KAA U-KNOW!!!

It's 6am, and in about 1 hour, 32 Granny's House kids and 4 Granny's House staff will be begin our 5 hour adventure to Kids Across America! The kids are beyond excited, and one first year camper told me he was going to be waiting up at Granny's House at 5:30am (even though he doesn't technically have to be ready to go until 7am!). We will update you on our trip once we get home on July 27th, but in the meantime, please pray for our kids! In the past God has done some incredible things at camp, and I'm sure this year will be no different.

This year's camp "theme" is based on Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Please pray for transformed hearts and minds as the kids are literally soaked in God's love for 8 solid days!

Don't Worry...

Every once in awhile, I will overhear a conversation between a Granny’s House volunteer and one of our kids that puts a huge smile on my face. Yesterday was one of those days.

An 11 year old girl, and one of our volunteers were talking about the volunteers family (specifically her brother who isn’t a Christian). The volunteer was explaining that although he believes in “God” he doesn’t believe in Jesus.

CHILD: “What do you mean he doesn’t believe in Jesus?”
VOLUNTEER: “Well...he doesn’t believe that Jesus died for our sins on the cross, and he doesn’t believe Jesus was God’s son.”
CHILD: “Who does he think died for our sins then!?”
VOLUNTEER: “Well...I guess he doesn’t think our sins need to be forgiven.”
CHILD: “What! Is he a nice person?
VOLUNTEER: “Yep...he is a very nice person...just doesn’t believe in Jesus.”
CHILD: “Do his parents know about this?”
VOLUNTEER: “Yep...and they love him anyway, but they pray for him all the time.”

After about 30 seconds of silence...this was the child’s response...

CHILD: “Don’t worry....he’ll get it someday...”

Tears almost came to my eyes as I listened to the hope that an 11 year old Granny’s House child had for someone she had never met. What a precious display of what it means to whole-heartedly believe in the power and love of Jesus Christ.

Power Shopping?

These eager shoppers arrived Wednesday afternoon ready to power-shop, some arriving hours before the doors of this unique specialty “store” even opened. “I wonder if the blue look-alike shirts are still there… is that green swim towel with the brown monkeys still there?” swirled through their minds.

This unique specialty store is actually an integral part of our preparation to take thirty-two young people to Kids Across America Kamp (KAA). Since January, these excited kampers have been showing up for “KAA Work Days” to earn points to “spend” at the Kamp Store. The kids do anything from spreading mulch in the front yard to organizing craft supplies in the Activities Room to earn those coveted “Kamp Points.” They can, potentially, earn enough points to purchase every single item on their official “KAA Kamp List” from our little two-room “store:” one room for boys and one for girls.

At Granny’s House, we are always looking for creative ways to help the kids understand that they are unique and oh-so-valuable to us and to God; that they have been infused by God with gifts, talents, and strengths; that they are Victors not victims. We long to establish in the forefront of their thinking the relationship between work and provision. The kids are actually empowered by knowledge that they will have the opportunity to provide everything they need for the trip: everything from t-shirts, basketball shorts, and swim towels to rolling duffel bags and insect repellent – it’s all available at the KAA Kamp Store!

I’ll never forget the day we rolled off the bus upon our arrival at KAA a few years ago. As one of the college student counselors helped us unload our bags, he commented,
“…nice bags! Did someone donate them?” I quickly responded, “Oh no… the children bought them!”

All-too-often, benefits doled out to people living in public housing come with some level of stigma or shame attached. But not so with the Kamp Store! The kids are proud to know that they worked hard to provide their own Kamp gear – an invaluable lesson we believe will stick with them for the rest of their lives! -Granny Pam

Need a haircut?

Need a haircut? Head over to Cost Cutters and help support Granny's House during their "Charity Week" event July 13th-July 19th! We have worked personally with the owners of Cost Cutters in the past, and they are a great team to have on your side. They have a real heart for the kids of Granny's House and we are so thankful for this fundraising opportunity!

Basketball!

Finally!! Granny's House has been blessed with a basketball hoop! I wish I could put into words what this means for our very active and athletic kids! It was a fun first day with the "hoop" as dunking contests, 3-on-3 play, and staff vs. kids challenges took place. What a great way to spend a few hours in the summer sun!

Pray for our campers!

In thirteen days, 31 Granny’s House youth, and 5 Granny’s House staff/volunteers will travel 300 miles to Golden, Missouri to attend Kids Across America! For eight days, our kids will be experiencing countless sports opportunities (basketball, football, baseball, dance, cheerleading, biking, etc), ski-tubing, high ropes courses, and mentorship from amazing counselors and staff at camp. Over 800 inner-city youth from across the nation will join in our adventure to see God’s love in action.

Please help us in praying for our kids who will be attending camp! Click on the picture to see a large version of our “prayer card” and pick a child to pray for from now until we return from KAA (camp is from July 20th-July 27th). Specifically, we are asking prayer for:

-Safe Travels
-Homesickness (or lack there of!)
-Spiritual Growth
-Godly Relationships (between our kids and their counselors, and other campers)
-Burdens lifted (some of our kids are coming to camp with heavy hearts)

Thank You!

A BIG thank you to everyone who supported Granny’s House in “Golfing for Granny” on Monday June 16th 2008. The tournament brought in an overwhelming $20,000 for Granny’s House (the most this event has ever generated!).

For some organizations, a $20,000 check is like a small pebble in a bucket, but for us, it’s like a boulder! Because Granny’s House currently does not receive Government money, we solely rely on personal donations from churches, individuals and civic groups. $20,000 for us makes a huge impact on what we are able to do with the kids throughout the year.

This money will be used to...

-Provide a dinner for 40-60 children each day
-Purchase supplies for our eight programs throughout the year
-Provide toys, games and supplies for daily use
-Help celebrate birthdays and other special occasions with kids
-Provide opportunities to take kids off site for mentoring opportunities

Thank you again!