Kids ask questions.

A conversation in the 4th grade Kids Klub class yesterday evening went something like this:

Student: "What happens if you cuss in church?"
Teacher: "Have you ever heard anyone cuss at church?"
Student: "Yes."
Teacher: "And did God strike them dead?"
Student: "No."
Student: "So what is wrong with cussing? Why does God not like it?"
Teacher: "Well, let's see what God says about it -- Ephesians 4:29 'Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up...that it may give grace to those who hear.' "

I might add...cussing is a rather huge problem (really a habit for many kids) we have to address in most of our programs, and unfortunately, it's often reinforced at home by the foul language that parents use, or the television and music that kids are allowed to ingest. It's also a heart issue, for "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (Matt. 12:34) Until the heart has been transformed by Christ, our continual reminders to "keep it clean" aren't going to fix the real problem.

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Another Student: "I don't sin every day. There was a day when all I did was watch movies all day long, and I didn't sin at all that day."

Ah, there you have it, folks. Having a movie watching marathon is apparently the key to not sinning.

A praise and a prayer request: Just this week, Grand Canyon University gave Aim Right 15 free tickets to the Revolve Tour, held this coming weekend at US Airways Center.

From the Revolve Tour's website, here's a little bit about Revolve:

In 2005, Women of Faith created The Revolve Tour...the result is a one-of-a-kind inspirational weekend for 6th- to 12th-grade girls that combines award-winning bands and speakers with real, relevant messages in a high-energy event. Since it began, more than 35,000 girls have indicated they made first-time decisions for Christ at a Revolve Tour event.

Please pray that God would move in the hearts of the girls we'll be taking this weekend. On our part, it seems hastily planned, but we have a sovereign God who orchestrates circumstances and events, and it's no surprise to Him. And --while you're praying -- what about asking for a jolt of some of that "high energy" to bless the staff who are going along? :)

On Sunday evening at the monthly Aim Right potluck, we celebrated Andrea and the completion of her term of service. She continues to live and work in Phoenix, and is still volunteering with Aim Right, for which we are very grateful. Thanks for all you've done, Andrea!



Teen Bible study 2/21:



'Tis the season for auction items to arrive almost daily! Click on the image below to visit our auction website and preview even more items, along with auction details.

Heard on a local Christian radio station:

"You may not be able to do everything, but you can refuse to do nothing."

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I've been thanking God for three Kids Klub volunteers who are refusing to do nothing and am excited about the work God is going to do through them. The 5th-6th grade Kids Klub class is one of the most challenging classes to teach and also one of the largest classes. Now we have 3 adults who are taking ownership of that age group. Along with smaller class sizes, we'll be able to separate guys and girls, which will cut down on some distractions and create an environment to go much deeper with these pre-teens.

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I heard a report this week about a teen who accepted Christ as Savior at a recent Teen Night where Caleb shared the gospel and invited teens to repeat a prayer after him if they wanted to receive Christ. This teen had been searching for some time and finally said "Yes" to Christ. I think of all the people who refused to do nothing -- a Christian friend who invited the teen to Aim Right activities; Caleb, who spoke as God directed him on that evening; and an intern who planted seeds of truth and love, that this teen might come to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Praise God!

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him in." John 6:44

"Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." John 5:24

Tutoring has entered month #2. In January, students were given the challenge to each read 175 pages (25 page average per week) by the end of February. Some students have already reached that goal, and others are on track to finish next week. The prize: a PIZZA PARTY in March! Educational games are a favorite activity.

Tutor James Miller promised a silver dollar to each student with perfect attendance in February. There are some who ask about that silver dollar nearly every week!

We still have a waiting list of students (1st-2nd grade) to be matched with tutors, so if God is nudging you to serve in some way, please call our office at (602) 462-1987. Tutoring meets each Tuesday from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Our program has a 1:1 student to volunteer ratio -- ideal for building a solid relationship with a child who needs a positive mentor.

