Back in NC!

So we're all back in NC now after a super busy week with Sports Camp. It's great to be home seeing family and enjoying the cooler weather, haha, but I miss Alabama already. Sports Camp turned out to be really awesome though. All of the participants did a great job, and I feel like God really blessed us all, through the kids in the community and the youth and adults from NC and Indiana and all that went on. I think we had something like 125 different kids from the community come out. I hope that we get a turnout that great for VBS too! Thanks for all your prayers, and grace and peace to you all!

-Katie (:

Sports Camp Kicks Off!

It's really late so I'll be brief, but I just had to share a bit about our first day of Sports Camp! We had 97 kids today. WOW. I believe that's easily a single day record for SOUL. All of the participants did a wonderful job leading the community kids through a day of basketball and extreme heat. Pray for us tomorrow, as it will be in the triple digits - we have to be vigilant about keeping the kids (and ourselves) hydrated and cool!

Anyway, thanks to you all for your prayers and thoughts. We praise God for them and for you!

-Will

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Saturday Orientation

Wow. Today went by so fast, and yet it seamed that it would never end.
Hey, everyone. This is Edna. ^_^

So, today was actually the first official day that the NC people finally arrived. The van-loads arrived around 6:45 p.m. We totally ran out and surprised them, lol, but we were put to work carrying bags and such stuff. Whoop, whoop. It was really hot outside today, but we all survived. ^^ So yeah, I was kinda really nervous all day. I'm so glad I didn't even think of some of the things I would be doing or I would have hid under my bed. I lead devotions tonight, and I actually switched my song and had to go play by myself... bad decision. Thankfully, God took control and it didn't totally flop. That's just one of the really cool things about God; He's so amazing at taking something so insignificant and poorly put and turning it into something totally awesome. So we all have group names and such, like family groups. Lol. So totally random even for me. ... There's: Marigold, Teal, Periwinkle, Crimson, Baby-Blue, Indigo, Tickle-me-pink, Lime Green, and Mango. (Which is me! ^^)

The staff performed the "lifehouse everything skit", and it was sooooooo good. So many youth afterwards said they were touched. Others said they'd seen it before, but this one was the best they'd ever seen. ... So cool how God works. But the staff did an awesome job, and i hope it will get put up maybe in the near future. ... lol. I'm pretty happy with my muscle work of flicking the light switch for the fight seen. ^^

It's going to be really cool getting to know all these amazing kids that gave up their summer to come teach a sport camp. ...In 102 F °. ^^ (Insert "whoop, whoop") Lol. It's not that bad though. But seriously, today could not have gone any better than it did. ^^

Keep SOUL 2009 in your prayers, and pray for hearts to be moved and for a fire to be lit in the community here in Alabama. ...

ps. oh yeah. If you feel a need to give, or that God is telling you to contribute something... It's to help pay for an official industrial dishwasher so MOWA Choctaw Friends Center won't have to spend so much on paper plates and such. ^^ I know it'd help out so much, and we'd love!!!!

Well, it's kinda late. 12:41 p.m. But today was awesome, and I'm so excited about what's going to happen for SOUL 2009 - Sports Camp!!!!! WHOOP, WHOOP!!!! ^^ peace out, and goodnight peoples!!!

Hiiii!

Hey! It's Katie. It's so great to be down here for the whole summer on staff. I'm so excited to see what God has planned for us! As Bryce and Lyndsey have said, we have been really busy preparing for the groups to get here for Sports Camp. And the food has been great especially the biscuits and strawberry cake, which I may have eaten more than my share of, haha. Also, today we had the rummage sale. It was a great opportunity to meet some of the people in the community and to let them know about Sports Camp. We're hoping a lot will send their kids out! Tomorrow morning we're fixing breakfast for the Womens Bible Study, and that should be great. And on that note, I should probably quit writing and go to bed because it is getting late.

Please pray for our ministry while we're down here! Remember the church groups that are coming next week, and pray that God will open their hearts and the hearts of the kids in this community. We appreciate any way you can support us and the Center!

