Thursday, February 26, 2009

What if...



Wow...what if we showed the world the unconditional love of God instead of talking in our christian protected bubbles about how much that world needs it?

"I hope it gave them hope."
"Having all that love, it just rose my spirits up."

Change can happen,
A. Robbins
ashley@kanakuk.com

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Follow Me (to the right)...

Hey K2 girls/Friends/Moms,
I guess there is this cool new deal called "Followers" that you can have for your blog if you are on Facebook. You can also follow by linking to my post through google, etc. So I added it...see to the right of this post. I just like it b/c then as I see names/pictures I really do pray for names I see as I manage this crazy blog! anyways, so join if you want...Thanks!!!

Being a follower is cool in this situation,
A. Robbins
ashley@kanakuk.com

I'll be in Springfield Saturday...

On February 28th (like THIS SATURDAY), Kanakuk Kamps is sponsoring the Wire Bike at the Springfield, Missouri Discovery Center’s Kids Camp and Educational Fair. It’s FREE and open to the public from 10am to 5pm. I’m going to be there! It will be great to see all the Kanakuk kids and families there. If you come, wear your Kanakuk shirts and bring your friends. We are going to pass out some T-shirts and just have a great time hanging out and riding the wire bike. Hope to see you there!!!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

That Girl...

Hey friends,
Well, I'm in Houston at a very sweet family's house. Shay and I are staying with the Ireland family for 2 days because Shay is speaking at United Methodist Church tomorrow for a big youth rally deal. It's going to be a blast! Anyways, so we awoke at 6 am...packed for 1 night...hit the road...went to CHICK-FIL-A in Springfield (we don't have the marvelous Chick-fil-a in Branson)...then flew out at 10:15 am...arrived in Dallas for change of planes...arrived in Houston at 1:15...we are now at the Irelands just relaxing. And by we, I mean, ME. Shay went to go play Frisbee Golf with David Ireland and Michael Schwandt (2 K2 KUKs). 

With all that being said...I wanted to tell you about a new TV series I (and Shay but he might not admit it) ABSOLUTELY LOVE! It's called "That Girl" with Marlo Thomas. It's from like the 1950's, I think. My friend Jennafer White (www.wrentband.com) let me borrow it and we LOVE it. Shay and I don't have cable at our house and have committed a year to the Lord. So we do watch lots of movies and dvds. Anyways, this show is clean, innocent, HYSTERICAL, and just good. Shay got so sick of turning his head and closing his eyes that we just cut off cable but I think the reason he likes this show is because it is funny and it is clean. 

Okay, but besides being good moral TV it is a riot! Ya'll you should rent it and just watch it. I think it would be a great mom/daughter date night or just if you have great girlfriends that like old TV shows. (moms, don't be upset that I said "old." :) 

I have now added them to my wishlist from Amazon.com...let's be honest by the time Shay and I have kids there is no way I'm going to let them watch anything from this day in age. Okay, that might be drastic but Shay and I are going to start collecting "older" movies and TV shows...such as:

1. The Cosby Show
2. Little House on the Prairie
3. That Girl
4. Top 100 Classic Movies
5. Top 100 Family Classic Movies
6. Disney Movies (any and all)

Moms, know of any others we should have in our arsenal? Well, that's my ramblings for now...

That Girl,
Ashley Robbins
ashley@kanakuk.com 

Thursday, February 19, 2009

I HAVE NOT seen HSM3...

HSM3

Yikes, this could cause some of you to gasp for oxygen, spit your coke at the computer screen, and scream...."Noooooo." Ya'll I don't know what happened or how it happened but I still have not seen HSM3. I know that you all thought Sharpay was basically me from my rendition of her in K2 Musical...but alas, I have fallen in my High School Musical obsession by not seeing HSM3 in theatres...and I have fallen again by not rushing out today (on the release date of the DVD) to go buy the extended version.

No fears, I'm going to try and go buy it next week. Shay and I are out of town in HOUSTON (Houston friends, he is speaking at a church on Sunday...COME) and so I'll have to wait till next week. I really can't wait! I already purchased the album on iTunes...and you wanna know a secret. I'm totally in love with the song "Can I have this Dance?" Ashley Robbins now equals weird, dorky girl! I'm 28 and I love HSM 1, 2, & 3! Oh, well, I might as well be real about it!

