These are the two things I am thinking about right now as I wait at the airport for a flight to get me to a National Leaders’ meeting for Judgement House.  It usually only takes about 5 minutes of sitting at an airport before I start thinking about all the things that need to be done at home and planning that needs to be done for upcoming events at NewSpring.  My mind just races about all the cool things that we could do for KidzWorld. I am also thinking about how to plan for Judgement House this year with the differant arrangements of our layout at NewSpring.  Just hang in there–I am getting to the point of this rambling.  Our flight was supposed to be going to Dallas, TX then on to Tampa.  But with the grounding of all the MD80 aircraft I am taking a little later flight and I am going 500 miles west to Denver to be able to go 1500 miles east.  That makes sense doesn’t it?  It seems like Debbie and I got the last two tickets going anywhere right now and there are some upset people who can’t make their flights and connections.  In fact, one lady is going to miss her week-long cruise if she doesn’t get to Dallas by tonight.  But all the effort of the ticket agent didn’t come up with a solution to get her there.  She got very frustrated with the situtation and I was beginning to fear for my life since she was right next to me.  But I think I could have taken her with the help of my wife! 

So with an extra hour on my hands I thought I would let you know about a neat thing KidzWorld is doing this month.  We are collecting boxes of cereal and instant meals for Victory in the Valley here in Wichita.  They help families that are going through the valley of cancer.  They provide lodging and meals for people who need that type of help.  They have a pantry for people who are staying there so they can make a quick meal before going back to the hospital or their treatment sessions.  If you would like to help you can drop off boxed cereal or boxes of Hamburger Helper, Mac & Cheese or other non-perishable packaged meals during the rest of April. We have a drop box inside the KidzWorld Theater or you can bring donations by anytime to the office.  The kids are doing a great job bringing their favorite boxes of cereal and they are learning they can help some else even at their age.  It’s cool to see kids realize it is not all about them and their world but what they can do for others who are in need. 

Some exciting things are coming up so watch for more info over the next couple of weeks. 

Today in Route 252 we had a great time talking about some very interesting stories in the Bible. Our goal today was to help kids see that there are lots of things to discover in the Bible and some of the stories in there are AMAZING! We talked about several different stories. Then the kids followed up on a couple of the stories by making skeletons and a large fish–complete with Jonah! If you and your kids would like to study these stories some more just check out Ezekiel 37:1-14 and the book of Jonah (it’s short!)

On Saturday we had 47 kids in KidzWorld. Many families were so happy to have the option of Adventure Avenue Plus for the 1st-3rd graders. We have an awesome team of volunteers who have stepped up to make our Saturday KidzWorld ministry outstanding!

I had a first-time mom tell me today that the reason their family came to NewSpring today was because the next door neighbor kids keep talking about how much they like going to church.  It got her curosity up and she decided to come and see it for herself.  She did tell me afterwards how much her children enjoyed KidzWorld and they already asked her if they can come back.  Once again thanks to all who make KidzWorld possible each weekend at NewSpring. We couldn’t do it without you!

How cool is this? If you have been watching my blog the past couple of months, you know that when Dale Poore is involved in the design something fabulous will happen. Well….our Adventure Avenue director asked for a white board in the theater. Dale went to work. First of all he decided to put it behind the garage door. That way it wouldn’t be in the way when it wasn’t being used. Then he decided that if the white board was going to be in the garage it might as well look like it belongs there. So he made this Model T Ford with a white board windshield. The headlights even work and when the garage door opens, the car horn gives a toot–or should I say ah-ooh-ga! Notice the tire tracks leading into the garage? No detail is left undone! Thanks again, Dale for helping us make some awesome kids’ environments!

Ok here is what you have been waiting for, this very special annoucement.  Our kids ministry at NewSpring is growing and to keep up with it and to help us minister to more kids we have asked Karla Stinson to be the Adventure Avenue director for NewSpring.  Colleen Mahannah, who has been overseeing Baby Bay and Adventure Aveune and has been doing a great job, can’t be everywhere at one time.  So Colleen will direct Baby Bay (0-1 yrs) and Karla direct Adventure Avenue (2 yrs-Kdg).  My master plan when I started doing this job was eventually have someone over Baby Bay, Adventure Avenue and Rt 252.  There will be a meeting for all the Baby Bay/Adventure Avenue volunteers on March 5th after Powerlines in the Adventure Avenue Theater.  If you are currently a part of this ministry or are interested in helping during Saturday or Sunday services, please attend this very important meeting.  The word on the street is there is going to be food and some very special prizes given away.  You don’t want to miss this fun, entertaining, informative meeting. 

Karla, it is great to have you on board at NewSpring.