Fake blood. Bobbing for apples. Prizes in a hay stack. Hundreds of hot dogs. A tank of goldfish and a lobster. This Saturday night YL hosted the first Barn Party. It was a community event, an open invitation for parents, kids, children, leaders and friends to all come out to the barn. Last year we had just a Haunted Trail but this year we added several other fun things to the mix.
The coolest part of the night had to be getting to have all of our people together at once. I can't think of another time of the year that I can look around and see Jay Cowan, little Taylor Huston, Hannah Conrad, the Cefali twins and Jackie Renick and her husband all in the same room. This really was a reflection of our whole YL family.
Our High School kids could be on Team Carnival Games, Team Club or Team Haunted Trail for the night. After seeing what they did last year, a lot of them wanted to be part of the trail that winds through the woods and behind the barn. They came up with all their own props and costumes, did their own creepy makeup, and set up strobe lights and flood lights through the forest.
Inside the barn we did a quick run through of club with all our emcees, skit people and DJ. We were pretty stoked about running a club for so many different people.
Meanwhile, HS and Jr High friends ran games all over the inside of the barn. A group of freshmen girls ran a Candy Walk. I won some Bazoozles which I had never heard of before.
Hannah and Maddy showed up full of energy and ready to try out all the games. Silvana won a fish that we named Agnes--they quickly became best friends.
Lucy, Emily and Grace were in charge of "A Needle In A Hay Stack" which was really "A Hundred Prizes In A Hay Stack."
I was so excited to see Sophia, Meric and Isaiah all arrive to hang out tonight too.
Maddie and Cecilia ran bobbing for apples together and were easily the loudest event of the night. I could still hear them screaming when I was outside. They got me to play once with the hairnet and bandanna but I was terrified the whole time that they would shove my head under water.
There was human skateboard bowling. It was a smashing success.
We love this crew of 7th grade girls that are in KCraig's bible study this year and some of them I have in class.
Cecilia, Maddie and I rocked the crazy overalls a pig tail braids. Ryan, Lauren and baby Olivia Ahlwardt were all there for the fun.
I'm such a fan of this group of 8th grade girls that consistently shows up to do life with us.
Sydney is a monkey and a friend and a little explosion of love and fun. She is one of the kids I'm most thankful for this year at HSJH because she makes me smile every single day.
Beesley, another HSJH teacher, showed up in time to try a couple games before Club started. KCraig, Michelle and I are all trying to convince him to start leading Wyld Life with us and tonight was the perfect time for him to come check things out. When Club started he asked, "So are we just going to sing a couple songs and then someone will talk?" Little did he know that it's so much more than that.
We play a game at camp called Robot Master that tonight we called Cattle Call. Everyone found a group of about five people (which hopefully included an adult, HS kid, Jr High and elementary). For each round one person was the Cowboy who had to keep track of all their cows that kept wandering off. The cows can only go in a straight line and the cowboy had to keep turning them around so they wouldn't run into a wall or another cow. It was chaos.
Tim Buck and Tim Buck 2 tip toed on out in their Jordans. These two cowboys live in a tree house on the Hawthorne's golf course and lasso squirrels and shoot fish in the retention pond. #baconbits
We pulled up Sam Bunes, Ben Cowan, Hannah Devoe and Sam Huston to compete in an apple bobbing contest in front of the whole crowd. Each person wore a trash bag poncho and some blacked out goggles as they dunked their face to retrieve as many apples as they could in 40 seconds.
The trick was that when Sam, the 4th contest, started his turn we poured in a whole jar full of about 20 goldfish. Then with 20 seconds to go Ryan slid in a live lobster in the bin. Sam had no idea why the crowd was going nuts but he just kept bobbing for the apples amongst the lobster and goldfish. His face was priceless when he pulled off the goggles and realized what had been in the water during his turn.
Ryan played How He Loves Us to quiet the crowd back down. I feel like this has become a theme song for HSE YL this year and it's so cool to hear all the kids sing out the familiar words.
KCraig did a beautiful job with the Club Talk tonight. She told us about being in darkness, like the haunted trail tonight, or when she got lost in the woods during a run and she couldn't find her way back home again.
She told us that life can be like living in the dark. We stumble around and can get hurt and don't know where we're going. But God is the light. He shines even through the darkness and invites us to follow him. He doesn't illuminate the whole room, but he gives us enough light for right where we are. Being a Christian means choosing to live in the light with Christ and walking together with other Christians.
Chad led us all in some Square Dancing after Club wrapped up. Square Dancing is always a huge hit at YL Camp in the summer and it was so cool to bring a taste of that here tonight.
I loved pairing up the jr high boys and girls that were afraid to be partners with someone of the opposite gender. Once they started they all did fine.
I got to be part of group doing the last dance in a square with some do-si-do and sweet-corner-maids and circling around. It was pretty awesome.
The night ended with a trip on the Haunted Trail with a group of screaming 8th grade girls and Beesley fearlessly leading the way with a flashlight. I was so proud of the HS kids for pulling everything together and being really creative with the mini scenes they created this year. It was so fun that Beesley ended up just staying in the woods and scaring the last couple groups that went through.
Last year there was a haunted trail but this year there was a haunted trail, barn party club, square dance and carnival games.
Last year where there was just a mound of dirt there now stands this incredible barn.
Last year we had a large group of HS and Jr High kids participate, this year there were about 200 people including family members of all ages.
There is life and growth and community happening here. I'm so thankful I get to be part of it all.
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