This blog post is random...just all I could think of today!

Oh, yeah, I chopped like 8-10 inches of my hair...i guess that's news! I have to go ahead and tell you I did not do Locks of Love, only out of ignorance. I didn't realize that was how much was coming off. I just thought it would be like 4-5 inches. Anyways, I'll try to get a pic up soon...

HSM Forever!
A. Robbins
ashley@kanakuk.com

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Kristolyn Lloyd's on NBC Thursday...

ATTENTION: K2 Girls/Moms/EVERYONE IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!
Kristolyn Lloyd
Our very own K2 counselor, is going to be on
ER this Thursday (Feb 19) at 10 pm (or it might be 9 pm for you depending on where you live)
.
All she will tell me is that she plays Angela Bassett's daughter! Woohoo!
Here are some pics on the set of ER and of Kristolyn from K2 08.

Kristolyn with her fellow UC's from 2008. K2 loves tie-dye! I thought it was perfect that Kristolyn was in the middle of this picture!This is Kristolyn and I before the Pentathlon! The UC's vs. Leadership...of course, Leadership girls just wanted to finish alive and breathing :)! Her getting "retouched" while shooting
This is her trailer...SHE TOTALLY HAD A TRAILER ON ER!! Her character's name is Lara!

Dads/Moms, You gotta talk about SEX...


Enjoy these additional tips on having this conversation across the age ranges. Please add any wisdom or insight you may have to offer by commenting below the post!

Ages 5 and under:

As a general rule, most sex education in the early years (5 and under) will be a result of questions stemming from standard curiosity about anatomy and male/female differences. Be honest with your daughter and keep it brief. Make sure that you express the facts with confidence and commend her for her inquisitiveness.

Ages 6-11:


Once your daughter enters grammar school, it is possible that she will be exposed at some level to more sensitive topics related to sex. All it takes is just one student on the playground who has been exposed to information about sex that is inappropriate and voila, your child’s innocence can be robbed. Many children in this age range do not feel comfortable talking to their parents about what they may have heard, so it’s of critical importance to sit down with your daughter and have a general conversation with her for the purpose of encouraging open communication. For example, you might say, “Honey, sometimes there might be kids in your class or at school who say things that may confuse you. Remember, you can talk to me about anything at all, okay?”

My own daughter was ten years old and in the fifth grade when she asked where babies come from and said, “Tell me the truth.” So, I did. I kept it very simple and explained the basics of sex and God’s intent for sex to be between a husband and his wife. I also told her that sometimes people don’t follow God’s rules and she will probably hear about that in the years to come. I told her that we would talk more about body development later in the year and throughout her middle school years. (Note: If you daughter is an early bloomer, you will need to have this conversation earlier.)

Ages 12 and up:


By the time your daughter enters middle school, she should have the basics of body development down and even if she’s not developing at the rate of her peers, she should be aware of changes to come. During these years, it is of critical importance that you come up with a solid plan to educate her about sex and issues related to sex. Again, these will be ongoing conversations, so don’t bombard her with too much information, too soon. However, by the time she enters high school, you should have addressed all the benefits of waiting and the consequences that may occur from not waiting. My personal philosophy is that by middle school, all topics related to sex are fair game. Again, this doesn’t mean you dump all the information contained in this conversation on her in the 6th grade. Use discernment and spread out the facts over her middle school years, trying to touch on each one covered in Conversation #3.

The high school years should be the review years. You should have already built a foundation of facts in her middle school years and now is the time to step it up and remind her of those facts. Ages 15-17 are some of the most difficult years in a girl’s life and she will be bombarded with misinformation regarding sex. Don’t wait for your daughter to come to you in these years. Again, come up with a plan whether it’s an annual weekend get-away or a standing coffee date every 2-4 weeks. If you’re uncomfortable having conversations with her related to sex, be honest and tell her. Tell her that it’s difficult for you, but that your motive is to equip her with God’s standard for sex.

