Introducing your 2014 K1 Komo Leadership Team!!

We had a great weekend bonding, planning the summer and learning about 1 John! We are so excited for summer and cannot wait to see y'all back at K1!! We can't wait to help you become fully charged and on fire for God this summer! I know I posted the summer 2014 theme verse in the last post, but I am going to challenge you to have it memorized before you come to kamp this summer! 

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;"

2 Corinthians 4:7

Counting down the days until we get to see your smiling faces back in the K1 gates :)

love ya!

Ali 

Good Morning Kanakomo Ladies!

It's 72 degrees with a slight breeze rolling down Kanakomo Hill!...we may get some rain but this warm weather is getting me so excited for this summer!

This weekend the K1 leadership team will meet to plan out the summer! We will be studying 1 John, planning parties and bonding as a team! I can't wait to fill you in on how the weekend goes! How are you getting prepared for kamp?!

This week, you can purchase a Kanakuk spirit jersey! They are a popular item and only available until April 9th at noon, so get them while you can!! Here is the link for the pink one (http://register.kanakuk.com/Store/ProductDetail.aspx?id=440200) and the link for the teal one (http://register.kanakuk.com/Store/ProductDetail.aspx?id=440201) you'll get it in the middle of May, just in time for Kamp!! Check out the rest of Kuk Store, there are lots of fun items! 

We would love to hear how you are preparing for Kamp this summer! Or if you have any questions we can help with!

Here's the theme verse for the summer! Get ready to be fully charged by God!! 
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;"

Love ya!

Ali

Hey Komos!!

As the weather is getting warmer, I can't help but think kamp is right around the corner!! 

There are only 

66 days 

left until kamp!!

What are you doing to get ready for the summer? What are you most excited about? Post your favorite kamp memory below and we may 

Hope you're having a fantastic Tuesday!

Love ya! 
Ali 

Hi girls!

Lately I have been really busy and tired. I have been praying to God asking Him for rest. Well on Sunday, it started sleeting and everything got icy. My boss told me that I didn't have to go into work that day because of the weather. Then later that afternoon, they had canceled class on Monday because of the weather. On Monday when I woke up, there was probably 6-8 inches of snow on the ground and work was canceled again! Even though I am sick of the snow and cold weather, God chose to use that to bring me rest! I am so thankful for the past couple days when I've gotten to sleep in and get caught up on homework!

Are you finding rest in God and giving all your prayers to Him?

Happy Tuesday! 
love ya!

Ali 

Hi!

I love walking out of my room each morning hearing the birds chirping and seeing the sun shining! I cannot wait for spring! Since it's warm for some of y'all, I thought I would share one of my favorite childhood spring crafts with you. We used to take the cardboard from empty toilet paper rolls and make bird feeders. It's really easy!

Materials:
-Hole puncher
-String
-Empty toilet paper rolls
-Peanut butter
-Bird seed

Steps:
1. Punch a hole on each side of the toilet paper roll.
2. Tie the string through both holes, so you have something to hang your bird feeder.
3. Spread peanut butter over the toilet paper roll.
4. Roll the peanut butter toilet paper roll in the bird seed.
5. Hang up and watch for birds!!

What are your favorite spring crafts? Post them in a comment below to share them with fellow komos!!

Love ya!!
Ali

Hey Girls!

It's snowing again here in Branson! We have had a lot of snow this winter! This past weekend, I went to Dallas for a wedding! As I was flying from Branson to Dallas, my flights got delayed. At first I was really stressed because I was already going to be late to the rehearsal dinner and with the flight delays, I was going to be even more late! But I couldn't have been more thankful for the delayed flights!

I don't know if I have told you, but I love the sky. One of my most favorite things to do is look at the stars at night! I love sunsets and clouds too! God just always seems to remind me of His beauty and presence through the sky. Well, since my flights were delayed, I was able to see the sunset from the airplane. It was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen! I couldn't stop taking pictures because I wanted to capture God's beauty. Here is my favorite picture from that sunset!

What things remind you of God's beauty or creation? Lately for me it has been the snow too! We'd love to hear from you! Comment below!

Hope you have a great week!

Love ya!
Ali 

Happy Friday!!

