Texas Youth Hunt Weekend

After several failed password attempts, I finally was able to log-back-in to my blog. I then realized it had been well over a year since I had written. So I thought, why not give it a try again?

This past weekend, Jordan and I spent our time with 8 youth hunters and their parents/guardians on 1100 acres of land owned by some very kind families. For those of you unfamiliar with the program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department runs the Texas Youth Hunt Program (TYHP) across the state in many different areas, several times a year. Jordan has completed the required course to become a “Huntmaster” and help run these hunts. I go along with him as the cook and have named myself the “Cookmaster” of the weekend J. The “facilities” are very primitive. We camp in tents, cook over a propane heated “stove”, use a water hose about 25 yards away for cooking, go without electricity, and use a hole dug in the ground with a pop up tent for a bathroom. Let’s just say, feeding/organizing/arranging/teaching/transporting 30 people in these conditions with little sleep can be a little interesting at times. Here is a schedule of our TYHP Weekend:

Friday:

-Arrive at camp (around Gonzales, near Palmetto State Park this time) around 5:00 pm.

-Unload the food and coolers, begin to set up camp, and go for a tour with the land owners to find and mark the way to the hunting blinds where we will be taking the hunters and their parents all weekend.

-Finish setting up camp, make sure the hunters have turned in their paperwork/qualifications/requirements/etc, have a short introduction/rules/timeline/schedule meeting with everyone, then go to sleep.

Saturday:

-Wake up at 4 am to get “cold breakfast” ready for hunters and parents. This include cereal, pastries, pop tarts, coffee, hot chocolate)

-Load up to take hunters and parents to blinds by 5:15-5:30.

-Come back to camp around 6:30-7:00 and take an hour NAP!

-around 9 am, I start making breakfast (breakfast tacos) and Jordan goes to pick up the hunters at 9:30.

-Then we eat, clean up, clean deer, give the hunters a “skills test” (hunter safety), have lunch (sandwiches), and take the hunters back out to the blinds around 3:00.

-I start getting supper ready around 4:00 (stew), then we pick them up and eat around 8:30. Clean up, clean deer, and get to bed around midnight.

Sunday:

-Same morning routine…4 am for breakfast, take hunters and parents to blinds, pick them up, have hot breakfast (pancakes, sausage, and eggs), clean up and clean deer.

-Have the hunters write thank you notes, pack up camp, take pictures, and head home around 12 noon!

To some, this may sound like an awful weekend; however, it really is not that bad, and at times, is enjoyable! I like being outdoors, seeing the excitement in the hunters, preparing food for them, etc. I do not exactly care for the bathroom situation, flies, hard ground for sleeping, or lack of shower. Anyway, we volunteer to be there to help teach the young hunters about the outdoors, hunter safety, cleaning harvested animals, etc. What a great opportunity Jordan and I have to be an influence on these families. We have a chance to be an example to them by our actions and our words: praying before our meals, thanking God for His creation, being patient, being helpful, being servants, etc. Although we had a great opportunity to be Godly examples, I find myself looking back and asking, "Was a Godly example for these people I volunteered to help over the weekend? Could they tell by my words and my actions that I am a Christian? Or did I sigh and become frustrated when the hunters left trash on the ground? Did I mumble and complain when those who were supposed to wash the dirty dishes rushed off to head home and left a stack for me to clean?" I am ashamed to say the answer is yes, I did sigh and become frustrated, I did mumble and complain.

Reflecting on the weekend, I thought about Jesus as a servant, I thought of John 13. Jesus showed the apostles how to be a servant. He knew that Judas would betray Him, He knew that Peter would deny Him, He knew His crucifixion was nearing, but He still washed their feet! He could have easily said, “I am doing all this for you, yet you are going to betray me, so I don’t want to wash your feet.” He could have sighed, mumbled, complained about the road He was about to travel to the cross, but He didn’t. Jesus showed us the heart of a servant many times, and I am so grateful for His example. All I had to do this weekend was cook for the hunters and their parents, yet I too easily became frustrated, complained, mumbled, and sighed because they didn’t help clean up. Jesus gave so much more than a weekend of cooking for the entire world, and He did it without mumbling and complaining. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn from God's Word and so thankful that Jesus showed us how to be true servants. I was on the hunt to be a servant, but I pray that I remember that I was put on this earth to be a servant everywhere, everyday.
Although these TYHP weekends are meant to be learning experiences for the youth hunters, this past weekend was a learning experience for me.

