What does Parent's Day look like?

Friday, June 28, 2013

Parents, friends, family! The time has almost come for the special moment of reuniting with your children here at K-Kountry, and we just wanted to give you a heads up of what the day will look like! For the first half of the day we will have a mostly regular schedule here in kamp (klinics, free time, etc.), followed by lunch and rest period. After that, however, is when the Parent's Day schedule begins.


At 4:30 the gates of K-Kountry will open for all, it would not be a bad idea though to arrive a few minutes before to pick up your kid's luggage. All of the luggage will be located up on our parking fields across the street; if you were here to drop off your kid at the beginning of the term, this will be the same spot as before. If you were not here, however, don't worry as there are plenty of signs to direct you on where to go.


After the gates have opened, and you have picked up any luggage, all of the kampers and our staff will be waiting to welcome you down at the K-Dome (our basketball court). It goes without saying that this is undoubtedly an incredible time, as smiles and stories of the past two weeks fill the area! The rest of the night is focused on showing at least a sample of what has been happening at kamp over the last two weeks, as well as honoring each and every kid at every possible moment. If there is one thing we love to do at kamp, it is to make sure every kid that walks through those gates knows how incredible they truly are! 


We are only hours away at this point, so parents, we can't wait to see you!

The Gospel Skit

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." - Mark 16:15

(A Pirate's Life for Me - The Princess here is being led to her wedding, that is until she runs in to these pesky pirates) 

The Gospel Skit is a subject we have touched on before, particularly on Twitter and Instagram, but is certainly deserving of more attention than just 140 characters. While each kid at kamp hears of the gospel multiple times while they are here at K-Kountry, The Gospel Skit is special because of its ability to show the gospel in a visual and relatable way.


Taking the gospel, and relating it to kids in a fun and interesting way makes such an incredible difference with both the initial reactions, as well as the longer term retention. It is amazing to see kampers who have come back to K-Kountry for multiple years, and talk of previous Gospel Skits in such detail that you would believe they just witnessed it all over again.


The Gospel skit itself is not meant to be the platform for which kids come to know the story of Jesus Christ or who he is, but instead the building blocks for each counselor to have a platform on which to build upon for each nightly devotional, accumulating night after night throughout the term. While we ourselves are merely instruments in God's plan, it is amazing to see the ways that the Gospel Skit has been used to speak life in to so many who have seen it. So on your drive back home with your kids, don't be afraid to ask who these pirates are, and what they have to do with the gospel!

Sunday Chicken Letters

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Sunday at K-Kountry and Kanakuk as a whole is filled to the brim with long standing traditions; traditions such as: Coffee cake, Sunday Fun-Day, I'm Third Church, and more! One of the great traditions that often gets overlooked, however, is a thing called Chicken Letters. Chicken Letters are fun, little notes that each kamper writes to tell everyone at home how kamp has been going.


The reason they are called "Chicken Letters"is because each Sunday afternoon at kamp we have grilled chicken for lunch, followed by our rest period where each kamper has the opportunity to write their letter. Chicken letters are such a wonderful tradition, and a great marker for the midway point of the term. So parents, be on the lookout for one of these little red letters in your mailbox soon!

Nursery Rhymes & Crimes

Saturday, June 22, 2013

The Eency Weency spider climbed up the water spout; down came the rain and Humpdy Dumpdy had a great fall! All the King's horses and all the King's men stuck a feather in their hat and called it macaroni! So Twinkle, twinkle, little star, POP! Goes the weasel! Its Nursery Rhymes & Crimes!


Last night all of the greatest nursery rhymes figures transformed from simple stories and dreams, in to some of the most amazing characters ever seen at K-Kountry! From Jack and Jill to the Muffin Man, it was an amazing spectacle to see stories become reality and for dreams to become memories that will last a lifetime!


Our party started this morning when we all found out that one of our favorite K-Life characters, Mother Goose, had gone missing. Stories just never would be the same again if we couldn't find her! The task? Find Mother Goose. How? With the help of all of our new nursery rhyme friends!


As we travled around kamp with our barns, we looked to try and find any clues that may have been left behind from Mother Goose's disappearance. Separately, each clue didn't quite seem to make sense; but as we came together to combine what we had found, all of the pieces to the puzzle started to fall in to place!


Once all of the clues were put together, we discovered where Mother Goose had been! Mother Goose was back, the day was saved, and the most fantastic of stories would once again be told! You know what that means around here at K-Kountry when you save the day though right?...Ice cream dance party! It had been an incredible night, full of unbelievable characters! K-Kountry had once again saved the day, in the most incredibly fun way possible yet again!