-Katie :)

Staff Pictures - The first 6 days

Hope Ya'll Enjoy These as Much as We enjoyed takin' 'em!! Keep Praying for Us!

Hey everyone i am Bryce Kincaid this is my first time in Alabama. The first five days have gone great we all get along so great. I think we love picking around with other which makes the days so interesting. Wow i never thought that any buddy could keep me busier then my boss back home but i was wrong. Its fun though you don't have to worry about being bored. Everyone I have met so far has been so friendly. It is as hot as i was told it would be but yet i havent seen all the rain i was told about. We had some Taco Soup yesterday that a few of us might have eaten alittle much for all the activities we done later in the day. All the food has been so good. I like food and so its good cause every group can cook. katie and Lindesy cooked this strawberry cake it was double layered (ummmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!! IT WAS SO GOOD) Well its kinda a late so im going to go but i will be back Sunday. Please be praying for all of us and the plans for this summer. Thank you Love you all

Lyndsey's First Blog!!

Hi everyone,

This is Lyndsey, well it has been a busy five days here in AL. The entire staff has been working hard at getting ready for the youth groups to come down this summer. Besides preparing devotions and worship for the groups, Bryce and I have been putting together the sports camp for next week. I am really excited to see how it goes, because this is the first time ever that we will have volleyball as one of the sports.

We really appreciate you praying for us and this ministry. Please continue to be praying for God's leading with the devotions, that it will be His words, not ours. Pray for His blessings on the upcoming sports camp. As well as for traveling mercies for the groups coming down.

God bless,
Lyndsey

Welcome to SOUL 2009

Hello friends! It's Will again, though today I'm posting as the Assistant SOUL Director, a new and exciting challenge for me and the program! I just wanted to let you know the staff made it down safely this past Wednesday, and we are already busy prepping and having some fun with one another. Keep us in your prayers through the next week as we get ready for Sports Camp - it's shaping up to be bigger, better, and crazier than ever! Hopefully the rest of the staff will be giving you the inside scoop on things soon, but until then we love you all and thanks so much for remembering us!

-Will

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In one Day

Just thought i would let all of our readers know that our staff arrive tomorrow evening, for a wonderful and exciting summer.

You all will no longer have to read only postings from me but will have the chance to read post written by our SOUL staff, hopefully on a daily basis.

We would love to hear back from you as well..your questions and comments...we wanna make this blog as interactive as possible so let us know waht you wanna hear about!

Have a wonderful day... and you should be hearing from a staff member here in a couple days.

One Week.. Then

One week from Now our staff will arrive from NC and we will yet again be in the whirlwind that is SOUL! Corey and I are so excited! We have been preping for this time, along with our SOUL director Will, Darlene and Darrin, and the SOUL staff for many many many months and it is finally here.
The whole community is a buzz, every kid and parent i see out at the store, the mexican resturant, the gas station, wherever we may be is always asking, "when is sports camp? When is VBS? What are we doing this summer?" It is truely a blessing! I have had 50 or so new families ask me about our camps, and they want to tell their friends and family members about it...everyone wants to be here during the summer.
It's really awe inspiring and if we weren't careful it could more than likely make or heads swell, because well , "aren't they coming because of what Corey and I have been doin?" or "Aren't they coming because of what NC Yearly Meeting is doing?" Even writing these ridiculous sentences makes me laugh! I know and Corey knows and i'm sure every single one of you reading this know that it's not because of us or the programs we offer it is however All Ultimately and Completly because of God and who He is and what He does that makes the center the "success" that it is. It is because of Jesus Christ and Hie sacrifice!
This summer is going to be truely exciting and i trust life changing for many people..i mean just for Sports camp week we are expecting 125 kids and 60 particpants from not only our groups from NC and Indiana but from the community as well. Truely exciting, and a tad bit overwhelming, but exciting!
Be praying that every person no matter their reason or stay will come face to face with Jesus, the life changer, the grace giver, the biggest bear hug ever given...Pray for the staff, pray for corey and I, pray for our volunteers, and pray for the community...Then allow God to do what He does and change lives

Last youth group meeting tonight.... Gotta go