Skip to main content

Junior High youth group overnighter

Captain’s Log, Supplemental

Our church youth group held its annual overnighter, this time with only the junior highers because the high schoolers were leaving early the following day for a rafting trip. (Even for high schoolers, a rafting trip after an overnighter (usually with no sleep) is probably not a good thing.)

I hate to admit it, but I am just getting too old. I sat to play Poor Deprived Child with one group (David, the junior high group leader, had split them into two groups to pit them against each other Survivor-style, and to get them to bond with each other).

Poor Deprived Child is actually quite fun. Everyone starts off with 10 or more markers or chips, then each one takes a turn. “I’m a poor deprived child because …” You try to list something you’ve never done or been that you think other people in the group would have done or been.

If you say something you haven’t done—for example, “I’m a poor deprived child because I’ve never traveled to Japan.”—then everyone who has traveled to Japan has to give you one of their markers (in a Japanese church, the majority of the kids have been to Japan at some point in time). The person with the most markers wins.

I had a good one. The kids had just finished a week of volunteering for Vacation Bible School at the church, so I said, “I’m a poor deprived child because I’ve never been to VBS.” SCORE!

Anyway, after about 15 minutes of sitting on the hard floor (that carpet is industrial grade and as thin as felt), my knees and my ankles ached when I got up. I had to hobble to a chair to rest and move my joints. My body is falling apart.

But I can’t really complain, because at least two other staff workers—my husband and another woman, Keiko—are older than I am, and they’re still going strong. Aren’t I pathetic? No, don’t answer that.

Comments

Anonymous said…
LOL, Camy. My hubby's the youth pastor, so I totally relate. I'm ready to move on to adults who creak just like I do.

I remember turning thirty (so young!) and a couple of the teens realizing I was twice their age. The look of horror on their faces--oh, please! :)
Winter Peck said…
Okay, Camy. I'm a bit younger than you and I spent all weekend doing yard work and my lower back, my legs and my feet hurt so bad I could barely walk.

It's not age that gets us, its all those sports we played as kids. LOL!
Unknown said…
You poor deprived child! For years I was in the VBS drama skits. Talk about getting old. I'd have to fall backward for someone to catch me, ride piggyback, climb fake boulders, and run around like a maniac! It was a lot of fun, a lot of work, and bruises!

You're right. Sitting on the floor will make you ache. I just got over three hours on the bathroom floor with my dog for her to have her puppies. Ouch!
april penny said…
I remember once upon a time being able to sleep on a hard floor with a flimsy little sleeping bag and it wouldn't faze me a bit. I'm pretty sure those days are gone forever...
Anonymous said…
that game sounds a bit fun (i'll remember not to sit on the floor...) so i think i'll file that one away for future reference. :)
PatriciaW said…
It only gets more challenging as we grow more graceful :) My sons wear me out because my body--or my mind, not sure which--has a hard time keeping up.
Anonymous said…
What a great time, sounds like you pushed past the age thing (lol, not that you're old) and were there for the kids. We need to do something like that at our church.

Thanks for sharing about the game.

Popular Posts

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Lavender hand lotion

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.05.2009 I have to tell you, I LOVE Etsy.com ! Etsy is dedicated to providing a marketplace for people who like to make handmade products and people who appreciate them (and buy them). It has everything from handmade gifts (like my mom’s Bucilla Christmas stockings and ornaments and tree skirts and wall hangings and … well, just click here to see what she has! ) to soaps and lotions and jewelry and knitted items and hand-painted yarn and ... I could surf that website for DAYS. Anyway, lately I’ve been concerned about the lead content in my lotions, especially since I’m using them more now that it’s turned colder and drier here in California. I have to use lotion on my hands everytime after I wash them. So I went onto Etsy and searched for organic hand lotions, and bought this lavender lotion from Lue Cosmetics . What was really nice is that the owner, Jane, sent me a direct message via Etsy right after I made the purchase to ask if I’d received it yet and ...

I got my cover!

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins Tangerine by Marilynn Griffith I GOT MY COVER!!!! What do you guys think?

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...