Annual Teen Valentine Banquet and Scavenger Hunt 2016

Every year we host a Valentine's Banquet and scavenger hunt around Valentine's Day for our church youth group.  It's always fun because there are always new kids involved every year, but this year might have been the highest number of new kids we have had in many, many years - or perhaps, ever!  It's been a blessing to have our youth group grow over the past year and we pray that it continues to do so.

This year we were able to start the "hunt" a few hours earlier because we had an afternoon, after lunch, worship service in place of the evening worship service.  Because it was light outside, we were able to add new things to the scavenger hunt list.  Many things were service projects: Taking the trash out and taking the can to the street for pick up day the next day.

....and singing to someone over 90 years old!  This sweet man turned 98 yesterday!

....unloading someone's dishwasher....

....washing someone's windows....

....and fun things, too, such as getting a picture with everyone in the air at the same time (I missed it thinking I got it!).

The hunt was followed by the "banquet". The teens are "served" their food.  They are instructed to remain seated, though many feel awkward not clearing the table and taking their things to the trash!  We sweetly reminded them that we were serving them! :)

The evening ended with singing and a devotional (top picture).  My husband also talked to them about using God's name only in the right way - not in vain.  He talked to them about how important it is to use the word "holy" for only holy things: God is holy.  Many things we hear the word holy being used for are unholy, for sure.  Then he went on to the devotional time, telling them to notice people...specifically to notice people who are hurting.  We sometimes get too busy to notice those who may be hurting that are all around us.  

It was a great evening and a great time for the teens to grow closer together.  We are thankful for the adults who helped us with the evening, by driving the scavenger hunt groups around.  And to those who allowed the teens to enter their homes for the hunt items and activities.  It's fun for them, as well!  

Teen Valentine Banquet 2015

Last night was our annual teen Valentine Banquet and Scavenger Hunt. It was a much smaller group than we've had in past years, but still...a great group who attended.

We served the same thing as every year: beef and chicken lasagna, green beans, and garlic bread sticks.

Instead of 200 bread sticks, I only made 72! They were all gone, of course! (Have bread? They will come!)

For dessert we served the Layered Pudding Delight and Homemade Strawberry Shortcake, along with a few varieties of cookies.

The scavenger hunt consisted of two teams instead of the usual four or five teams.

And Joe had asked me to scale down the list quite a bit this year.  Probably a good thing, too! One group spent 30 minutes looking for a pink balloon!! Ha ha!!  Here's the list:
A number candle.
A pink balloon.
A signature of a deacon. (on back of this)
Sing a song preschool song to the worker at Hop ’n Sack.
Do a good deed for a high school teacher.
Get the signature of someone born in the 1940’s.
Sing a devo song for a retired teacher.
Do a good deed for an elementary teacher.
A piece of Valentine candy. Must be wrapped in Valentine paper.
A ticket from last night’s basketball game
Sing a songbook song to an elder and his wife.
Bring back 2 people who weren’t already here.

When the groups got back with the new guests, we had a devotional and sang some songs.

My husband gave the groups a hard time about their items - getting specific about some of the items!

There's something special about being around a group of teens and preteens!

They have an excitement that we adults tend to let go of as we grow up.

That's why Jesus told us to be as little children, isn't it?

The older we get, the more and more we lose that child-like quality...or the qualities....that He believes we should have.  He knows we should have.

We ended the evening with a prayer, thanking God for the day and for His guidance in keeping the eyes and minds and thoughts of the teens pure.

Here's a video of one of the teams singing to the convenience store clerk!

Love Is In the Air

It's the week of LOVE.  It's the week of Valentine's Day.  Do you think of chocolate, candy, cards, flowers? Do you think of giving to someone special?  Do you think of spending time with your spouse or friend? Most likely one of the above comes to mind.

In our home, Joe always gets me something - always a dozen roses and usually chocolate, too, and he also gets our daughter something special.  I get him something - always different each year - and I also get each of the three boys something.  We show our love by our giving.  We also usually have a special Valentine's breakfast for the kids.  It's always something heart-shaped or red/pink in color.  Special things for the special day.

So, that's showing love within our own home, but how can we, as a family, show love to others during this time and all the time?  Yesterday I went to a larger town, about an hour away.  During the time I was there, I tried to do little things that were "random acts of kindness". These simple acts really didn't take much effort on my part, but simply showed common courtesy to others. On the way home, I thought of other things we could do for others.  How can we generate the feeling of "Love in the Air" all the time?

Here's a list of some ways we can show love to others each and every day.  Just simple and random acts of kindness....