As February is right around the corner, stores and commercials are filled with pink and red hearts, in preparation for Valentine's Day! I think Valentine's Day is a great reminder of how God loves us unconditionally and we are called to love like Him. In John 13:34-35 says "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." This is bold. It says that people will know you are a disciple of Christ if you love one another. I know that I often don't love everyone like I should. I sometimes pick and choose who I want to love. This is not how we are called to love. We are to love one another just as God and Jesus have shown us love. I hope you begin to look at your life and really pay attention to people you could love better! I have been doing it lately and it has really shown me that there are times when I am difficult to love, but God, my family and friends still love me anyways! 

I found this picture online to help remind me to love others as God and Jesus love!

(http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/27/9d/0e/279d0e0ae948167679761825b8725745.jpg)

I hope that you're having a fantastic week! Love ya!

Ali

Komos!!

Today I'm going to share with you one of my favorite treats! It's this special granola that my mom makes! Here's the ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix

2 1/4 c instant oats

3/4 cup melted butter

25 caramels

12oz of chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cake mix, instant oats and melted butter in a bowl. Then spread half of the mixture in a 9x13 pan. Spread 3/4 of the chocolate chips across the pan, then cover it with the other half of the mixture. Bake it for 20-25. Melt the caramels with 1 tablespoon of water. Once you take the pan out of the oven, spread the caramel on top, along with the rest of the chocolate chips. 

Let it cool before you take a bite! But be careful because once you start eating it...you may not be able to stop! 

Hope y'all had a good weekend!

Love ya!

Ali 

Hey Komos!!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while! How was your Christmas break? I hope y'all had a fun and spent lots of time with family! I got to see my family for three days and I loved every second of it! Even though I spent most of break working in Branson, I still got to see some of my Osages from this summer! Here's a picture of our family! 

I also got to see Chandler (an Osage) twice! Here we are at a soccer game! Every time Chandler and I get to hang out, we end up laughing the whole time!

This semester at the Kanakuk Institute, we are working on belief statements. They will give us a topic like the trinity and we have to find scripture to prove what we believe. I am learning so much! Last week our topic was God the Father and I was overwhelmed by how much God loves us and wants what is best for us. This is one of my favorite verses from last week's belief statement:

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” 

How cool is it that if we love God and are doing His purpose, He will work things in our favor! That gives me joy when I am going through a hard time. Things may seem tough and like they aren't going to get better, but scripture says that God will work things together for our good! 

What is God teaching you? Comment on the post! I'd love to hear what you're learning!

Love ya!

Ali

Hi!

I'm sure y'all are in full Christmas spirit, I know I am! I've been thinking a lot lately about the Christmas songs that I'm listening to. Many of these songs are songs of worship towards God and Jesus. Below I've listed some of my favorite Christmas carols and how they reflect back to God! As you hear them this season, remember to thank God for all that He has given you and for sending His only son! And how cool is it, that as we listen to these songs, we are worshipping God!

Oh Holy Night

This song gives me chills! This song is one that I think everyone needs to carefully listen to. The first verse describes how our heart and our world is changed because of Jesus. We are given hope and given life through Christ. The last verse talks about how our chains are broken and and we can praise His holy name! My favorite part of the whole song is when it says "Fall on your knees". I'm sure you're thinking that is a strange line to like, but it paints the perfect picture of how we should worship God. 

Little Drummer Boy

When I was your age, I did not like this song. I honestly found it annoying. But now it is one of my favorites! We often feel inadequate and like we have nothing to give back to God. Like in the song, the boy had no gift for Jesus, but he played his best song on his drum for Him and the baby Jesus smiled back at him. Jesus didn't ask for these amazing expensive gifts, He just wants us to give him our best and all that we have.  

Away in a Manger

This song reminds me of a lullaby, and the first part talks about how there wasn't even a crib for Jesus. Jesus didn't even have a bed and He still didn't cry! What a great reminder during a season when the world says we can only be happy if we have everything we want. Jesus was happy just being in his mothers arms. The last verse of it is beautiful. It says "be near me Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay close by me for ever and love me, I pray". This is something that we should be praying every day, not just during the holiday season.