Mark 10:45…”For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

"Sex Sells"

While watching a show on TBS yesterday, a commercial came on stating "SEX SELLS" over and over again. This was an advertisement for a couple of movies that were going to be showing in the near future on TBS. This commercial really bothered me for several reasons. I thought, what if a child was watching TV when this commercial came on; what lesson is he/she learning from this type of advertisement? What about teenagers who are trying to find "their place" and fit in with the "popular crowd"? Another disturbing thought is that, unfortunately, the commercial was actually smart advertising, at least for a great percentage of this world. I have found myself wondering "what do the parents of these individuals think of their children"? When commercials from companies such as Victoria's Secret come across the screen, I think, each of those ladies, at one time, was someone's little girl. Did their parents ever imagine they would see their innocent child grow up to be nearly naked in front of the entire nation on television? Are they proud of their daughters or ashamed? Did they raise them differently, do they even keep in touch? Their earthly parents may not care, but I know our Heavenly Father does care and is ashamed by these actions. (1 Timothy 2:9-10) I also wonder: Do these women have husbands? If so, how do their husbands feel about their wife's body being displayed on national TV? What about children. Are these ladies mothers? What kind of example are they for their kids, nieces, nephews, cousins, friends' kids? As ladies, we are instructed to teach younger ladies ways to live a Godly life. (Titus 2:4-5) I hope that this commercial has sparked a concern in homes that will lead to better instruction and example for the younger generations.

Weekly Supper Scene

Between camping and cleaning up left overs, I have not made any meal plans the past two weeks. Due to work again this week, we only have three nights planned for supper. 

Tuesday:     Ribs (on the grill by Jordan or cooked in foil in the oven)

Wednesday:     BBQ Beef Cups

 1 lb hamburger meat, shredded cheese, Grands flaky biscuits, 1/2 c bbq sauce, 1 TBS brown sugar

-Preheat oven to 400. Brown meat, drain grease, remove from heat. Stir in BBq sauce and brown sugar. Grease muffin pan. Put one biscuit in each section of a jumbo muffin pan. Stretch dough up the sides of the cups. Divide meat mixture among biscuit cups, sprinkle with cheese. Bake until golden brown (10-12 min)

Thursday:       Tacos

Weekly Supper Scene

This past Sunday we purchased a Sunday paper the check out the coupons....this is my new weekly practice! My coupon savings was $12 for this week! I even planned a few of our purchases/meals around the coupons and was able to combine newspaper coupons with HEB coupons. This is actually turning out to be fun!

Monday:            Jordan worked so we did not have a big meal.

Tuesday:            Jamaican Seasoned Pork and Mashed Potatoes
                       I used jerk sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and vinegar to season the pork and cooked it on the griddle.

Wednesday:      Ranch Cheeseburgers
                         1 lb hamburger meat, 1 package Original Ranch Salad Dressing Seasoning Mix, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Hamburger buns

                        Mix meat, seasoning mix, and cheese. Make patties and cook!

Thursday:           Pizza Rolls
                         (did not get to make last week)

Friday:                 Jordan works!

