H2O 8-25-07

The Whole Crowd (acting like the nuts that we are :)

Well it was a beautiful day for an H2O! The weather did us a special favor and cooled off enough to be a little more comfortable than the 90+ that it had been earlier in the week. We started at 4:00 this time instead of 4:30 so that we could have more time around the fire in the evening. We started with volleyball, as usual, but instead of quiting once everyone had arrived, we split into four teams and played a tournament. It was a lot of fun, and there were some pretty good volleys a couple of times.

Molly somehow manages to serve the ball while doing a complicated ballet step.

Right back atchya!!

And she finds her target..........

There is something about a left hander serving the ball that makes it so hard to return..........

After volleyball, we played Frisbee using the same teams. It was, as always, a ton of fun.

Josh plays a cool, calculated, and quiet game, and plays it well.

Just tune out the count and focus on the pass.

Keep coming, keep coming......

Running out of space!

Just some fun "random" shots.

Kezzi, looking (as usual), cool as a cucumber.

Victory!(?)




Smile!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh yes, and a big thank-you to the police for laoning out security and S.W.A.T. members to keep us all in line.




Don't we know these people???

More Info.

The next H2O is at the S's on the 25th (as you already know :)
We will be starting at 4:00 this time.
I don't know what is for dinner. There have been several discussions on the subject, but no conclusions have been reached. Because of this indecision, and because I have been searching for something to use the new poll option on, I have decided to put dinner to the vote. Please visit the side bar and voice your opinion as to what we should have.

Heads Up!!

The next H2O is scheduled for August 25th, at the S's. Invitations will be in the mail next week (hopefully :). Any questions, let us know.

As for a post on last time.......

Let's just say that things didn't go as planned.

I do have a few pictures though, in case you are interested.

Well that is all for now. If anyone has any H2O pictures that they have never given me, I would like to get copies of them if possible. I have been working on the scrapbook a lot, and need some more pictures.

See ya soon,

Nyiad

Man to Man Invitation

MTM
(Of a Serious Nature)

For those of you who have been part of the MTM experience before you may find this unnecessary, but for those of you who are new to this please read carefully the following summation:
MTM stands for Man To Man. (This should be simple to understand.)
MTM is not a club, party, political action committee, church organization, civic group, school organization etc…

MTM is essentially an experience. The "experience" is facilitated by/through a group of adult male sponsors (Men, mostly fathers) who desire to offer an organized opportunity to share, teach, inspire or otherwise communicate real life skills to an openly invited group of younger (13 to 19 years old) Men (mostly but not limited to sons, even though I never met a young man who was not a son).
MTM has had a few of these "experiences". Last summer MTM "experiences" included the following:

1) Forging a functional knife from a piece of concrete re-bar steel on a coal fired forge and then competing with the knife through a series of timed tests. (No one got burned or cut.) One young man actually entered his knife in a county fair and won a ribbon.

2) Building a functional trebuchet by felling standing trees and assembling the device with hand tools and manila rope. The attending young Men were divided into 2 teams and when they had completed the machine they were then allowed to bombard the other team with water balloons. (It is somewhat hard to assemble a trebuchet while being bombarded with water balloons.)

3) Learning how to load and accurately shoot a muzzle loading rifle. The attending young Men were divided into 2 teams and had a shooting contest (no not at each other this time). Scores were kept and the losers had to cook the evening meal for the winners. (Yes, we usually eat at these "experiences".)

For those of you who are perceptive you probably noticed that these are what might be called "manly" activities. You might also say they are fun. But you might also ask "what were the life skills that were shared?" If you have ever watched a blacksmith working metal you could probably guess a few of the more obvious points but we also learned about the chemistry and physics of metal hardening. We also learned some of the history of steel making and the requirement for hardening steel. (For a more detailed analysis please make plans to attend the repeat event scheduled for June of 2016.)
At the trebuchet "experience" we learned the history, uses and physics of the trebuchet. (Some might say we learned some valuable construction principles and also how to work and dodge water filled projectiles at the same time!) If you missed this "experience" watch the movie "The return of the King" and observe the things that look like a catapult slingshot mixed together-it’s a trebuchet.
At the muzzle loading "experience" we learned the history, chemistry and physics (do you see a pattern here?) of black powder and muzzle loading rifles. We also were taught the basics of firearm safety. (If you were there I hope you learned these simple but EXTREEEEEMLY IMPORTANT SAFETY RULES AND THAT YOU WILL NEVER VIOLATE THEM!!!!!!!) If you missed this "experience" we may find time in the fall to repeat this activity. Notice I said MAY, not will.

