Getting Mad In The Car Might Not Be So Bad After All

     You're in the car with your family. You've been driving for who know how long. The mile markers whiz by like tall blades of grass as you stare blankly through the windshield. Your mind. is. blank. **BRAKE LIGHTS** **Stomp on brake pedal** **Swerve to avoid car** Where did they come from?! Didn't they see me?! How could they cut me off like that?! Where did they learn to drive?! 

     The kids are a little flustered, but everyone's all right. The mood calms down again. But your patience is about to be tested even more. Softly from the back seat, you hear the dreaded question.

"Are we there yet?"

     Normally, you might get frustrated at this, but it would be better if you got mad. No, I'm not talking about yelling at your kids, I'm talking about Mad Libs.

 

Mad Lib Stories

     You remember Mad Libs, right? You fill in the blanks and a totally random, hilarious story is written out of thin air. Here's one that I did just now:

Come get your Slimy discounts on all of your favorite brand name Piglets. Our Handsome and Parasailing sales associates are there to Lift you 68,909 hours a day. Here you will find Plump prices on the Hamsters you need.

 

How Do I Tell a Mad Lib Story?

     Erik Wolgemuth knows how hard it is to entertain our kids. He suggests that we tell “mad lib” stories as a way to keep their attention and involve them in the storytelling process. This technique of storytelling takes some of the pressure off of the storyteller (a.k.a. Mom & Dad) and gives the kids the chance to interact and insert funny words. It can also help to strengthen their vocabulary and grammar skills. Mad Lib storytelling is an easy, laid back family activity that will have everyone laughing on those long car rides. Check out his post titled, The [noun] that Dad Told was [adjective]: Mad Lib Storytelling on dadcraft.com. 

 

What If I'm Not a Good Storyteller?

     If you struggle with thinking of creative storylines, don’t worry! There’s an app for that! You can download the free “Mad Libs” app on the App Store or Google Play. I love this app. All you need to do is fill in the blanks with the nouns, adjectives, or adverbs, and Mad Libs spits out a hilarious story that (usually) doesn’t make any sense. Kids of all ages can participate in thinking of crazy words to add to the story. Mad Lib stories might just become your new favorite road trip game!

     Next time you're in the car with your family, try getting Mad instead of getting angry!

Summer Camp 2016 Wrap-Up - Stories of God's Kingdom Come

“Wait, what? It’s over?”

     This quote from a Site Director at our Peoria Bethany Baptist location sums up our feelings on this final Monday of Camp. We've already said our goodbyes to those who started school this week, and I'm sure we'll have an emotional send off on Friday as our last three sites close the books on summer camp 2016. As a summer full of discipleship, fun, games, and laughter comes to an end, I'm excited to see how God continues to minister to and through our campers and staff into the school year. Here's are a couple stories that remind us that God is still on the move.

A Prayer Request You Don't Hear Very Often

     Just last week, a Counselor at the Christian Center was asking for prayer requests during his team’s morning devotional time. Most kids ask for prayers to have a good day, to hold off the rain so we can play outside, or that no one at Camp will get hurt. As this team went around the room, one camper raised his hand and said, “My prayer request is that someone will explain to me how to ask Jesus into my heart.” Initially taken by surprise at this request, his Counselor took him aside, explained the Gospel, and led him to Jesus!

Make Disciples Who Multiply

     We talk a lot at Camp about making disciples who make more disciples. A Counselor at Pekin Camp put this into practice by teaching his campers how to share the Gospel with others. Two boys in his group sat down together, and one began to share the Good News with the other. Although the boy listening had heard this message many times before, he decided that today was the day he wanted to put his faith in Jesus. One camper led another to Jesus - disciples making more disciples. 

     God undoubtedly used COCUSA this summer to help staff and campers become more fully developed followers of Jesus. Through our theme of “Kingdom Come", we’ve all been challenged to share the story of Jesus with others and to help make disciples who make disciples. As we a new school year, here are a few ways you can pray:

• Pray that God will continue the good work he started in our campers hearts. Pray that campers and their families would connect to communities of believers who can help them continue to grow in their faith and share it with others.
• Pray for our summer staff members as they transition back into school. Pray that the growth they experienced this summer would motivate them to pursue Christ in their schoolwork, relationships, and activites.
• Pray for the Full-Time Staff at COCUSA as we debrief the summer and help make Camp even better at what's most important: Gospel-centered discipleship, safe & quality childcare, and fun for campers and staff!

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Mid-Summer Update from COCUSA

     We all know the cliché phrase, “time flies when you’re having fun.” Man, has that phrase been true so far this summer at Camp! Believe it or not, the Camp season is almost halfway over. Taking a second to reflect, there have been so many amazing moments that have occurred at Camp this summer. Moments that were eagerly anticipated, moments that were surprising and sometimes perplexing, and moments that serve as daily reminders of how truly special COCUSA is. Here are a just a few of the many cool moments our staff has captured so far.

     One camper positively responded to the Good News for the first time at the end of last summer. When her Site Directors gave her a Bible with highlights of each week’s memory verses, she exclaimed, “Wow! I can’t believe they’re all actually in here!” She begged her mother to let her return to Camp next year and has gotten extremely involved in everything COCUSA this summer. This camper pays special attention to the Bible stories and asks thoughtful questions about God each day. Even more so, she enthusiastically learns each week’s memory verses, not just so she can compete in memory verse challenges against her counselors, but because she actually wants to grow as a disciple of Jesus!

