Friends and Family at the Beach

Day 3 brought in Stephen and Melissa at about 2:00 and then Nadene, Nancy, and Erin got here right before supper. Stephen and Melissa had lots of fun with the boys at the beach this afternoon! We had Mexican for dinner, and then went for a walk on the beach. Erin had a ball and couldn't wait until the morning to get into the water!

Tyler playing in the sand

Mom keeping a watchful eye on the boys

Stephen and Tommy catching a wave

Jamie and Mimi basking in the sun

Erin loved the waves

Daddy and Stephen love Melissa!

Redneck Horseshoes

Day 2 at the beach was quite windy. We didn't actually stay on the beach for very long because it was actually a little bit chilly. Mimi arrived this afternoon and Paw Paw got here at about 7. Mimi taught us how to play Redneck Horseshoes - it was a lot of fun.

Tommy and Tyler trying to hang on to the boogie boards

Jamie and Casey taking a snooze

Mimi showing us how it's done

Paw Paw's Balls

Paw Paw strikes a pose for Tyler

The Beach at Last!!!

After much packing, loading, and unloading, we finally arrived at the beach! Tyler and I got here at about 2:30, and Jamie and Tommy got here at about 4. Tyler didn't waste any time heading to the beach - then we came back home to help unload and get Tommy. Casey is really enjoying the water this year - last year she was afraid because she was only a few months old. I am just glad to finally be here and have some time to relax!!!!

Tommy and Casey catching some waves

Tyler all washed up

The End of a Wild Ride

Well, tonight was the last night at Avalanche Ranch, and it has been quite a wild ride for the PM offsite crews. We went to two retirement homes tonight. My crew visited Oak Leaf and sang some of our VBS songs for the residents. David and Lance took turns speaking to them about our amazing VBS experience and about Jesus. After the kids sang, they visited with the residents. I think that it was meaningful for the kids and the residents. I hope my crew will return this Sunday to the celebration - if you guys are reading this, I hope to see you then!

Cana leading the kids singing VBS songs

David speaking to the residents

The residents enjoying the music

Visiting with the residents

My boys introducing themselves

Katie and Emily

Melvin, our fearless driver

Swimming in the Rain

Day 4 of VBS was Commitment night. The kids started out by swimming in the rain at the pool in Summer Lake subdivision. They had a blast. They then chowed down on hot dogs and smores. As you can see from the photos, the marshmallows were particularly enjoyed by all. After everyone dried off a little, we went into the clubhouse for some music from Lance and a talk from David about risk taking for Jesus. The kids really enjoyed both of them, and it is my prayer that many of them will take that step of faith and become closer to Jesus.

Giddyup, Tyler!

Samantha the Baptist?

Chicken fights in the pool . . .

and more chicken fights in the pool

Now that looks a little dangerous!

Our casualty for the night - a busted lip

Crewmates Daniel and London

Fellow crew leader Lloyd with grandson Colton

Drying out from the pool

Toni and Heather

Glenda and Me

Marshamallows - YUM!

David really likes his marshmallow!

No one would claim the underwear!

The kids enjoying the music

We love our VBS songs!

Pastor Jeff

Does Connor trust Jonathan to catch him?

A Garden at Pleasant Hill Elementary School

We narrowly escaped the rain tonight, but we were able to get the garden started at Pleasant Hill Elementary School that we were supposed to do last night. The kids helped spread mulch, plant bushes, plant bulbs, and the garden is starting to take shape. The AM crews will help finish the job tomorrow. The kids had a little bit of time at the end to play on the playground. It actually turned out to be a nice evening for us because the clouds and the breeze helped cool things off a great deal. Thank God for small favors!!!

My guys enjoying the music before we departed

Shannon - my crewmate from last year

The kids working hard in the garden

Ryan raring to dig a hole!

Samantha plants a daffodil

Bring on the rain!

The garden taking shape

Mom a little worried about the rain cloud

The ominus rain cloud

Some fun after our work

Rained out on Day 2 of VBS

We made the best out of a bad situation on day 2 of PM Offsite VBS. We were supposed to plant a garden at Pleasant Hill Elementary, but a bad storm was approaching as we loaded the buses, so we made a last minute decision to go skating instead. The kids were crushed!!!! Hopefully, we will be able to plant the garden tomorrow night instead of bowling. We had a big time at the skating rink, though! I have a really great crew!

David and Lance lacing up!

All lined up for prizes

Tyler bustin' a move

Sally and Jonathan

Thumbs up!

We finally convinced Melvin to strap up!

Dutch - up close and personal!

Tyler and Katie

Crewmates Amanda and Cana

Crewmates Tre and London

Crewmates Bradley and Colton