Kids Klub 2.09.11

Yes, it's still shorts 'n short sleeves weather here. Why do you ask?



We opened another Kids Klub with some outside play time. Plenty of friends at Kids Klub!



The shorter girl in the pink is on my weekly visitation route, and I'm always guaranteed lots of hugs and "I love you's" from her, along with "I want to go with you. Where are you going next?" It's such fun seeing the various personalities God created!

We started a new memory verse passage tonight -- the Lord's Prayer. Some students played Bingo with phrases from the passage. Of course, the best part was probably the edible playing pieces -- Butterfinger Snackerz and peanut butter M & M's!

Aim Right Winter Retreat

If you read the previous blog post, you already know that Aim Right's Winter Retreat didn't go as planned. Here's a recap of events as I recall them (which means the timing of events may be a little off):

Friday, January 28

5:00 p.m. Staff and teens gathered at Aim Right to load vans with luggage and people.

5:40 p.m. Prayed over the trip in our vans and began the journey to Flagstaff.

7:40ish p.m. Arrived safely in Flagstaff and ate at McDonald's.

8:45 p.m. Arrived at El Nathan Christian Camp. Relieved vans of luggage and people.

9:15ish p.m. Gathered for our first session with speakers Tom & Marcia Kuyper. Made collages reflecting our lives and relationships.

Saturday, January 29

12:30 a.m. Lights out, with campers in their bunks and (mostly) settled down.

5:30 a.m. Intern Andrea Stoltzfus, sleeping on a top bunk, awoke feeling nauseated. She attempted to climb down from the bunk and fell, hitting her head on the floor. Stephanie Reed, who was staying in the same room, kept a close eye on Andrea from then on, especially when Andrea began throwing up.

6:30-7:30 a.m. Other campers began to wake up. Several complained of headaches and nausea, and some were throwing up as well.

8:00-8:45 a.m. Symptoms appeared to be worsening. With a hunch that carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning might be the cause, the heat was shut off in the lodge, doors opened, and Darrell instructed all campers and staff to evacuate to another building. Camp director and 911 notified.

8:45ish a.m. Flagstaff fire crews and emergency medical personnel began to arrive at the camp. They checked each individual for evidence of CO poisoning and placed oxygen masks on those with the highest levels of CO in their body.

Ro lightened up the morning for us. He had quickly slipped into the wifey's boots, not knowing that would be the only footware he'd be wearing for a long while!

10:00ish a.m. Following the advice of EMS personnel, everyone in our group was transported to Flagstaff Medical Center via ambulance or van. There, CO levels were once again tested, with the most affected being placed on oxygen. Darrell and other "well" staff members called parents, comforted the afflicted, and served as patient's advocates throughout the lengthy ER check-in and treatment process.

Andrea suffered a mild concussion from her fall and was the most serious patient. As you can tell, the other campers were in good spirits while they patiently waited for the oxygen to do its job -- a process that for many lasted 2 to 3 hours.

Finally....an Andrea who is looking and feeling much better!

Darrell, in charge of keeping paperwork straight, questions answered, fears calmed, and wise decisions made. I recall him saying, "Now we know why we always make sure the kids have signed release forms!"

Even with the wifey's boots on his feet, Ro still kept smiling!

Mama Julie, who was most often back in the ER as a patient advocate / guardian for teens.

Our speakers for the weekend -- Tom & Marcia Kuyper. They were troopers!

Several individuals in our group felt fine, testing at very low CO levels, and therefore could refuse treatment. Others were checked into the ER for extended oxygen therapy and monitoring. After everyone in our group was released and fed, we headed back to El Nathan to pack up and head back to Phoenix -- definitely not the camp experience we had hoped for, but nevertheless the wisest decision considering the circumstances.

To my knowledge, the exact cause of the CO poisoning has not been determined. We are just grateful for God's protection of our group and know that His hand was upon us!

Also, if you are interested, here is a live report that aired on the 10:00 news Saturday evening.

And...special thanks to all of you I "stole" photos from on Facebook!