or something, and let us give it a try. Even now, she has a KILN in her garage and still comes to church to teach crafts to our kids on Wednesday nights as often as possible. Right now, I'm teaching a jewelry making class at Kid U on Wednesday nights, and my girls are making their own beads out of the long paper triangles. Remember those? I'm feeling quite "retro" because I remember my mom teaching me how to make those when I was younger. The girls were very excited that you could make your own beads out of paper and glue! It will take us a few weeks to make the beads before we string them onto some cool bracelets or necklaces! It's fun (and a privilege) to pass along what we've learned to others! I love my girls and I sure love my job!

A Wintery - Wacky Time!!!

Last night, (Feb. 17) was a very special Family Fun night at 1BL! Every 7 weeks we gather parents and kids together for a time of fun, laughter, learning, and celebrating. Last night was one of those nights. In honor of the Winter Olympics, we hosted our very own "Wacky Winter Family Olympics." Families were divided into 3 teams (Germany, Canada and Russia) and we played "hockey" built "snowmen" and through thousands and thousands of snowballs at each other! (And the Fellowship Hall doesn't look any worse for wear today I might add!) Take a look at some of the fun we had!
Making a Family Flag together!
I know it may not look like it from this picture, but here we are "building snowmen!" Each team had a snowman to fatten up using as many balloons as possible. Our good natured snowmen, KC, Shelly, and Pastor Brent!

Lily grabbing up some snowballs to throw at an opposing team!




This is where one of the teams almost got disqualified :)










"I don't remember Ice Hockey ever being this messy before!"
At the end of the evening, each child received a MEDAL for their excellent participation!

Thanks everyone for coming out and "going for the gold!" We hope you all had a great time. See you next Wednesday at our "regularly scheduled Kid U Program!"

Great Year at Kid U

We had such a great year in Kid U... we always want the focus to be on establishing godly relationships between kids and their leaders, and I truly saw that happening this year. From woodworking, to knitting, to scrapbooking, to leather crafts, to "Fun with Food" and in each small group/ discipleship time, it was all about CONNECTING.

Thanks everyone for a great year. We're sad it's over. See you next year!

Kid U Study Abroad

Every year during our Wednesday night club program, Kid U, we hold a Missions Emphasis to help our kids get a global perspective on what God is up to, with the prayer that they will begin to look and listen for the call of God in their lives, and hoping that many of them will some day ANSWER that call to be involved in kingdom work all around the world.

This year, we studied the countries of Thailand, with my friends Dan and Judi Juhasz, then the country of Ethiopia with one of our church members Bill Stamps, and then the country of Zululand, which is in South Africa, with our missionary, Katie Gurzi. Here is a picture of Judi serving some rice, curry, and papaya to the kids. They definitely liked the papaya more than the curry!

Here's Bill Stamps explaining Ethiopian food to the kids. These huge "pancake" things are a staple in Ethiopia, and the people there use them kind of like forks or spoons, and they scoop up their food with it. We tasted lamb, beef, and pork. Again, mixed reviews from the kids, but such a great experience for the kids to see the many different types of people in the world. Here they are making Ethiopian flags and learning a little more about the Ethiopian culture.

What fun! I love our church, and I love all the people who have a global view of the world, and mostly, I love the fact that those people are willing to share their passion with our kids!