Other K-Kountry parties: Luminosity Atrocity


Term Two 2013

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God" - 1 John 4:7


Term Two: 2013 is here! Water slides, the zipline, Tribal Night, ski trips, coffee cake, parties, K-Life, and more! Welcome to the Happiest Place on Earth, K-Kountry! Does it get any better than this?


Term Two began just the other day, but already we have been having such an incredible time! On our first night we jumped right in to K-Life, an off-the-wall fun and crazy night where we go up to Barn 13 and see crazy characters, worship God, and watch the Gospel Skit. K-Life is such a great core experience here at K-Kountry and Kanakuk as a whole, because of its ties in to what kamp is: fun and lasting memories that lead to spiritual growth in God.


Cherokee...Choctaw...Kickapoo...Kiowa, the hatchet of friendly competition was once again dug up during Tribal Night, a night where the families of the Kuk and Komo tribes grow as each of the new kampers join in on an incredible Kanakuk tradition. Tribal Night is more than war paint, headdresses, or arrow heads, it is a night of wonderment. A night where each kamper can see their imagination in action, where sparkling arrows through the sky are no longer just a dream. As each kamper is put in to their tribe, you can see the awe in their eyes as they soak in all of the details of the torch lit night.  


While we still have so much more ahead of us, Term Two already has been full of moments of wonder and incredible fun! God has blessed this place in unbelievable ways, and it is so exciting to see how He moves through this place! The friendships that are already being made, the spiritual investment already taking hold, and the joy seen on each and every kamper's face shows what an incredible term we have ahead of us! 





Luminosity Atrocity!

Friday, June 14, 2013

There are moments in life that you will never be able to forget, so amazing that they will forever be cherished in your mind, incredible beyond incredible, and memories that outlast memories...or as we like to call them around here: moments of wonder. Last night was one of them.


Last night here at K-Kountry was the Luminosity Atrocity party, a party so audacious and so grand that it truly is hard to put in to words. Walking in to the dining hall last night, it was immediately obvious that the night would be something truly special! Looking out amongst all of the kampers and seeing all of the various types of neon yellow, green, orange, and more was the first sign that this party was going to be unbelievably fun!


The party didn't truly start, however, until we all made our way up to Barn 13 to take part in an incredible light dance! Every kamper and every staff had a foam LED glow-stick that was sparkling, shining, and going absolutely crazy with the music! It was something else seeing the looks on all of the kampers faces as they jumped around with the music and the lights in pure joy!


We couldn't stop at just having a dance party, though...we had to take it to the next level! Following the dance party we had a full scale neon spray tag - capture the flag game! Put simply: it was craaaaaaazy! The lower fields of K-Kountry have never been filled with so much neon, and so many bright colors! As the two teams blurred across the field, the fun and laughter could be seen and heard everywhere!


Did we mention how incredible this party was? If not, lets take a moment to reflect on the absolute best part: The Grand Finale! The night was wrapped up in the only way K-Kountry knows how to, having the most fun possible every single second! Our K-Dome was completely transferred in to a glow in the dark, foam filled dance floor! The music was incredible, the foam cascading in was nothing short of spectacular, and the night in its entirety was undoubtedly full of moments of wonder that would last a lifetime! As one Barn 1 kamper put it, "This was a dream come true!" 

K-Life 5 Tonight

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

"When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. 'Sovereign Lord,' they said, 'You made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.'" - Acts 4:24


Tonight here at K-Kountry is K-Life number five, the very last K-Life of the term. Tonight is particularly special because K-Life 5 is in essence the culmination of everything that the kampers have learned thus far during their time at K-Kountry. Each K-Life so far has brought with it a new scene in a play that we call the Gospel Skit. Each scene has a message behind it correlating to the Gospel itself, and tonight all of the pieces will be put together to deliver the entire Gospel to each and every kamper.

While each kamper has heard the Gospel in their time at K-Kountry numerous times by this point, tonight brings forward a visual element that allows the kampers to be able to see what the Gospel looks like in action. The reason for this blog post then, is to humbly ask for prayer. Prayer for the Holy Spirit to work in each and every heart tonight. Not just for salvation, and awakening though, but for true spiritual growth. 

Tonight each kamper that makes the decision to ask Christ in to their life will ring the kamp bell in proclamation of their new found faith, but we pray that the faith moves beyond the bell, and beyond the gates of K-Kountry, and in to their every day lives. Thank you so much everyone, we cant tell you how much we appreciate all of your prayers!

