"Your Future - Your Choice"

I wanted to take a minute and share what is going on with Russell at the school. We are thrilled about the upcoming opportunities and wanted you to be praying for him.

It's been over a month since we have heard anything more from Ocean Park Baptist Church, but, in that time frame, God has been doing amazing things at the school. First of all, the Principal pulled him aside a few weeks ago and assured him that he would have a job next year. That within itself is very exciting because of all the budget cuts here in Clay County. One of his fellow teachers, who Russ kind of mentored when he began teaching, will not have his contract renewed next year. So we are very thankful that he will simply have a job. Secondly, they are moving him from Language Arts to History. Anyone who knows Russ will understand how exciting that is for him! He LOVES history!

He will also have another Peer Counseling class. Russ loves this class. He says it's the closest he can get to having a youth group without being in the church. In the last three years, Russ has created and developed this class and has begun a SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Group. He trains the Peer Counseling students and then takes these presentations to the local Elementary Schools. Teaching the kids about making wise choices concerning drugs, smoking, peer pressure, etc.

Finally, he will have another free hour in the day in which to work with and counsel troubled students who have been in detention, ISS and OSS (School Suspension), students who are bullying or have been bullied, students who have been in fights, etc. He will be working closely with the Assistant Principal who handles all of the disciplinary action at the school. What an exciting opportunity!

Last, but not least - the Principal has given him permission to hold an Assembly for the entire school (700 students) next Friday. It is sponsored by his SADD group and is titled "Your Future, Your Choice." He has been working hard at putting together a 50 minute program on the choices you make and the consequences of those choices. What an incredible opportunity to speak into the lives of these 700 7th and 8th graders! Although he cannot speak specifically about the Lord, I can only imagine that this will make an impact on these students and make Russell approachable.

Please pray with us that all will go well. That the Lord will give him just the right words that these kids need to hear. That the students will be receptive to what he has to say and that lives will be affected. Pray that this will open doors for relationships and other opportunities to share Christ. Although Russell's deepest desire is to preach, we know that God still has him at Wilkinson Jr. High for a very specific reason and we are watching exciting opportunities - opportunities which we have been praying for - fall into place.

We'll keep you informed......

Pinewood Derby

Jarod took part in his Cub Scout Pack's Pinewood Derby this evening. He took 1st Place for the Bears and gets to go on to the District Race! Way to Go Jarod!!!!!
Jarod and his best friend, Zander. Zander took 1st Place for the Weblos and 1st Place over all! Way to Go Zander!!!!!
Our judges........Russell and Bruce (Zander's dad)
Jarod and Zander's car racing against each other. Jarod's is the yellow one and Zander's is right next to it. Zander's car won this heat.
All the Cub Scouts in Pack 650. Great job guys!!!!!!

Odyssey of the Mind

Yes, this is our son! What a nut!!! Last weekend, Jarod was involved in an Odyssey of the Mind Competition. Odyssey of the Mind is is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program. This was his second year involved with this program and it was so much fun!
This is Jarod's team - Raymond, Ethan, Timothy and Jarod. We were missing Olivia. Jarod's problem was called Earth Trek and this problem requires teams to design and build a small vehicle that will visit four locations. The locations will be different places within one or more team-determined environments. Each time the vehicle leaves a location it will look different in
appearance, and after leaving one of the locations it will appear to be a group of vehicles that are traveling together. The team’s performance will incorporate the visits to the locations, the environments, and the changes in appearance of the vehicle. Jarod's team came in 4th place! Way to go, Jarod!
While waiting for our team to perform, there were several stations set up in the Court Yard for the kids to be involved in. Russ was in charge of the Sling Shot. Here's Jarod getting ready to take his shot.
They also had a Spontaneous Competition for the grown-ups. Russ got involved with this and made it to the second round. Basically, you are given a select group of objects with specific instructions to build something in a limited amount of time. Jarod got to help with this one.
It was a fun, yet exhausting day! We look forward to being involved again next year!