Staying Cool while things are Heating up

For those of you not from the Southwest Missouri area we are in the midst of a terrific heat-wave. It only makes sense because we are over half-way through the summer, but this year it seems steamier than normal. Now if you’re from Texas I’m sure 100-degree temperatures are just another day in the park for you, but here in Missouri it is HOT.



Heat is not something we fear here at Kamp though. With slip-in-slides, blobs, jet skis and pools at each Kamp it’s never too difficult to find a place to cool down.

How are you staying cool this summer?

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Say "goodbye" to say "hello!"

It's Friday, which means tonight is parents night at Kanakuk. Parents are on their way as we speak to come pick up their kiddos who have been away from them for 7-28 days. In Kamp world we call this "changeover" as it marks a huge change in the Kamp environment when so many Kampers go home and many new Kampers arrive!


This weekend we refer to it as a BIG changeover. Today every Kamp saying "goodbye" to the Kampers they have had and "hello" to new Kampers tomorrow. On top of that, many Kamps are also getting new staff to finish off the summer with.

All this to say, there will be a lot of smiles, laughter and tears over the next 24 hours as reunions and departures are happening all around us.


So thankful to call this place home.

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Honoring Heros in our Family

On the day we are celebrating freedom and the birth of our nation you can’t help but take a moment to think about all the people who have fought and are fighting for us overseas. Our very own Patty McDonnell got to recognize military personnel in a very special way when she accompanied her father, Leon Briggs, on the Missouri Honor Flight on June 14.

The trip was less than 24 hours and took Patty, her father and others to Washington D.C. to see the new WWII Memorial and then back to Springfield. What made this day even more special was that it took place on the 236th anniversary of the army (the branch her father was in) and 2 days after Patty’s father's 89th birthday.

Patty said the entire day was about celebrating her father as a hero. The day was completed with a band greeting them when they landed back in Springfield. While walking to their car at the end of the day Patty’s father turned to her and said “… but I was just a foot soldier, nothing special,” to which Patty responded telling him he was a hero and that day hundreds of people confirmed that!

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Friendly Rocks

Kanakuk is covered in pea gravel. You know, the kind of rocks that get stuck in your shoes and drive you nuts for days. It does however provide a resource for a Kamp tradition that has been around as long as I can remember. “Friendship Rocks” are rocks with holes all the way through them and they are a hot commodity this time of year. When a Kamper finds a rock with a hole in it they give it to a friend to wear. Believe me, it is a big deal to find a friendship rock. Walking through Kamp it isn’t considered strange to see a few kids sitting down and searching for friendship rocks.



Since there are millions of rocks all over Kamp, finding these rarities is both challenging and fun! As a former Kamper, every time I see a rock with a hole in it a flood of memories fill my mind of Kanakuk friends. It’s the little things that make this Kamp so magical. A place that sticks with you throughout your life...

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Serving with a Smile

Giving up a week of your summer to go serve in a kitchen seems like a very unlikely request. Especially if you are asking a group of 9 highschool boys. But when the opportunity to come serve at Kanakuk's Family Kamp, K-Kauai, for a week came up for these boys they jumped at the chance!



These 9 boys traveled with their K-Life staff from Conway, Arkansas to Branson so they could volunteer. They have spent the past 4 days serving behind the scenes so the families at K-Kauai can enjoy their vacation. They serve food during the meals, they mop the dinning hall, they wash the dishes and they do the dirty work in the kitchen. On top of that, they do all of this with smiles on their faces because they know they are doing it to ultimately serve God.

For the rest of the summer each week there will be a different group of high school students who come in to serve and if they are anything like this group, I know the guest at K-Kauai are going to receive service with a smile!

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Anticipation and Excitement!!

Arriving at Kamp is like being shot out of a human cannon. From the moment you pull on the road leading to Kamp anticipation begins to rise. You know as soon as the car stops you will be bombarded by counselors dressed in crazy costumes who are super excited you are there! A couple of them will unload all your stuff and take it to your cabin while the others will show you how to find out what cabin you will be spending the next 7,14, or 28 nights in! You get introduced to the entire Kamp and your counselors energetically hug you and quickly whisk you away to your cabin where you can meet all your new cabin mates. And all of this happens in about a 10 minute time period. Talk about excitement!!





Our first batch of Kampers have made it through all of this and are now on their 2nd day of Kamp! The excitement never stops around here! Game On!

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I'm Third

An “I’m Third” Story

After spending five summers at Kanakuk, brother and sister twins departed for college for their freshman year. They carried along with them their Christian character and the many spiritual treasures they received at Kamp. Even before unpacking their bags, each of them placed their I’m Third card on their bulletin board in their dorm room and sought to be true to that motto in every decision they made.



Often, friends would drop by their room and ask them about the I’m Third card on their wall. Each would respond the same way. “I’ll tell you the ‘why’ of the I’m Third the week I graduate from college.”

Throughout college they kept their morals pure and always sought to keep God first, others second and themselves third.



At the end of their senior year, their friends poured into each of their rooms to hear the story of the I’m Third card. They both gave their many friends a similar answer, saying, “at Kamp I received this card that reminded me to always keep God first by loving Him with all my heart. Likewise it reminds me to try to put my friends needs above my own and this card simply means, ‘I’m third’.”



A reverent hush now fell upon their friends as each understood why he had been elected President of the student body and she the Captain of her track and cross country team. In the four years that had passed, no one was ever turned away who came to these two in need of prayer or just a shoulder to lean on. To be with this brother or sister was to be with a follower of Christ and many had come to know Him because these two were faithful to keep God first, others second, and “I’m third.”

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