Now that we have a basic understanding of what MTM is please allow me to announce the immanent return of the "experience". You are cordially invited to attend the latest MTM! Please feel free to invite a friend who might come to mind.

Here are the particulars:
Subject: As most of you are aware this year there was a horrible mass shooting at Virginia Tech. (Yes this is a serious MTM.) As many of you are aware the shooter was a deranged young man who had no intent on living his life to its natural end after he completed his murderous shooting spree. He turned his firearms on himself. Some of you are aware that many of the victims stood still while he shot an entire room full of students. They patiently waited while he reloaded his weapon and then continued shooting. When I heard about this my heart was troubled that there was not one person in the room who took action to attempt to save the lives of the innocent people in the room. Why did they not fight? Was fear or doubt or ignorance that stopped them? The question came to my mind "What would I do in this situation? What would my sons do? What would my wife or daughters do? What would my many young friends do?"
A few months ago a young woman was abducted in Kansas City and brutally murdered. When I heard about this I also began to wonder how one man could do this and if my loved ones knew what to do to prevent this from happening to them. Would my sons know how to protect my wife or daughters or friends in this situation? Would the many young friends I have know what to do?
With this in mind some of the sponsoring men have planned to offer a "Basic self (and others) Defensive Training Course. The intent is to teach you how to recognize potential dangers to you or your loved ones and tactical methods to avoid and defend against these potential dangers.
The intent is not to teach you to whip-up on your enemy or to be the enforcer in a crowd or even to provoke you to be a hero. The intent is to give you the basics if you ever find yourself in a position that requires you to protect your family or your own person. There will be three instructors. Two are US Army Special Operations Personnel. One is a former police officer (They are real experts!!) There may be additional law enforcement personnel if the crowd is big enough.

When: This will be on 7/28/07 starting at 12:00 oclock noon.

Where: This will be at the Brown's home in Strafford, MO. What to bring: A willing and attentive attitude. A note pad might be helpful. Bring or wear sports pants or sweats and a T-shirt. Also, feel free to bring a male friend(s) (13 to 19 years old).

Cost: Nothing. We would like to have some folks volunteer to bring food for the gang to eat after the training. This makes for a more complete "experience". (See list below for possible things to bring. Let us know what you want to bring when you RSVP on or before 7/26/07.)

Food Ideas: Hot Dogs
Buns
Mustard. Pickles, relish, ketchup
Chips and salsa
Backed beans
Potato Salad
Desert of some kind (watermelon?)

A special note to parents
As inferred above the intent is not to produce a tough guy attitude. Many of you strongly believe (as do I) that we should "turn the other cheek". Where this applies to me being slapped I attempt to live this out. Where someone else is being attacked I confess that I am of the opinion that "no greater love has a man than to lay down his life for his friends". While this could be a stretch of the interpretation it still seems to me applicable when defending my family or some other innocent person. Also please note that there will be an obvious spiritual outlook expressed by the instructors/sponsors (these are men of honor and principle who will likely share their core values as they share their knowledge). If you have reservations about letting your son attend this MTM please call me and lets discuss it.

If you have any questions or need directions, call or e-mail Mr. S.

Prayer for Daniel

Please be lifting Daniel N. and his whole family up in prayer right now. Daniel had an emergency appendectomy on Thursday (7-5-07). Please pray for his quick and complete recovery. Also for the rest of the family as they had a long day at the hospital, we all know just how fun that is.

Thank-you all,

Nyiad

See you at the next H2O?

