The TRUTH About 4-H and FFA

Interesting that I should see this post...not five minutes since my 16-year-old son came home to rescue our goats. A few of them had gotten out of their pen and the huge Boer buck was trapped in a knot with a halter on his hoof.  He was lying there looking dead when I ran out to help.  I thought he was dead, all sprawled out and not moving.  He was scared, and if he could have talked, I'm certain that he would have said, "Thank You" if he could have, once he was freed.

And then this:  CNN'S article asking, "Does 4-H Desensitize Kids to Killing Animals?"   It's amazing really, that people really believe 4-H hurts kids or could hurt kids.  It's amazing too, that so many that cry out about animals being killed for food, actually do eat animals themselves, or animal products.  The article does show positives and negatives, so it's not totally bashing 4-H.  But, in this post, I'm focusing on those who are against it.

What people like this don't realize is that God made the animals for PEOPLE to use.  He provided them for us. That was his plan. Too many in the world have mixed it up and think that PEOPLE were created for ANIMALS.  Completely, completely false.  God said for man/woman to rule over the animals.  Care for the animals. Tend to the animals.  And after the flood, to use the animals for food.  

The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.  Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. Genesis 9:2-3

God set man/woman apart from the animal world.  Man/woman have souls.  Animals do not. Contrary to the popular movie, "All Dogs Go to Heaven", no they don't.  In fact, NO ANIMALS go to heaven. Heaven is reserved for God's people - those who have become followers of His Son, Jesus.  

God blessed them (Adam and Eve) and said, "Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth." Genesis 1:28

Sure animals bring joy to our lives, but they can also teach us things - like responsibility through the 4-H or FFA program. They teach a strong work ethic - something that is missing in many families today who want everything handed to them.  

I remember like yesterday leading my calf onto the trailer to go to market. I cried all the way there.  And then "Sam" slammed me into the side of the trailer, making my shoulder bang up to the metal side with his 1000 plus pound body.  I wasn't happy with Sam for hurting me. I was crying because he was going and crying because he was hurt.  Sam came back home in different packaging than he went on that trailer.  Our family was fed by Sam.  Sam couldn't live forever.  He had served his purpose.  Now the work and feeding program he was on during his life was benefiting my family in his death.

If I didn't care about that animal project, why would I still remember it so vividly?  I wouldn't.  I remember the good times with Sam...and that one bad time of him hurting me.  I remember all of my calves that same way.  

My children do the same with their goats and pigs.  It's a learning experience that they will take with them for the rest of their lives.  They are learning great lessons.  4-H is GOOD.  It's GREAT!  FFA is GOOD. It's GREAT!  

The  4-H and FFA programs are vital to our communities and even our cities.  I think it would be great if those who are so opposed to "farm" and "agriculture" saw how those two entities would affect the very products that are in their homes.  Almost EVERYTHING is tied to agriculture in some way.  If I could snap my fingers and make "their" stuff with ag-related products disappear, they would be shocked at what would be missing!  Ha! If only that could really happen!

So, parents....don't be afraid your child is going to be warped from joining the local 4-H club or FFA chapter.  If anything, it will make them stronger.  It will make them appreciate the things God has given to us - the things He created for us.

Oklahoma FFA State Convention - 2014

                                     
Last week was the annual Oklahoma FFA State Convention.  This year's theme was "Ignite".  I attended the event, as usual, and enjoyed spending time with our two boys that are in FFA, plus our college daughter came to stay and attend for a little while.

During the Convention, many awards were given for the year of FFA accomplishments.  Both of our sons have competed in various events, but the oldest was awarded with a special award of Proficiency for his Ag Communications/Broadcasting work.

He's already working on trying to win 1st in this division next year, although 2nd is great, too!

There are so many neat things to see, do and hear while at the convention. This year, sand artist Joe Castillo performed. He was amazing!

I think someone said he had been on America's Got Talent. I found his website at joecastillo.com, if you are interested in watching his work.  He was a spiritual man, which was evident by his words.

The State Chorus was great again this year, though no one from our small town was in it for a change.  Oklahoma FFA Alumni, Colte Julian was part of the group and entertained the audience with his Jerry Lee Lewis style!

Perhaps the best part of this year's convention, to me, was the last keynote speaker, Walter Bond.  Walter is a former NBA player turned motivational speaker.  We watched some of his speeches on YouTube, so if you're interested, you can check him out! He was great and inspiring!

We had a big group of FFA members this year, even with five or six missing at the time of this picture!