1.  Help someone by getting their shopping cart for them at a store.
2. Help someone by putting their shopping cart in the designated spot in the parking lot.
3. Open the door for someone - especially for the elderly.
4. Allow someone with fewer items to go ahead of you.  As a really special act, let someone with a BIGGER shopping cart full go ahead of you!
5. At a drive thru of a fast food restaurant, pay for the person's food that is behind you.
6.  Leave a bigger than usual tip for a carhop or waiter/waitress.
7. Ask someone how they are doing as you're out shopping.  Really listen to them.  If they are having a bad day, ask to pray for them.
8. Look at people in the eye and say hello.  It sounds simple, but too often as we go through our day, we don't take the time to really look at those around us. See their needs.  Be sure to listen.
9.  Encourage those you see who may be struggling.  If someone you come across seems to be having a bad day, tell them you hope everything is better soon. Be genuinely concerned.  Offer to pray for them.
10.  Smile.  There's a song that says, "It's isn't any trouble just to S-M-I-L-E".  Well, sometimes it is.  Sometimes it is hard for some people to smile.  But, "A smile is a curve that sets everything straight," said Phyllis Diller, and she's right.  A smile makes everything better - for you - and perhaps, for the person you are influencing with your smile.

None of the things above will take more than a few minutes or seconds of your time, but might mean the world to another person.  It's important for us to put others before ourselves.  Why? Because that's what Jesus did, and, as Christians, we're striving to imitate Him - or we should be as His followers.  You never know what that random act will do.  Just a simple way to show that LOVE really is in the air...not just this week...but all of the time.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Leo Buscaglia

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:10

Teen Valentine Banquet & Scavenger Hunt 2014

Our annual Valentine Banquet and Scavenger Hunt was held last night. With our big Senior class of '13 gone, it was a smaller group, but a fun group that we look forward to hosting for many more years!

We served the usual: Chicken Lasagna, Beef Lasagna, Green Beans, Breadsticks, Pudding Delight (or Chocolate Quad, or Pudding Cake, or....you get the idea!), Butterfinger Cake, and Banana Pudding.

I should have cut back on the breadsticks, but they did eat quite a few of the 144 of them!  Just not as many as the larger group in years' past. We enjoyed hearing them talk, laugh, and have fun while being "served".  Kids have to go through lines enough, so to be served, is a treat for them.

 ...Desserts....

 ....Breadsticks....

After the meal, the teens were divided into 3 groups. They competed in a scavenger hunt. The first team back with everything done or brought back on the list is the winner.

My favorite "item" on the list is that the groups have to bring back two people who weren't previously at our house. It's fun to get others involved, and they seem to enjoy their time with us, as well!

We sing and have a short devotional thought. My husband did a really neat illustration of how to not follow peer pressure, but to....

 STAND OUT and be willing to not go along with the crowd.

My husband said I had way too much on the scavenger hunt list (ha ha!! I knew he would :).) BUT, these were a few of the fun things:  Someone in the group had to be handcuffed....which makes it nice to live in a small, small town, where the cops and kids know each other - and that's a GOOD thing!

And then, the groups had to buy something for someone at our convenience store.  Mr. A got some delicious donuts!

Besides, doing the above, singing silly and cute songs to teachers and elders and their wives, the groups had to do a good deed for a school teacher, take pictures of items, pick up items, and take a picture in front of the school sign. I had them text their pictures back to me so that I could see them...and have them to show you.  This one is blurry, but the best group picture in front of the school sign.

This event is so much fun for us to host, and for the teens to attend.  We thank God for this opportunity to be an influence in the lives of these young people, and for our community and the people here, that make it a great place to be able to go to homes that we know will willingly and graciously, help out.

Scavenger Hunt List for Youth Group

Someone asked for the list of scavenger hunt we did Sunday night with our youth group.  I decided that many might be interested.  This is the list we used Sunday night, but I'll also list some afterwards that are from lists we've done before (the ones I couldn't get to on my computer).  If you have any ideas for scavenger hunts, let me know.  Our ideas are based on a small town of less than 800 people.  If you're in a bigger town there are so many more ideas for fun things; however, it's pretty neat that the kids know where almost everyone lives here so they can go looking for their treasures at certain places!

RULES:
No Speeding!! :)
No more than one item per house!
Nothing from our house (the starting place)!