I hope y'all take the time to listen carefully to Christmas carols this season and to sing along and worship God! Here is a link to download some Christmas carols from LifeChurch, my church in Oklahoma. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/lifechurch.tv-carols/id482496069?mt=2

Hope y'all have a blessed day and sing some Christmas tunes :)

Love ya!

Ali

Let It Snow!

Let it snow from the island!!

Greetings from the tropical winter wonderland! 

We have had so much fun the last couple of days playing in the snow! It is absolutely beautiful here! But it is also very weird to see kamp and Branson all snowy! I normally hate the cold and think the only thing that makes the cold okay is snow! Here is a picture of how pretty it has been the past couple days!

I love how the snow covers the ground! Just like the dirty ground is covered in a blanket of pure clean snow, God takes our sin and covers us in a blanket of forgiveness. With this forgiveness we are purified and made clean! This is such a wonderful reminder during the Christmas season! God sent His only Son to die on the cross in order for our sins to be forgiven! God thought through all the details when He made the earth!!

“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the Lord,

“Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.

Isaiah 1:18

God even says in the Bible that our sin can be white like snow! So next time it snows, or you see snow on television if you live somewhere warm, remember that God covers our sins with a blanket of forgiveness!

Love y'all and stay warm!

Ali 

Hey!!

How was your Thanksgiving break?! I'd love to hear about all of your holiday traditions! I spent most of my break in Branson! Dianna (she was on leadership this summer as well!) came to visit me! We drove by K1 and talked about all of our memories from last summer! We also watched some movies and went to all of our favorite Branson restaurants! 

Last Tuesday, Katey (she was a UC and a Kitchie at K1!) and I went to Fayetteville for dinner and to see the Christmas lights! Look at how pretty the lights are!

Katey also spent Thanksgiving with my family at the Lake of the Ozarks! My grandparents live there and my mom and siblings drove down for the week! We had so much fun watching movies and working on some homework! The lake was beautiful on Thanksgiving, the picture below is from our front patio!

What did you do over break? What were you most thankful for? I am so thankful that Jesus died for me on the cross and that I get to worship and learn about him daily! I'm also thankful for my family members and all of my friends and YOU!

Happy 1st day of December! :)

Love ya!!

Ali

Hi Girls!! 

I came across this today and couldn't help but pass it along!

How cool is it that God, will fight for us! Now, we can't just sit back and expect God to just do everything or that we won't go through hard times. We must rely on God and pray asking for Him to fight for us when things are tough! Take some time and pray today, asking God to help you get through any hard times! 

Email us (logan@kanakuk.com) and let us know how God is working throughout your life!

Love y'all!

Ali

ps: you can find this photo and other printables at http://laurie-freshpicked.blogspot.com/2013/08/home-buyingselling-woes-bible-verse.html

Thanksgiving Rolls

Hey Girls!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! And I LOVE Thanksgiving dinner! Not only is it yummy, but I get to spend the whole day with my family! One of my favorite parts about Thanksgiving dinner is the rolls! How cool would it be to make your Thanksgiving rolls extra special this year?! 

I found this recipe for Gratitude Rolls online! You can find the original recipe here: http://beautyandbedlam.com/thanksgiving-food-tradition-gratitude/

What you'll need:

• Parchment Paper
• Crescent Rolls

What to do:

• Have guests write what they are thankful for on the piece of parchment paper.
• Then when you roll the crescent rolls, roll the note inside!
• Follow the baking direction on the can. 

Once the rolls are cooked and you're eating them at dinner, you can share the note inside! Then everyone can guess who wrote which note!!

Can't wait to keep sharing some Thanksgiving crafts with y'all!

Have a good weekend!

Ali

God Delights in Us

Hey Girls!

Today we had the amazing opportunity to learn from Matt Chandler! He is a pastor in Dallas, Texas and flew all the way to Branson to talk to the Kanakuk Institute about Jesus! What a blessing! One thing that stood out to me today was when Matt said that God likes us and He delights in us! This is something that we need to be reminded of every day! This verse shows us how much God loves us!

Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

• God is with you! Not just sometimes or when things are going well, but ALWAYS!
• Mighty means with impressive power or strength! God saves us with His power and strength! Nothing can break that!
• He will delight in you! We cannot mess up! God takes great pleasure in being with us always!
• He will quiet you with His love. I like to think of those moments when I'm upset and crying or frustrated, that God is there (because He is with us always!) to calm  me down and quiet me!
• He will rejoice over you! THIS IS HUGE! God will rejoice over us! We take time to rejoice in Him and all of His marvelous works and He does that for us!

Can't wait to share more of what I am learning with y'all! 

Miss ya!

Ali

Hey Girls!

Tomorrow I give my Bible Overview, where I basically teach the whole Bible in 30 minutes. As I've been preparing for this, I have noticed that our God is very detailed. Look at this example with Moses:

Exodus 14: 29 "But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left."

This passage comes right after God parts the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites. Notice how it says they went through the sea on dry ground. If you think about it, the ground would be wet and you would sink into it. But no, God allowed them not to sink and the ground was dry so they could safely walk across. 

Could you imagine walking through the Red Sea on dry land with a wall of water on both sides? How crazy would that be?!

God pays attention to the little details, don't forget that!

Love y'all!!!

Ali

Hey Girls!

It's already starting to look like Christmas here in Branson! The landing already has reindeer and Christmas trees set up! As much as I love Christmas, I get so sad that Thanksgiving is so easily skipped over. I think that it is important that we are thanking God for all that He has provided for us!

Last week I had to go through all the cabins and take down some cleaning signs that were left up. I had to stop and thank God at the beauty He created. Kamp is beautiful in the summer, but it is just as beautiful in the fall!

Here are some pictures from the cabin area!

This one is from Cabin 2's porch.

Look at all these colorful trees! This is on Cabin 15's porch!

I challenge you pray and tell God how thankful you are for all that He has created and provided for you! Make sure you're telling your parents and everyone around you how thankful you are that they are in your life and for everything they do for you!

I'll leave you with one last thing to let you think about: What if tomorrow you were only given what you thanked God for today?

Hope y'all are having a great start to the week!

I'm thankful for you!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

This is one of my favorite holidays because I love dressing up and the CANDY! When I was growing up, my mom would always make our Halloween costumes. I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of my old costumes with y'all!

Here is the bee costume my mom made! I don't know why I was so sad! And my cousins were Power Rangers!

Can you believe this is when I was two years old?! My mom also made this costume!

My mom didn't make this costume, but you can see the pumpkin I carved by my feet! The clown is one of my dear friends still today! 

What are y'all dressing up as this year? What's your favorite candy on Halloween? Comment below with your answers! 

Love y'all!

Ali

Hey Girls!

Yesterday we were discussing our Bible study over Abraham and we talked about Genesis 18:14 which says "'Is anything too difficult  for the Lord?.." This verse goes on to talk about how God will fulfill His promise and give Abraham a son. But how often do we think that things are too difficult for God? I think God can't handle a lot of my problems, which is not right. He could handle each trouble I face, way better than I could ever plan. I think that some of the things I am dealing with are too little for God or that God can't handle it. When really, I can't handle it without God. I have been trying to pray and ask God for assistance when things begin to be hard to handle. I encourage you to do the same!

Here is a picture that I had hanging in my dorm all throughout college. It was a great reminder that God's plan will ultimately prevail and that nothing is too difficult for Him!

I hope this encourages you this week! Miss y'all!

Love ya!
Ali




*picture from http://a1.s6img.com/cdn/box_005/post_15/597325_2348177_lz.jpg

Hi!

Sorry I haven't posted lately, I was able to go home and visit with my family! On Friday night, I went to my old high school's football game to watch my sister perform with the marching band. They have a really cool tradition called Light Show. Light Show is where they turn all the stadium lights out and perform the whole marching show with glow sticks! I haven't been to a Light Show since I was performing in one during high school! 

This is a picture of my drill team friends and I after Light Show in 2006!

Here is a picture of my youngest sister and I watching this year's Light Show!

While I was home, I also got to just spend a lot of time getting to catch up with my mom and grandma! We spent hours just talking about everything that was going on! It was such a fun weekend and I am so blessed to have such an amazing family! Hope y'all had a good weekend!!

Love ya!

Ali