Take advantage of teachable moments that occur in everyday life where sex is not presented according to God’s standard (which, by the way, is the way it is presented by media the majority of the time). For example, if you read a news story related to STD’s and a possible link to infertility on down the road, take advantage and share it with your daughter. When I heard the above news, I told my daughter, “How sad is that that so many girls your age are listening to the culture and believing that sex is no big deal. Do you think they might think twice if they knew that their decision might leave them with an STD that goes undetected over the years and someday, leaves them unable to have children?” It seemed to help my daughter connect the dots between sex and the possible long-term consequences when I would paint a word picture for her and walk the scenario down it’s possible path.

You may have taken notice to the fact that the majority of the criticism related to abstinence only sex education programs is that they don’t offer students enough information. Of course, the critics are referring mainly to a lack of information over birth control options. There is some truth in the statement that students are not being given enough information, but I would argue that the information they are lacking are the facts I have summarized in Conversation #3. Rather than throw condoms and birth control pills at our children, why not give our daughters all the facts regarding sex so they can make fully-informed decisions? Of course, don’t wait on other sources to present the facts covered in Conversation #3 to your daughter. It’s up to you to take a proactive approach and adopt a new, upgraded sex talk—one you will have over and over again through the middle and high school years.
© 2008, Vicki Courtney. Used by Permission. Originally posted at www.virtuealert.com.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Job of a Kanakuk Director...

I got this email this morning from a great friend/kamper! It made me laugh so I thought I would share it. Sorry, I have not been a great blogger this week. Trish and I have been hiring literally all week long for the BEST KANAKUK K2 STAFF FOR 2009!!!

"Ok so really random!!! but here is like 20 reasons I really want your job lol!!!
1. I love Jesus and your job has a lot of Jesus in it!!
2. I really really like public speaking and I think of speech topics all the time!!!
3. You get to be crazy and yourself all the time
4. You are at Kanakuk!!! the best place on earth
5. You get to have like 500 best friends
6. You get to make peoples world/ day everyday!
7. I love high schoolers and they always have a story to tell!!
8. Its in Branson!!!/Lampe
9. You get to wear costumes to work and I love dressing up!!
10. I love sports!!
11. You can drive boats and blob
12. I can help make 2 weeks or a month the best of someones life!!
13. You get to wear one peice swimsuits!!
14. You get to have an awesome leadership team!!
15. You get to live in really cool cabins!!
16. I really like coming up with crazy ideas and you get to share them with others
17. You get to love on people all day
18. YOu make a huge impact on others lives
19. You get to go to a party like every night in the summer!!
20. You get to eat really really yummy food!!
so that was my randomness of what I was thinking !!! so pretty much you have the coolest job ever and that was all!!!"

This gal could have my job someday...AND SHE WOULD BE AWESOME AT IT!

p.s. anyone else out to steal my job...i'm going to create an excel document! hehe, jk!
p.s.s Please don't anyone think that I am leaving K2. I am not and my job is pretty secure, unless Joe sees pics of Kana-Cupid! JK! :)

Kamp loves ya'll...and so do I!
A. Robbins
ashley@kanakuk.com

Saturday, February 7, 2009

I messed up...


Hey Friends,

I don't want to share this...it feels so exposed, so little in the world's eyes, and even no big deal to most. But I have nothing else to write about...

What was I thinking? That is the question that has haunted me today. Last night girls, I should have walked out. Why didn't I? Why couldn't I see that I was placing vile things before my eyes (which is in direct disobedience of Psalm 101:3)? I still am kicking myself and yet, still finding my mind will try to justify that it was okay.

Here is the story (the story to make you see that kamp directors are not perfect. hope my vulnerability is seen). I have been excited for a week about a certain movie opening. The cast was great. The plot line looked hysterical. I laugh now knowing, "duh, ashley, of course the enemy can get great stars and a great story line to make us be in direct disobedience of the Lord!" I got a group of 3 of my friends to plan a girl night and it was set. We showed up at 6:00 pm to get in line, ran to the theatre hall to get a great seat, and sat like a kid with $100 dollars in a candy store. I thought, "great, it's not rated "R" so it will be fine. Maybe a little shady but it's PG-13 so it can't be too bad." The movie started and to be totally honest 75% was okay. Not amazing Godly plot lines, but there was 1 story line that I watched and my stomach churned through those parts...but I sat there and even laughed at parts and sat there!