Blessed Beyond Measure

Well, I have missed my weekly Bible Class blog, and haven't made but one meal that was prepared for this week. I have been sick with a terrible sinus infection since early Wednesday morning. Thankfully, my mom took over my Bible class and taught the kids about the resurrection of Christ. Although I have spent nearly every minute of the past 2 days either in bed or on the couch asleep, I have been "awake" enough to realize how blessed I really am to have such a wonderful husband. He was really looking forward to the meals I had planned to prepare this week with some of his favorite ingredients: pepperoni, mozarella cheese, crescent rolls, and others. Rather than being upset that I was not feeling up to cooking, he has taken charge and served me with several "meals" and snacks on the couch and in bed :) I have had Ramen noodles, grilled cheese, grilled ham and cheese, cookies, and bowls of strawberries all prepared by my sweet husband in between classes, studying, work, and Wednesday night Bible class. One thing that really made my day was him going to pick up my medicine from the pharmacy. Although it seems like a simple task, it was very much appreciated. As I am writing this, I am realizing how little I have done in the past two days due to a sinus infection. Don't get me wrong, I have definitely felt terrible, but when I look at others around me, my little sinus infection pales in comparison to others problems. Just got off the phone with my mom and found out that my Aunt Gladys and Uncle George (who are both in their late 80s) are visiting my Nanaw and Pawpaw today. Gladys and George drove about 1-1.5 hours to visit them for the afternoon. Not only did they come to visit, but they brought home cooked food. If you know anything about my Aunt Gladys, you know that she loves to cook, cooks a LOT and cooks good! I am sure the meals she has prepared will last several days so that Nanaw does not have to struggle to cook. (she has just completed two weeks of radiation treatment and is extremely weak) They have spent several summers at church camps with Gladys cooking for 100s of kids and have even spent weeks at "Old Timers church camp" cooking there as well. If Gladys is cooking and traveling so much, one would think she is in good health...WRONG. She just shared today that she fell again a few days ago and now has a blue and swollen leg. The dr. told her that the leg was not swollen and blue as a result from the fall but as a result from kidneys that are not working. Her husband's heart is failing and the two of them can barely walk. Yet, these two people are smiling, serving others, and praising God. I hope Gladys and George are aware of the impact they have had on my life and what good Christian examples they are. There are so many lessons we can learn from the elderly, especially elderly Christians. Even when they are feeling pretty low themselves, they are still serving others above self. Definitely something I needed to see.

Weekly Supper Scene

All new recipes (for me) this week! I had a Monday meal planned, but Jordan went in to work so I will save it for next week. No Friday meal this week either, because of work! But, we are thankful for the days he gets to work this week because Cabela's is cutting hours...AGAIN! (insert angry face here)

Tuesday:     Crescent Lasagna


1.5 lb hamburger meat, 2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 can Hunts spaghetti sauce, 2 packages crescent rolls, 1 package dry spaghetti sauce mix, melted butter, Parmesan cheese

-Brown meat, add dry sauce mix and hunts sauce, simmer 10 min. Pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Unroll crescent rolls and lay on top (try to seal edges). Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle parmesan on top. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.


Wednesday:       Ham and Cheese, Shells and Trees


2 TBS butter, 1 package PASTA RONI shells and white cheddar, 2 c fresh or frozen chopped broccoli, 2/3 c milk, 1 1/2 cups ham or cooked turkey cut into thin strips (about 6 oz)


Thursday:       Pizza Rolls


Carla Moore Recipe :)

Jesus is Crucified

This week I will be teaching about the crucifixion of Christ. I struggle a little bit in trying to figure out how to explain the magnitude of this sacrifice to first and second graders. We will be reading from Luke 22 and 23. We will discuss that the crucifixion is found in all four gospels, and review which books are the "gospel books". I will use pictures to help "paint a picture" of the events for the kids. I will also have the kids stand up and hold their arms out horizontally for as long as they can to have them feel how tired their arms get. I will use this demonstration to help relate the story to the kids. We will also discuss emotions that may have been felt by Jesus, Mary, and God while Christ was on the cross and will review different aspects of the story. (who carried Jesus' cross part of the way, miracles that occurred as Jesus died, etc)
Application questions:
    -If Jesus asked God to forgive those who killed him, how should I treat those who hurt me?
    -Since Jesus died for our sins, how serious is sin?
    -Is there anything I can suffer that Jesus won't understand?

At the end of class we will complete a "Missing Words ABC's" worksheet with a review question about the story for each letter of the alphabet.

example:

L_ _ _ They cast_____________ (vs. 24)



Memory Verse:
    Luke 23:34: "And Jesus said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do..."