Catastrophe Kitchen -- Decorated Dining

Our family had the wonderful fun and privilege of decorating our church for Vacation Bible School this year. As we approached this awesome task, we didn't quite know where to begin or what to do. Really.....what do you do to depict "Catastrophe Kitchen"??????? We tossed around the idea of putting up cellophane, crushing eggs on it, covering it with another piece of cellophane, then hanging it, but that idea was quickly tossed out. Can you imagine the stench after being there for over a week?!? Hmmmm......back to the drawing board. ......Aha! the drawing board! There were some really neat clip art chefs so we printed them off, turned them into transparencies, then reflected them onto some big paper and sketched them out. Everyone pitched in with the outlining, coloring, gluing, cutting and anything else it involved. One thing led to another, and in the end, we had a different chef for each team depicting their different food groups.....

Yellow ~ Dairy Creamers
Red ~ Meat Grillers
Blue ~ Fruit Juicers
Green ~ Veggie Slicers
Orange ~ Grain Grinders

Ray had a lot of fun decorating his own little nook. He took on the huge job of decorating the brick building. You can probably just imagine his idea of a catastrophe kitchen.....maybe somewhat of what our own was looking like about that time.... : ) He did an excellent job!
Our job was completed Saturday evening after the VBS workers' meeting, and Vacation Bible School began Sunday night. The Musical Merrill Family came in for the whole week, and, boy! did they ever do a great job with the kids! It was a week full of Bible lessons, skits, singing, etc., etc., etc. Definitely not a dull moment! A fun aspect was the penny offering. The boys and girls kept it neck and neck for the whole week, but the girls won with flying colors the last night. There was over $1100 in pennies collected for a ministry in Cuba. Wow! Great things the Lord hath done! It was a wonderful week of outreach. Many, many unchurched children came, and hopefully within the next few weeks our church will be able to reach out to the families. Praise the Lord for what He has done!

Canaan Land ... work, work, work, PLAY!

Canaan Land is one of our family's favorite places to go. It's a place where you can get away from all the distractions and schedules and be refreshed ~ ready to meet the world again with renewed vigor.

A group from our church took a trip up there May 15th through the 23rd to help get everything ready for the camping season. There was anything from raking leaves to sewing curtains to duplicating a bear costume to painting chimneys to cleaning cabins to yard work to building bridges to anything else imaginable around a place like Canaan Land.

Mrs. Chapin with "Mr. Bear"

Mr. Chapin as Mr. Handy Man

Zechariah trying on "Little Bear" that Mrs. Chapin made

The Creek Crew widening the creek to let the water flow

Mrs. Rice helping to hang curtains in Antioch

Christina making a pattern for the curtains

Nathan was a great help in anything from "go fur" to head leaf raker

Sara kept the younger outside crews in line ~ maybe something like a foreman : )

Mr. Chapin painting the chimney on Galatia

Dad and Ray building bridge # 1

Nathan raking leaves

Mom and Valerie sewing curtains

One of Sara's favorite pastimes was to transport people on the gator to where ever they needed to go

.....But she wasn't the only one who enjoyed it...... : )

Sara and Nathan working hard to level the gravel on the railroad tracks

Mom and one of 18 panels of curtains

Mrs. Chapin making the pattern for the bear costumes

Mr. Rice was head of the crew washing "Old Henry" and the pinzgower

Dad and Ray building Bridge # 2. This one was a little more challenging than the first. Have you ever tried to bend 4x4's to go around a curve????

Bet ya can't do that again! : )

Mrs. Chapin sewing the trial costume

Mr. Chapin cutting out the animals for the new Noah's Ark playground

Mr. Rice putting a clear coat on the table outside Damascus

Jeremy doing some of the yard work

There was a lot accomplished. It was fun to be able to fellowship with friends as we worked on the different projects. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy so naturally there was some playtime scattered throughout the week as well.

Grilling out

Anyone care for a game of leap frog?

We always look forward to the hikes! The grandeur of the waterfalls and the majestic mountains are so awe inspiring.

Greenland Creek Falls

Sara and Mrs. Chapin

Christina found herself a nice little spot beneath the waterfalls

Valerie and Mrs. Rice

Mr. and Mrs. Corbett

Sara and Sarah a.k.a. Double Trouble

This was the only time Ray was able to get Jeremiah to sit on his lap. : )

Nathan and Jeremy

Thursday evening, our crew was treated to a ride in the pinzgower. Through the woods then up the road to the little playground we went.

Schoolhouse Falls

The troops go marching on

Little Sandbar

Hmmmm.......did we wear them out????

Is that pineapple good, Jeremiah?

Our second trip to Greenland Creek Falls

Can you see them? .....they look like ants!

We took a trip to the top this time. It was quite a climb, but it sure was worth it!

"Mining for Gold"

Dinner time was always a festive....

as well as entertaining time. : ) And then came.....

THE BEAR!!!!!

The Rice Family


High Bethel

The Rice Kids

Nathan

The Chapins (all but mom)

Mr. Rice

Canaan Land is full of the natural beauty of God's creation.

Vivid colors.....

mingled with unique specimens.....

dainty flowers.....

beautiful waterfalls.....

interesting creatures.....

quaint landscapes.....

(and, yes, even rodents!)

all make Canaan Land and the surrounding area the quiet, serene place that it is.

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation."

Excerpts from Psalm 91