I sat there...I watched "vile things." I condoned, by simply sitting, things that I know are paths to destruction. I went home, still justifying that it was a "cute movie, but that I hated that one plot." I justified to my husband, who questioned me if I should be convicted. As I went to bed all I could hear, literally hear, was Psalm 101:3.

"I will set before my eyes no vile thing."

I chose to set before my eyes a message and images I did not need to see. I even left still being okay with it. Not until I tried going to bed and then this morning, with the help of a godly friend, did I go...ashley, you were wrong. Girls (and my 3 friends that went with me), I blew it. I want you to see that ALL OF US, even Kanakuk directors, mess up. Even today, my heart just is disappointed in myself, and I think I am learning what "mourning" over our sins means...I know God has forgiven, but I really think the Lord is grabbing my heart to check myself on what I watch...what I allow myself to watch and be okay with it. It's so not fun...it means I have to say no to some hang nights with friends or walk out of a movie even if no one else is...this woke me up that I have allowed this little stupid media thing to get me and my heart.

God's grace is so sweet because even in the day-after-I-jacked-up mood...I know I'm forgiven and prayerfully will allow the Lord to break and re-mold like He does SO WELL!! Why do I share this? I'm not sure...I guess I just wanted all 500+ K2 komos to know that no one's perfect and I mess up... A LOT. I love being bonded by the Lord together b/c we can share our junk...and still know God loves us! Even when we don't get out of the seat and walk out in Jesus' name...

(this might seem so little to some, no big deal, but don't you think the enemy starts somewhere...just a thought)

Stand up girls...
Walk out if need be...
Fight back for the Glory of the Lord...

there's my heart,
A. Robbins

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Hey Friends,
Well, goodness, this little duck below is what I feel like today...but in a fun way! I have been a total texter, crazy caller, fanatic facebooker, and excited emailer trying to hunt down 200 staff to see if they are coming back to K2 this summer. And naturally, most are!! Wooohoo!!! Trish and I have been running up our minutes and texting limits like mad women! But it's so fun! This means that summer is really really almost here! This next week we go into our "draft." Draft is what we call our hiring process. It's a full week and we go through every single application! It's nuts but oh-so -fun!
We do all the madness so we can get our K2 staff back, basically the best in the whole world, and then hire more unbelievable new gals! It's so fun! You all want my job don't you...yikes, I better pay Trish my paycheck so she doesn't fire me to hire you all! :)

Gotta go text some more,
A. Robbins
ashley@kanakuk.com

Monday, February 2, 2009

I'm in Awe of Young Women Like This...


"Dear Ashley, You have no idea how encouraging it has been to receive your e-mails each month. I have been meaning to respond but it seems like I hardly have time to breath during the day. I miss Kamp so much at times. The other day I got to thinking though...what is it that I miss so much? Was it the food, or the outdoors, the freedom from the stresses of everyday life or the worship? But I came to the conclusion that it was the people. The feeling I had as I went to bed, as though I had just spent a day in Heaven and feeling like, with every second, I was growing closer with God. Why is it not like this at home? Why do we not get that feeling EVERY time we are fellowshipping with other believers? (I always think of the song called More Than You'll Ever Know by Watermark) This was one of the hardest parts of coming back. I was so disappointed with my church and with my Christian friends. One day I was complaining about this disappointment to my parents and my Dad simply replied, "Nat, we are not called to find the perfect church, we are called to BE the church." (It is so amazing to see how their faith and our whole family dynamic has changed incredibly in the past four months.) Since then my Dad and I have started getting up at four every Thursday morning to serve breakfast at our local homeless shelter. I have never enjoyed breakfast so much!!! We sit and listen to these incredible stories of where these people have been and are awed by their boundless faith, and our own lack of it at times. (Of course not all of the people who come in believe in God, yet.) Also, God instantly began bringing amazing people into my life. The friends and mentors I had been pleading for. What a blessing the past month has been. I am busy out of my mind with school work and extracurriculars, but I have found the truth in the saying, "you discover time you didn't think you had when you make time to spend with God." I hope that you will pray for strength for me as I endeavor to thirst and yearn for God and as I hope to become "the church" for my family, friends, and hopefully eventually influence my church as well.
Love,
Nat"