FFA in Oklahoma is probably different.  A prayer was held at the beginning of the convention.  People tell about their faith in God, their love for Jesus, and they give glory to God throughout the whole thing.  That doesn't happen everywhere.  I'm thankful that it does here.

As we were leaving, I saw this group praying together.  Guess who it was?  The new officers who had just found out they would be leading the 2014-2015 FFA year.  That's what makes this organization great - at least in Oklahoma - and hopefully all around the world.

Southwest Oklahoma Opry Show

Last night in Altus, Oklahoma, the 5th Annual Southwest Oklahoma Opry Show was held at the Altus City Auditorium.  The show is produced by one of my daughter's fellow-classmates, 17-year-old Mikayla Jo, with help from her mother, Traci.  

Mikayla Jo has been singing practically all of her life.  One of my favorite songs she does is "Cowboy Sweetheart" because I remember her singing that when she was really young and being impressed with her yodeling skills!  Be sure to go to YouTube and search for Mikayla Jo to listen to her music.

Much of the show had a special emphasis on FFA - an organization that Mikayla Jo and many of the other performers are involved in or support.   Being a rural part of Oklahoma, FFA is a big part of all of our communities. 

Our local FFA Chorus, consisting of my daughter, Lauren (left), Mikayla Jo, and Kennedy sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water".  These three girls were part of the Oklahoma FFA State Convention last spring.  I have a feeling that they will be singing it on graduation night in May.  I hope so, anyway....even though I KNOW I'll cry! 

Here is the YouTube link for their amazing performance: 

http://youtu.be/wWxM0nF7j3o

Special guest star for the night was country music artist, Bryan White.  Bryan grew up in southwest Oklahoma, so coming back home is special to him.  He is going to be releasing another album soon, so be sure and click on his name above, which will take you to his website.  

There were so many great performances!  So much talent!  Truly a great evening!

Oklahoma FFA State Convention - 2012

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Oklahoma FFA State Convention with my two oldest children.  Well.....actually I wasn't "with" them, but went, and was able to be around them during the event.  In this photo, it's the first that I can remember when my son, who is 15, is actually taller than my daughter, who is 17!  And that's only because it was the very end of the convention and she traded in her heels for flats just right before we snapped this photo.  Amazing how grown-up they are!

One of the highlights of the week, was that my daughter had been selected to be one of 103 members to be in the state convention chorus.  There were two other girls from our town that were selected, as well.  The chorus members go up several days early before the convention, to practice the songs they will be singing.  The chorus was GREAT!  

If you are interested, my daughter has loaded the song videos on YouTube.  The channel is kinsler52.  I made the videos from a loooooonnnnnggggg way away and with a lot of "zoom" so they aren't nearly as good as the group was live, but they're still good. 

A special shout out to a former Oklahoman and FFA member, Colte Julian, who flew in from Chicago with short notice, to direct the chorus.  He is in the musical, "Million Dollar Quartet".  Check out his videos!  

I'm always impressed by the inspirational nature of the FFA Convention, as well as the focus on God from many who speak and many who are the FFA state officers.  Josh Shipp was just one of those who inspired all who heard him.  

Josh is also a former Oklahoman, with an amazing story that leaves his audience spellbound, encouraged, and very motivated to make the most out of life.

Grant Baldwin and his speech entitled "Reality Check" was humorous and uplifting!  He has a book by the same title.

And a special pre-last-session show was this man.  I can't remember his name, but he did the "Deck of Cards Bible" story.  Here's a link to read it, if you don't know about it. http://www.jacksjoint.com/deck_of_cards_bible.htm      

I'm not sure the story is actually true, but it's still an amazing story to tell and share with others.  You could have heard a pin drop in the convention center, which is saying a lot with thousands and thousands of people.  I heard this story many years ago at a Bible camp.  It's a memorable story with a great illustration using the cards.

This years theme for the FFA convention was "I Believe".  I believe that FFA is a wonderful organization for youth.  Formerly "Future Farmers of American", it's now just FFA.  It's so much more than what people believe it to be - just for farmers and those who show livestock at fairs!  But, I believe, most importantly, that for organizations like this to not be afraid to keep God at the center and the focus of its convention - not worrying about political correctness one bit - is something to be commended.  Thank you, FFA!  I am so thankful my children have the opportunity to be a part of this great organization!