Hello All!
Just wanted to give everyone a heads up on the next H2O date. Yes, we have decided to go ahead and have another one, even though the front yard has yet to recover from last time! My personal opinion is that big front yards are made to be played in, or they shouldn’t be made at all, but I am sure that there are those that would disagree. Still, if things were a little drier than last time I don’t think that any of us would mind too terribly much. Okay, enough on what I think-on to the nitty-gritty.
Date: July 14th
Time: 4:30
Place: The S’s.
You Should: RSVP by the 11th
And: Find out what you can bring to share at dinner.
Any questions let us know.

Looking forward to see you all!

Nyiad

Prayer and Praise

Hello All,

I thought I would update you all on a few of the prayer requests that we had at the last H2O.

Si made it home safely last night. He has some really neat stories that show what an amazing God we serve. However, just as he got home his grandma (Mrs. H’s mother) in Long Island, New York, went into the hospital with some really serious health issues. There is a big possibility that he and his family will be heading up there within a day or so. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Praise:
Mrs. H2O had her surgery yesterday and is home resting. Things went well, with no complications. Please continue to pray for her quick recovery.

Praise:
Tennessee Blond (TB), got all the funds required for this Sunday, so she is planning on Kenya latter this summer.

Thank-you all for your prayers and support in these matters,

Nyiad

H2O means water........but we could have survived with a little less than what we got!

A week or more of rain, 20+ young people, a few parents, and a big front yard…….
What more do you need for a good time and great memories???

At seven o’clock on Saturday morning it was raining, an hour latter it was still raining, and according to the weather man it wasn’t going to stop. So, looking at things in a practical sense, Mrs. H2o decided that the only thing to do was to prepare to have the H2O inside our house, at the neighbors, or not at all. We all encouraged her to have it inside, even if it would be a little crowded. She agreed, then proceeded to direct the re-arranging of her entire downstairs for the next four or five hours. After moving three (full) bookshelves, all of the furniture, the desk, and the computers, it began to look like everyone might fit in. It was still raining. The phone then started to ring. “Are we still having H2O?” Sure, no problem, come right on out! (by now we are rushing through the shower and putting the finishing touches on everything) At this point it stopped raining, the sun came out, and the humidity shot through the roof.


Big question #2; has it stopped raining for good, or is it just holding off until everyone arrives? Well, just in case it is for good we went ahead and set up the volleyball net. Mr. Competitive and Louie painted the lines on the very wet grass and occasionally, standing water.


The next issue to deal with was parking. The first few people to arrive parked down where they usually do, but when the C’s van got stuck and took a while to get out, it ended that option. After that we parked the vehicles up by the house, which was not the best, but it worked.


Once everyone arrived, we put it to the vote and decided to stay out-of-doors, the condition being that if we got too muddy, we would not be able to go in if it starting raining again. We started with a volleyball game, and only a few people got really muddy. There was not the usual amount of diving for balls and such, but it was still a lot of fun. After two games of that, we asked around and found that most people still wanted to play Frisbee, even at the cost of shelter from the possible rain. We split into four teams and went at it, and since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will let them do the talking.







Dive for it!!!!







Smooth catch!

Who's got her???!!!!

Jump, Paton, jump!

Stop laying down on the job!!!

Mine, mine, mine!

Hard workin' feet,

and worth every minute!!!!!

After dinner (Frito™ pie) we played a little more Frisbee, guys against girls. The guys had to catch and throw with only their left hand, and they were still winning by so much that three of them went over to help the girls. That helped but before they could redeem themselves, it was time for prayer and worship. Oh well girls, maybe next time. :)

Prayer time was good, and there where many requests. I have listed them on the sidebar in red. If I missed any, let me know and I will add it in.

Worship flowed better this time, but we were such a small group compared to what we usually are, that it felt a little different. We also learned a couple of new songs, and had more people bring their guitars. Something that was really neat to me, is that even as people had to leave, we would tell them goodbye, but continue to sing with whoever was left. I have always enjoyed the praise and worship time most, and it was really nice to have it longer than usual.
Another neat thing is that, as it got dark the last of the clouds moved out and we could see the stars. After thinking that we were going to be rained out of our H2O, it was a really cool thing to see.