Super Sunday

Saturday, June 8, 2013

At K-Kountry, we have so much fun that the rules of calendars don't even apply to us! Wait..what? Lets take a step back, dissect that sentence, and try to make some sense of it. Today at K-Kountry was like every day at the Kountryside, absolutely amazing! That said, today was unlike most days at kamp, in that Sunday was seen on a Saturday.


Because today was change over day for our first term of one-weekers, we had our Super Sunday today for the two-weekers. We started the day off by getting a little bit of extra sleep, and a whole heaping of our signature coffee cake at breakfast! 


After breakfast, we all made our way down to our outdoors nature amphitheater for church. The message today was a familiar one, but one that rings truer every year that passes: The story of Johnny Ferrier and the I'm Third lifestyle. The I'm Third lifestyle is a simple motto that creates an incredible life change. Put simply, I'm Third means: God First, Others Second, and I'm Third.


Church was just the tip of the iceberg of fun to be had at K-Kountry today though. After church, we had an all morning free time where everything from the trapeze, pool slides, and blob were open for everyone to enjoy! 


In between morning free time, grilled chicken lunch, and all of the fun sandwiched in there, we welcomed all of the new one-weekers to kamp! Seeing the faces of every child light up as they are announced at the platform is something I can say I have never seen anywhere else. While I may be biased here, I can easily say that the experience of honoring the kids in this way is something so special and something that every single child should experience! 


While the new one-weekers were finding out which barn they would be in for the term, our two-weekers were enjoying our wet n' wild part of Super Sunday! Each kamper went around with their barn to six different stations, such as water gun fights, drip, drip, splash (duck, duck, goose), and water balloon freeze tag. Each station certainly had its dose of everyone getting soaked, but even more than its fair share of fun! While today may not have fit in with the calendar, it absolutely fit in with everyday at K-Kountry: The best day ever!

Opening Day 2013

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Another year has come and gone, the leaves of fall have been swept away, the frost of winter melted, and the flowers of spring have bloomed...which can mean only one thing: it must be summer time! Opening day here at K-Kountry was yesterday, and boy was it something special!


From the moment each kamper walks in to Kanakuk K-Kountry, they are welcomed by our entire staff waiting eagerly just to make each and every kid feel as special and amazing as they truly are! Joy, laughter, and cheering are heard throughout all of K-Kountry as summer has finally arrived!


The festivities didn't end at our introduction platform, though. Keeping with Kanakuk tradition, we figure there is only one way to start a summer off...with a pool party! With our new Blob rolled out, along with our pool slides, trapeze, rings, diving boards, and more, there was an endless amount of fun to be had! To wrap up the night right, we made our way up to Barn 13 for a little bit of K-Kountry K-Life! While the term has just begun, one thing is obvious, this summer is going to be the best one K-Kountry has ever seen!

So it begins...

Saturday, June 1, 2013


"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" - Isaiah 6:8



What is it that makes this place, K-Kountry and Kanakuk in general, so special? Is it the super fast water slides? Is it the incredibly cool zipline? Or is it the off the wall fun that K-Life produces? While all of those things are quite amazing in their own right, none of those things are what make K-Kountry what it is. What makes K-Kountry such an unbelievable place is the Holy Spirit, and the work that God does through Kanakuk and K-Kountry. Working through the hearts of 160 college kids, God brings together a staff here at K-Kountry that serves to further His ministry and His kingdom.


Over these past ten days we as a staff have worked tirelessly to transform K-Kountry once again in to The Happiest Place on Earth. From a fresh coat of paint on the basketball courts, to the instillation of a brand new lake tower, K-Kountry has been made anew for the summer of 2013!


While we have most certainly worked hard this past week and a half, we have also had plenty of fun in our own K-Kountry way! Ranging from the enjoyment of fireworks on Labor Day, to the trek to a local Branson stage show, all the way to a good 'ole fashioned square dancing night with our friends from the Southwest Missouri Square Dance Association! The fun was plenty, but the fellowship was often. While we began originally as a group of college kids, we transformed throughout the whole of the week in to a family. A community of accountability, caring, and love was born out of the selfless work that had been done to make this place in to what it is today. Even more, friendships that will last far longer than just Staff Training Week, or even this summer, were created through the moments of wonder that defined the time we spent together.


We are so excited that the summer has finally begun! Without the work of all of the staff, however, from kitchies, to our maintenance crew, to the office girls, and to all of our counselors, none of this would have been possible. So thank you for being faithful and serving with such amazing passion! Second session staff, we are sad to see you go, but we ask that you pray for God to work in the hearts of everyone that walks through K-Kountry's gates over the next six weeks as we wait for your return. First session staff, let us be all in for Christ, and lets get to work!