Oklahoma FFA State Convention 2011

I didn't mean to go on a blog-writing hiatus, but it just happened that way!  For the past three days, I've been a chaperone at the Oklahoma FFA State Convention with about 25 Tipton FFA members and three other adults.  We had a great time, arriving back home between 12:45 and 1:15 a.m. this morning!  During the convention, it's hard to do anything else except be at the convention and blogging from a cell phone doesn't appeal to me....and neither did blogging from the hotel room at midnight.  So, yes, it was an unplanned hiatus, but I'm back.

So here I am, Thursday morning, sitting at home blogging, while the FFA members had to go to school this morning.  The men sponsors had to go to work this morning.  The other female sponsor had to go to an appointment.  I'm home :). I feel guilty!  Really! (Thankful, but still guilty! :)  I know the rest of them are worn smooooooooothhhhhhh out!

A great part of the trip, for me, was getting to be there with my two oldest children.  I had been when Lauren was an 8th grader and this time got to experience it with Zachary as an 8th grader.  He and I ate together twice during the trip.  Others went different directions and it just ended up being the two of us, so that was really nice and fun (for me, anyway!).  I think he enjoyed it, too!

Guess who got to be on the video board during the Redhawks game?  Me!  See my beautiful cowboy hat?  I was selected to play "Country or Crock".  I had to guess if song lyrics were "country" or "crock" (not real).  Since I don't listen to country, I didn't know any of the answers! The Redhawks announcer standing by me helped me out some, but even he got one wrong!

The FFA has a wonderful chorus for the state convention.  One of Tipton's own FFA members, Mikayla Balderas, was chosen to be part of the chorus.  Mikayla was also selected to perform a solo at the opening ceremony, as well as a solo part in one of the songs at a few other sessions.  Great job, Mikayla!  (Note:  To read more about Mikayla, visit her website at http://www.mikaylajo.com/.)

The Tipton FFA won several chapter awards.  Here, daughter Lauren, is receiving one of them.  Several members also received awards for different areas:  Speeches, Proficiency, and State Farmer. 

We heard great speakers during the convention. One was Dave Dravecky, former Major League Baseball player who had his left arm and shoulder amputated due to cancer.

The other was Josh Sundquist who had his left leg amputated because of cancer at the age of nine.  Both men talked about how their disabilities became blessings.  The speeches were inspirational and challenged the youth (and adults) in many ways.  They both believe that because of what has happened to them, they have been able to live a life that they wouldn't have had the opportunity to live otherwise.  (Josh's website is http://www.joshsundquist.com/.)

The final part of the convention is the officer ceremony.  The 2010-2011 officers made a grand entrance, rising up from the bottom of this black, foggy box.  The electric light show and music is a highlight of all convention sessions.

Oklahoma FFA State Convention 2011 is the end of lots of hard work for FFA members and their advisors.  Congratulations to all of you!  FFA is still one of my very favorite organizations!

(Note:  If you don't know about FFA and think it is all "Future Farmers of America", visit the website.  While it used to be mostly all "farm", it no longer is and is no longer known as the "Future Farmers of America".  It's just simply FFA.  Check it out!  There are great opportunities for growth and leadership for your children and grandchildren!)

National FFA Convention

After being in 4-H since the 4th grade, our oldest son, Zachary, was excited to join FFA as an 8th grader this year.  We have several FFA jackets (our daughters, my husband's from the past, and a former Tipton student who moved away).  Zachary was excited to get his own jacket and sold Blue & Gold Sausage and D.J.'s food to receive a free jacket from the local FFA chapter. 

Zachary also earned the privilege to attend the FFA National Convention.  Last Tuesday night, my husband, Joe, and Zachary boarded a bus with several others from Tipton, OK.  They headed to Indianapolis, Indiana to attend the 83rd National FFA Convention.  The group returned early Sunday morning - 2:10 a.m. early!

The first stop was St. Louis, Missouri.  I wasn't sure Zachary would like going up to the top of the Arch, but he did.  My daughter and I rode to the top last year when we went to the National Convention.  It's sure neat to see everything from the tiny windows up top!

This picture is a little blurry because of the big screen, but this year's convention theme was "Infinite Potential".  The FFA does a great job with the sessions and makes it very special.

Indiana State Capitol

Inside the Capitol

Of course, Joe and Zachary didn't take quite as many pictures as I did last year, but they did manage to get one of Zachary by himself behind the Colts' stadium podium.  The microphone holder is in the way, but I'm still proud of the picture!

Tipton FFA group that attended, minus the adult sponsors.

I'm thankful that our FFA group had a safe trip there and back home.  They made lots of great memories, saw beautiful scenery with all of the fall colors, heard many great motivational speakers, and had lots of fun. 