See you all next time,

Nyiad

P.S. A big welcome to Jake and Ashton, we loved having you guys!!!

Prayer is Needed

Update: The Purvises Grandfather passed away last night. Please keep their family in your thoughts and prayers as they go through this time of mourning.

Please pray for the Purvises right now. Their Grandfather had a stroke today and is currently unconscious. Please pray especially for Mrs. Purvis, as it is her father, and also for the family as a whole throughout this time. There have been many health issues in their family over the past year, which is very tiring and discouraging, pray for strength both physical and spiritual.

I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.

And the next H2O will be.................!

Hey Guys (and Gals :)!

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up as to the next H2O date. We are shooting for June second, at the S’s, so mark your calendars! This date is subject to change if Mrs. H2O ends up having back surgery before then.

I would also ask for your prayers for her right now. She is having a hard time not getting discouraged with everything that there is to do, and not being able to do it. She spends most of her time laying flat on her back on the floor. For someone who loves to garden and be out doors at this time of year, that is hard. Please pray that her doctor’s visit this Wednesday will go well, and that the doctor will have wisdom in what to do, and what the next steps to take are.

Nyiad

Why Cannot I Fallow Thee Now?

Hello Everyone,

I have been thinking a lot about what was said at the H2O that we had at Evergreen this year. I was so encouraged to hear what all of you had to say then, and it has helped me keep my focus on God more. Not too long after that H2O, my mom got the book, My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. As I was reading it, I came upon a section that ran right along the lines of what was said at the H2O.


Why Cannot I Fallow Thee Now?

There are times when you cannot understand why you cannot do what you want to so. When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait. The blank space may come in order to teach you what sanctification means, or what service means. Never run before God’s guidance. If there is the slightest doubt, the He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt ~ don’t.

In the beginning you may see clearly what God’s will is ~ the severance of a friendship, the breaking off of a business relationship, something you feel distinctly before God is His will for you to do, never do it on the impulse of that feeling. If you do, you will end in difficulties that will take years of time to put to right. Wait for God’s time to bring it round and He will do it without and heartbreak or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move.


This is really something that I have had to take to heart and work on. It has not been easy, but I think I am making some headway. When I stop and think that God has my life planned out to perfection, I wonder why I get so paranoid and worried. This is God! He doesn’t make mistakes! And I am sure that what He has for me, is by far better then anything I could come up with myself.

Nyiad

Help Wanted

Hello All,

As some of you know the Shield Maiden is going to be working at a youth camp this summer. Camp David is a week long camp for the children of prisoners, most of who come from the inner-city area of St Louis. At the SHEM curriculum fair the couple that runs the camp came by the High Ground table to ask if we would help them spread the word that they are in serious need of help this summer. There are six camps through June and July and they need staff for all of them. At the fair they had to get 25 more people to help, I don't know if this is the total for the summer, or per camp. They alternate between girl’s week and boy’s week, but they never have guys and girls there together. You have to be at least sixteen to be a counselor; however, there are jobs available for younger teens as well. Each counselor is in charge of two campers, and shares a cabin with one other counselor and their campers. I think that the cost to go is $8.00, or something like that. There are so many amazing stories that come out of Camp David. One was about a little boy that had been caught in cross fire once, and still had bullet scars on his legs to prove it. These kids are in desperate need of love and a relationship with the Lord. If you have any questions, or are interested in volunteering, go to their web site at www.campdavidozarks.org

Nyiad

From: ^&coming director

It is now 110% official! I'm getting married! (Pause for dead silence and uncomfortable laughter) Just kidding! I don't plan on that happening until after I'm done with four years of college...at John Brown University! That's right, I have now officially decided to go to JBU and I've called all the other colleges and said, "Thanks, but no thanks." Thanks to everyone for all of their prayers, support, and encouragement as I made this most important decision with my parents. It's such a relief to be able to give an answer when people ask me about all of my college plans. Again, thanks so much to all of you!