1. Buy $.06 (cents) worth of gas and have the cashier sign the ticket (we only have one place to get gas that is a convenience store).
2. Have an Elder sign here: _________________________________
3. Have one of our song leaders sign here: _________________________
4. Get an official (fake offense) written warning from a policeman. (This is easy in a small town and one of the adult drivers is also a policeman so called him and warned him.)
5. Get a photo of the whole team and a police officer in front of the van.
6. Go do a good deed for a high school teacher. Take a picture with the whole team and the teacher.  Have the teacher sign and list the good deed.
7. Go sign a song to someone over 80.  List song and get signature of person.
8. Go get a crayon rubbing. Use purple crayon.
9. Get a birthday candle. Any color.
10. Get a movie ticket stub.
11. Get a McDonald's sack, cup, or other wrapper/trash.
12. Get a photo with an elementary teacher and the whole group.
13. Buy something for someone at Hop & Sack. Get a photo with the whole group. (No alcohol or cigarette/tobacco purchases.)
14. Go sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to a cottage (we have a children's home here and the houses are called "cottages").
15. Collect 50 pecans.
16. Get a Walmart sack and fill it with trash (not from a trash can).
17. Get something from the state championship game (football), but NO CLOTHING!
18. Get signature from a former military person. _______________________________
19. Get a photo of the whole group on the play slide/structure at Tipton Home (could do city park).
20. Bring back two people who were not at our house before the hunt.

OTHER ITEMS FROM THE PAST:
Little red Bible
Church directory
Record album
Yearbook from 1970's
Heart cookie cutter
Silk flower ( I think we did a blue one.)
Menu from a restaurant
A Sonic cup
Something from a certain university or sports team. (OU, OSU, OKC Thunder, or Texas Rangers were some we did.)

Teen Valentine Banquet & Scavenger Hunt 2013

(SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:  THE PLAYLIST is working again!  Turn your sound up and listen to Hallal and The Zoe Group!)

Sunday night was our annual "Teen Valentine Banquet & Scavenger Hunt".  

We had a huge turnout, having to add more tables and chairs as the others filled up.

Thankfully, I had made plenty of food, but it's the first time that ALL of the lasagna and ALL of the dessert was totally eaten!  Many got seconds, but we were glad there weren't many leftovers.  We tire of lasagna in a hurry if there is ever any left!

As in the past, I made chicken and beef lasagna.  You can find the recipes to serve large groups on my "Life's a Bowl of Cherries" blog.

This time I made the most breadsticks ever - 180!  There were 20 left.  This recipe can also be found on the "Cherries' blog.  They are a favorite of the youth and the adults.  

The scavenger hunt was different this time.  My big desktop computer is having major problems, so I couldn't print out the hunt list from the past.  Quickly one of the adults helped me put one together while the teens ate their meal.  He helped come up with some fun ideas since he is also a member of our small town police department!  One was to go get a "ticket" from the officer on duty.  It wasn't a real ticket or a real offense - just something made up with his signature.

The first group to arrive decided to trick the other two groups.  They moved their van to the back of our fence - in the field.  When the second group arrived, they thought they were first!  As they busted through the door, they were surprised to see another group sitting in the living room, calmly waiting on the others!

You many remember that part of the hunt list says to bring back two people that weren't previously at our house.  That is a neat part because many in town "want" to be picked up!  They are hoping to be part of the hunt.  Most likely many are NOT wanting to be a part!  That's the funny part :).

When all of the groups got back, my husband did a devotional.  It was a great illustration using silly putty.  I'll share it soon....or have him share it :). 

The singing was BEAUTIFUL with all of us gathered in our living room/dining room/kitchen.  I would have liked to sing like that for hours.  (Tonight is our monthly singing night - yay!)

There are many fun events and opportunities for spiritual growth for the youth throughout the year, but I would like to think that this annual event is one of those special times that they look forward to each year.  I know I do.

What a blessing to have so many in our youth group in this small town of less than 900 people!  We are very thankful for each and every one of them and pray that we are teaching them and sharing Christ with them in all that we do.

Senior Saints' Valentine Banquet 2013

 

Sunday was our church families' annual Senior Saints' Valentine Banquet.  Our young adults have hosted this event for over 20 years.

The theme for the banquet was "Wild About You".  I posted about the decorations on my craft/recipe blog, so you can read more about that HERE.

The Senior Saints look forward to this event each year.  Teenagers are asked to help serve at the event.

It's great hearing stories about the past, listening to them tell about their favorite Valentine's Day, and hearing them laugh.

We have a few members that are in their 90's.  It's especially good to hear their interesting stories!  

For this Gratituesday, I am GRATEFUL for the wonderful examples we have of these "senior" Christians.  I thank God that they are in our lives - as examples for us and our children.   What a blessing they are too us!

Join us for GRATITUESDAY at Heavenly Homemakers!