Now Her Feelings Are Hurt

Yesterday I posted about how Lauren hurt my feelings and that today she had an FFA speech contest.  Well, now her feelings are hurt.  She didn't advance and didn't place in the top five in the contest.  And guess what?  I didn't say anything to make it worse (yay me).  In fact, I wanted to cry right along with her!  I told her I was sad for her, but did encourage her that she has three more years of competing in the FFA speech contest.

Lauren is blessed with a good speaking voice.  I can't take the credit.  It's from her dad and his side of the family.  In fact, she's a lot like her Uncle Ken - a great, powerful voice that is loud and clear.  It's a great asset - even the judges said so on her critique sheets each time she gave it at competitions.  So, why didn't she place tonight?  The judges gave her a few pointers for improvement, but mostly said "Great job!".

I don't know what's harder:  To mess up and miss the mark or to do great and miss the mark.  Both are hard.  Both are disappointing.  But, both are facts of life.  Both kinds of disappointments must be dealt with and it's much better to deal with them in a positive way.  Becoming negative (either by the child or by the parent) doesn't help anyone. 

An important fact about tonight's competiton is that there were nine others competing for the same speech division as Lauren was.  Most likely they all thought they did well, too.  Most likely those student's parents were expecting to hear of success, too. But, only two of the speakers were allowed to advance in competition.  Lauren isn't the only one who faced disappointment tonight.  Others are in the same situation as she.

As I mentioned last night, teenage emotions run all over the place.  It's like a roller coaster going up and down and all around.  But, when a teenager is a Christian, he/she has God in charge of the roller coaster.  All they need to do is sit down, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.  It will be over before they know it! 

And, that's a topic for another post that I'm not even ready to write!

Goin' Showin' at the Oklahoma Youth Expo

Every year, on the weekend before Spring Break, our family goes to the Oklahoma Youth Expo in Oklahoma City, where our oldest three children show goats. This year one of our sons took his pig to show, as well.

Others from our local 4-H and FFA also showed this past weekend and will continue to do so during this whole week. This picture shows the front of our goat stalls. Some clubs choose to decorate their stalls and work hard to keep it clean. There is an award given for Herdsmanship for those who work towards this competition. Last year our club place 1st/Overall Champion. This year our group place 3rd.

I took some chalkboards and my daughter decorated them with Chalk Markers.  She did a great job, but in the picture below, you can see where her little ornery brother messed it up!

She wrote:  Got goats?...a play on the "Got Milk?" slogan.  Then at the bottom she put, "WE DO!"  Tyler got the Chalk Marker and in the middle wrote, "WE DON'T".  I got on to him for messing up her sign while the other two brothers laughed hysterically.  Soon my daughter and I were laughing about it, too, but we didn't let Tyler know it!

This is Jacob getting his goat ready.  It's neat that they are able to clip a lot themselves now.

Zachary washing his goat.  Thankfully the goat is seeming to enjoy the bath.

Lauren working with her red goat.  It was my favorite one because of it's hair color.

Jacob with "Floop".  He enjoys the pig more than the goats.

Jacob's goat...before going into the show ring.  Looks like the goats smiling, doesn't it?

Lauren with her goat....right after the show....and right before taking it to the trailer... 

The male goats don't come back home, so it's sad for some of the kids who've grown attached to their show animals.  Lauren is always sad to have to say goodbye to her animals.

Zachary with his goat doing the same thing....posing before heading to the trailer.  He's more business minded, so doesn't get too emotional about the goat's future.

Zachary, Lauren, and Jacob watching the goat show.  I always try to get a "from behind" picture of them in their 4-H and FFA jackets. It just looks neat to me.

Tyler had some fun learning to play the "big" Sequence with our high school principal and his wife.  It was a fun way to pass the time for him during the long, long, long goat show!

As the people began to clear out during the day, the aisles became free to have some fun.  This is at the end of the day, in between times of cleaning and packing up to head home.

Tyler giving rides to our county extension agent, plus his sister and one of his brothers.

I walked by a table with a skirt around it and saw a few legs and boots sticking out. I also heard giggling coming from underneath as the kids were trying to hid. It was so cute, but I didn't want to scare the kids by talking to them, since they were hiding under there. I waited until one of them kind of came out and asked if they would line up with their boots in a row. Such a cute picture! I never did see any of the kid's faces, but thanked them for posing!

And finally, Lauren and Zachary giving their dad a ride back to the barn to get the final load before heading home.  We were all ready to be home after four long, busy days!
 
Last year I wrote a post about our worship each year at the stock show.  Read more about that here.