Stand firm,
David

Answered Prayer

Mrs. H20 wanted me to post this on the blog so that we can see something that has been prayed for, answered. Most of you know that I am planning on going to Africa this May. To get my visa, I had to send my passport to PREACH Evangelistic Ministries (that's the ministry that I am going to Africa with). So I stuck it in a manila envelope with my visa application and visa pictures. Then I made the silly mistake of not certifying and registering (or whatever you do) to be able to track it. Well, it didn’t arrive in the 5-7 days that it was supposed to take. 3 weeks later, my passport still had not arrived in West Virginia, where I mailed it to, and so I'm wondering... where did it go? I can't track it because I didn't certify it. If it’s lost, then I’d have to spend hundreds of dollars (that I didn’t have) to try to get a new passport rushed to me in a week. Of course, if PREACH didn’t get the passport within a week, then I couldn’t go to Africa, because they wouldn’t be able to get my visa in time.

Well, my parents and I prayed about it, and made the decision that we’d wait on the Lord. If God wanted me to go to Africa, then He’d let my passport get to West Virginia on time. If the passport didn’t arrive, then I’d take that as a sign that He didn’t want me to go. What do you know, but just a couple of days before the deadline for my passport to get there, the secretary of PREACH called and said, “your passport and visa application came in the mail this morning!” So more then 3 weeks after it had been mailed, and after about 2 weeks of nervous waiting, my prayers were answered. Praise the LORD! His mercies are new every morning! I am now excitedly waiting for the departure date, and have learned how to trust a little bit more in my Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you, Jesus!

Strider

You'r Invited....

to an H2O at the S's on April 14th, at 4:30 in the afternoon. We will be doing our usual outdoor games and also have a big fire to keep warm by. Dinner is Frito pie, so please tell us what you can bring when you RSVP. After dinner we will have prayer and praise and worship time around the fire. If the weather is too cold, we will be going to the screaming penguin's house. They have a basement with air hockey, Foosball, and board games that we can play. Please let us know if you can make it or not by Wed. the 11th.
Thanks!
Nyiad

URGENT!!!!!!

THE NEXT H2O DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM APRIL 21ST,

TO APRIL 14TH!!!

PLEASE CORRECT YOU CALANDERS AND PLEASE LET US KNOW

ASAP IF YOU CAN MAKE IT OR NOT. WE NEED A HEAD COUNT

TO KNOW HOW MUCH FOOD WE WILL NEED TO HAVE ON HAND.

(YES, IT WAS ALL A JOKE {HAPPY LATE APRIL FOOLS}, BUT NOW

I DON’T GET TO SEE HOW MANY OUTRAGED RESPONSES I GET

BEFORE THE 21ST. WHAT A DRAG :)

SEE YOU ALL SOONER THAN EXPECTED!

NYIAD

H2O Date

That's right; we have finally gotten around to setting the next H2O date! It is to be held at the S's (weather permitting), on April 21. I am not sure yet what time we will be starting, but at least you now have something to put on your calendars right? As for food, we have decided to stop feeding people at H2O's because it takes up so much time and effort. So eat a lot before you come, and please refrain from complaining about being hungry, because we really just don't handle that very well.
Looking forward to seeing you all,
Nyiad

Do Fire and Water Mix?

Oh Yea! How? When you get a whole bunch of teens together who have tasted God’s living water and are therefore on fire for Him, that’s how. And that’s what the last H2O was like.

Okay, it actually didn’t start out so well. See, we were not even suppose to have this H2O. We were planning to have the H2O in January and then not have one until early March. But the ice storm took care of the January H2O, so in February we tried to reschedule. The only problem was that we couldn’t find a place to hold it. So, on the Wednesday before we wanted to have the H2O, Mrs. H2O called Treva S and asked if we could used their church to for the H2O. Treva called the church and got everything arranged for us by Thursday. So, even though we weren’t even suppose to have the H2O, everything worked out at the last minute. Funny thing is almost everyone was able to make this last minute H2O. And it turned out the be one of the best!