     Another camper told his mother that he wanted a new pair of expensive shoes. His mom told him that he could get his new shoes, but they cost about the same amount as a week of Camp. If she bought those shoes, he'd have to miss a week at COCUSA. Without skipping a beat, the camper quickly responded, “Never mind, I’ll wear my old shoes.” Camp was that much more important to him!

     At the end of one Camp day, a Counselor rushed over to her Site Directors to tell them how much she loved being able to share the Gospel message with her campers each Wednesday morning. During her first time sharing the Good News, three of her campers felt a personal calling to accept Jesus into their hearts. Her soul was overwhelmed with God’s amazing power, and she knew that Camp had provided the opportunity for His love to move through her. The Counselor said she couldn’t imagine anywhere else where she’d rather be this summer than at Camp of Champions USA.

     So many more moments are in store for the second half of the summer, and we can’t wait! Here’s some ways you can continue to pray for the ministry of COCUSA.

• Pray that God would continue to work in mighty ways at Camp. Pray that campers would respond to the Gospel, grow in their faith, and share it with others.

• Pray that our staff would continue to provide safe and quality child care for each kid at Camp. Pray that we would stay focused, positive, and energized.

• Pray that everyone at Camp would have a ton of fun as we enter the 2nd half of the camp season. Pray that our fun would lead to lasting friendships that point us all to Jesus.

     If you also want to get involved with our ministry and partner with us financially, you can check out www.cocusa.org/bowl to donate to our scholarship funds and help even more kids come to Camp.

3 Tips for Telling Stories Your Kids Will Love

     My dad would always share a story with my brother and I before we went to sleep. I have vivid memories of my dad sitting in a wooden desk chair in the middle our bedroom with book in his hands and a smile on his face. Sometimes he would read a novel, sometimes he would read from the Bible, and sometimes he would tell us stories from growing up on the farm. My brother and I would listen intently as he captivated us. I loved that time spent with my dad, and I hope to become a great story-teller like him.

     As I've studied story-telling, I've found these 3 simple tips helpful for crafting a great story. Follow this advice, and hopefully you can captivate your kids with stories they'll love for a lifetime.

1) Establish a Pattern.

All good stories follow a familiar pattern. You can find this pattern in nearly every movie, TV show, or novel.

1. A hero is introduced. The hero is admirable, yet relatable. 
2. The hero wants something, but there's a problem.
3. The hero gets the help she needs from a guide, who forms a plan with the hero.
4. The hero takes a risk to reach the goal.
5. Sometimes the hero triumphs, and sometimes the hero fails. 

Using a predictable pattern for your stories will help your kids latch on to your tales of adventure. Your stories will become much more memorable when they feel familiar.

Check out more on the pattern of stories from this post at dadcraft.com.

2) Explore the Edges.

Once you've established a pattern for your stories, get creative! Explore the edges of the boundaries you've set for yourself. Maybe your hero is a shy, pink, sea otter. Maybe the guide is an imaginary friend that only the hero can see. Maybe the plan falls apart because aliens invaded Minneapolis. Once you have a framework in place, run free inside it! Your kids will love all the twists, turns, and weirdness your introduce.

3) Don't Hide the Flaws.

We all like a story with a happy ending, but life almost never has a storybook ending. Don't be afraid play up the hero's character flaws. It's ok for the hero not to get everything she wants in the end. Sometimes, the guide can be wrong. Introducing flawed characters into your stories will help your kids to understand how to navigate real-world situations. You can use these moments to teach your kids wisdom on how to act, think, and behave.

If it's ok for [the hero] not to be perfect, perhaps we don't have to be perfect either.

-John Richmond from his post on Storyline.com

     Becoming a master story-teller takes some practice. You might have to start out telling a few boring stories before you leave your kids on the edge of their seats. However, with just a little practice, you can start telling stories that your kids will remember for a lifetime. And maybe one day when they're grown and have families of their own, they'll bring the grandkids over to your house and ask you to tell them a story.

Do you tell stories to your kids? What characters have you created? What kinds of stories do you tell? Leave a comment and let us learn from you!

COCUSA Chili Supper 2016

We're passionate about helping everyone at Camp follow Jesus in greater ways through Gospel-centered discipleship.

     Because of this, we want to make sure that each family we serve is connected to a local church. Last summer, we hosted Family Fridays at each Camp location, which allowed people from our host churches to connect with Camp families by sharing a meal together. At one of these events, a single mom with three kids enrolled at Camp had a conversation with a pastor from the host church. That pastor invited her to the church’s weeknight kids program, and the whole family started attending as soon as Camp finished. That pastor recently told us that she is still regularly attending church with her kids and is even looking for new ways to get involved (over 6 months later!).

     That simple invitation to church over an ice cream sandwich changed the lives of three young children and their hard working mom. We are so excited to see God using COCUSA to connect families like this to local churches. We're looking forward to watching him work through our church partnerships in even greater ways this summer.

     This is just one of the stories from last summer that we shared at this year's Chili Supper. At this annual event, we invite both long-time friends of Camp and people who are interested in hearing about our ministry for the first time. After a enjoying some chili and pie, we share a little about what Camp is and how we’ve seen God at work through our ministry.

     If you’d like to hear more stories like this one and find out how you can partner with Camp, it’s not too late to sign up for our second Chili Supper! Sunday, March 6th, from 4:00-5:45pm at Bethany Baptist Church in Peoria. To RSVP to this free event, please visit www.cocusa.org/chili.

     A bowl of chili, a slice of pie, time with friends, and stories of God at work. Will you join us?

*Edit: Even though this event is now over, you can still partner with us by checking out our Get Involved page. Thanks for your support!*