We started the night off by playing one of are our favorite inside games: Do You Love Your Neighbors? It was great, and after everyone had gotten used to it again (or in some cases for the first time) Mrs. H2O broke us into five different teams and assigned each team a color. She then put a color on every chair according to the teams. The goal was to get your team in chairs with your color on them. This put a whole new perspective on the game as each team tried to move their players to their chairs. It actually ended up being quite a short game as one of the team got all their players to their chairs really quickly. (I don’t remember which color won, maybe someone on that team could help out?) Anyway, after that game we re-divided into six teams to play the Skit-in-a-Bag game.

It would be totally impossible to describe the six skits that came out this time. Anyone who saw them knows they were hysterical, and anyone who hasn’t seen them is missing out big time. I don’t even know what it say about them, only we’ve decided that those involved in them must be crazy. If you want to see them again (or for the first time) talk to Mrs. H2O: she has them all on film. Oh yea, and everyone should know that 4x4=8! :)

A picture form The Three Home Stooges, a story about the social (in)competence of some "home learned" triplets.

Amanda and David in American Idiot, a "chance for the average Joe to make it big."

Joy, Drake, Jessica, Heather, and Rachel in Boredem Busters.

James in The Safety Pin Murder. He hunts with a safety pin, because "he doesn't believe in guns."



After the skits we had dinner. We all sat in a big circle and ate and laughed and generally had a good time. During this time a funny (or disgusting) thing happened. Mr. Competitive took a grape and passed it to his neighbor who passed it on who passed it on and so on. The grape, I am proud to say (or not), made it all the way around the circle, though if looks could kill it would have died. Anyway, once it got back to Mr. Competitive he promptly ate it. Don’t ask us why we did this, ‘cause I don’t know.

When dinner was over we went into prayer time. Now up to this point the H2O was good: here it became awesome! We started off like we always do taking prayer requests for anyone present. Then we started praying. From the very beginning the focus of the prayers was on our group and it’s needs more than any other H2O has been in the past. It was wonderful. Then as soon as we had finished, Mrs. H2O said, "Hey guys, we aren’t really finished. There are a lot of kids here tonight within our group that need prayer for decisions they had to make about their future. So, anyone who needs prayer for something tells us know." We then went around the circle with everyone who was graduating, choosing a college, going on a missions trip, or any number of other things speaking up and asking for prayer. After this was done, we all prayed again with each person being lifted up by someone. Let me tell you it was awesome! The Spirit of God was there in our midst. We could feel His Presence as we lifted each other up to Him. Life touching: oh yea!

After we finished praying, Mr. L (Drake’s dad) stood up and talked to us for a little while. He told us that he had never really stayed for an H2O before and that he was really impressed. He told us that he wished he had had a group of teens like us when he was growing up. He told us it was something special we had there.

To close the night off we went into praise and worship. We were at Evergreen church so Caleb turned on the keyboard and sound system for us. David played the keyboard, Zach played his guitar and Colin plugged his bass into the sound system. Pretty soon James and Elizabeth had joined them with their guitars. It was great! The keyboard and bass added a ton and having three guitars was wonderful. We sang until parents started to arrive to take everyone home, then wrapped it up for the night.

All in all it was one of the best H2O’s ever for me! ( Maybe the best.)

Shield Maiden

Prayer Request

Hey guys,

I'd just like you to pray for my cousin Becky and her husband Keith. They've been married for a year and a half, and she recently told her parents she's leaving him. Keith seemed passive about it at first but he straightened out, got right with God, and told Becky he'd "wait for her forever". Becky is living with friends who aren't good influences, and she's leaving for London on a college over-seas study program pretty soon. And pray for me too...Beck and I've been awesome friends since I was little. I was one of the first people she called after getting engaged and I participated in her wedding. The last email she sent me was two days after she'd left Keith and she didn't mention a word about it. I'm kind of mad at her for that cause we've always told each other everything. Just pray that Keith will stay determined, and that Beck will stop being stubborn and foolish and come back around.

Thanks,
Silverstar

A Good Site

Here is the website that H2O Queen was talking about on Saturday. Click here: survey on modesty , and it will take you to the page.