• K-1 Letter
• K-2 Letter
• K-West Letter
• K-Seven Letter
• Kanakuk Klassic Letter
• K-Kountry Letter
• Kanakuk Colorado Letter

K-1

HEY K-1 KAMPERS!

Here we are, in the beginnings of another year. Wow! 2006 was awesome! We had such a great time with all of you last summer… the memories are keeping us going now while the north wind blows and the snow falls in great drifts – (just kidding… we have had 60 degree weather here in the Ozarks this winter.) But we are having even more fun planning the events for next summer. Believe me… it’s going to be even better!!

Last summer, a lot of you made some pretty deep commitments to Jesus. Some of you accepted His gift of salvation; others committed to giving Him more of their lives. We hope that you have had those decisions on your heart as you go through this season. We hope that you have kept them close in your mind as you make daily decisions and choices. It’s really easy to do the right thing at Kamp when everyone else is, but it’s a little harder when you face the influences of the world in your every day life. But IS IT EVER worth it!! Not to mention the influence that YOU will be having on all your friends who are watching you.

Next summer we are going to press even more FUN into our days! We are going to offer new events, new parties, new games and activities… MORE than ever before!! You are going to be 1 year older, and you’ll be in an older cabin, and you’ll have new opportunities to experience! And, best of all, we are going to learn more and more about the awesome love of Jesus – for each one of you!

Last summer we all took the LEAP OF FAITH; this year we will be taking that to a new level. Stay tuned to Kanakuk.com for the announcement of our theme for 2007 – then start imagining all the sights and sounds it will bring.

Seems like things just keep changing around here. But one thing that never changes – and never will – is the way we love our kampers! We miss you like crazy in August when everyone leaves, but during the winter months we are always more and more pumped about creating a new and unique experience for the next year. We hope that you are getting excited about Summer 2007 – because WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU!!!!

K-2

K-2 - What a summer, what a wild, crazy, inspirational, life-changing summer! Without any doubt it was the greatest summer with the most amazing kids and the most dedicated counselors I’ve ever known. ‘D-Ligs’ and the men’s team, Trish and the women’s team were absolutely superb. Wow, they gave their hearts to inflame K-2 with enough FUEL to light a fire so bright you could see it from the moon!

One K-2 girl kamper summed it up best in an email after kamp.

"It’s been three days since kamp ended. I have looked at my pictures 23 times, been to the website 8 times, displayed my “I’m Third” towel 4 different ways and cried as I took off my kamp jewelry. I want to go back right this second! Kanakuk changed my life. Those thirteen days were absolutely without a doubt the best days of my life. During them I learned so much about myself, my identity as a Christian, where I am in my walk with Christ, and what I need to do to get closer. I loved all of it. I can truly say that. I loved every single second I was at kamp. I made sure to cherish it and soak it all in! I am closer to my Savior than I have ever been. I can feel him, and for possibly the first time, I can decipher what he is telling me to do. It is incredible. Above all other nights at kamp, the one night that changed me the most was final kamp fire. It was that night, that I truly did it . . . gave my entire heart to Jesus and promised to live for him. I was kneeling at the foot of the cross, tears streaming down my face just clutching that seed. I was praying harder than I have ever prayed before. I was begging for forgiveness and then he said, “You were forgiven the first time you asked.”

“I start school tomorrow. With that new challenges will come. The biggest ones for me are showing others what lights me up. (Sharing Christ with them and also serving him through serving them.) I know that they see the happiness inside of me and wonder where it is coming from - and prayerfully, I’ll be able to show them! I will be seeing you next year . . . how could I not go back to this place?!?!? It’s amazing! God is amazing!”

We are (believe it or not) already in 5th gear praying, planning and building for ’06! Our K-2 theme is “LEAP OF FAITH”. We all have big furry stuffed animal “Bull Frogs” on our desks as we pursue ideas to “J.U.M.P. out of the Gym” next summer.

Will you take a giant leap of faith this winter and find a friend who needs to find the love, the excitement, the fun and the ‘Touch Of The Master’s Hand’ and bring that friend to K-2 next summer?!! My heart is jumping already!

K-West

Step UP! Step OUT! Run the RACE!

What a summer! This year at KWest was absolutely spectacular! Thanks for making it the best 2weeks of our entire year! It was more than we could have even imagined or dreamed of to see you running around kamp having so much fun!

From being Pink to getting your Bumble Bee, from Tree Tops adrenaline to Conquest night fireworks, from Around the World night all the way to Cross Talk, it was the most remarkable summer in the history of kamp! You are what made this place so great! Thanks for carving out time to join us for the excitement.

The reason KWest becomes so magical every year is that you do three little things that transform the normal days into supernatural growth: you step up, step out, and run like there is no tomorrow! The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” That’s you and that’s Kanakuk!

This summer you had a great counseling staff to surround you with encouragement. At kamp, you leave behind the world. You literally step up to different level and lay aside things that slow you down. You also step out and make great strides physically, and spiritually, at times growing like never before. You run so hard that you drop into bed at night knowing that every second of your day was beyond fantastic!

Every day can be that way when we fix our eyes on Jesus. Getting rid of and keeping off the things that slow us down is a challenge. Stepping out off the starting line and not being afraid of what others think can be intimidating. Running the race with way God intends us to is exciting and fulfilling. He wants the very best for us, and so do we!

Step up and decide to make every day a kamp day! Step out of your comfort zone and dare to be a Daniel. Run like there is no tomorrow and make all 86,400 seconds of each day honoring to the Lord. We want to hear from you soon! Know that you have a great crowd of witnesses in heaven and a wonderful Kanakuk staff cheering you on! We can’t wait to talk!

K-Seven

Be a Player for Christ

What a super “Heir It Out” summer we just had, full of great memories that God gave us together. Even now as it is turning to Fall, and football is in the Heir…oops…Air...I can just hear the coaches’ whistles blowing and the band playing, and feel the electricity in the Heir…oops sorry again. Paul is like a coach to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:1-7. Paul will give us (4) key things to do as players for Christ. Listen to his words that start out with a bang, “I Paul solemnly Charge You…in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus….” I love the first thing that Paul tells us to do…be “Charged” to do something with a “cause”. Paul wanted us Christians to be motivated to run with a “Cause” as a player on “Jesus’ Team”. Paul now states who Jesus is and why we should run with this type of cause ”that He is the judge of the living and of the dead”. With confidence, Paul says I want you believers to live with courage because of who you live for and what He has done for us. Jesus literally did Heir it out for us in his life and death and it is He who will judge us one day.

Secondly, Paul now gives a “challenge.” He says, “preach the word in season and out of season.” This means that we need to be ready all the time to tell others about the word of God. What a challenge…all the time in God’s word ready to tell others how Great the Lord is. Thirdly, Paul now says that people will be “confused.” He says “a time will come when people will want their ears tickled and they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires…and they will turn away from the truth”. Did you hear that? People will begin to listen to only what they want to listen to and do what they want…this is scary that people could so easily turn from the truth of God’s word and listen to the world’s way of doing things, and do what they want because it felt good. We have to be careful to stay in tune with Christ and know His word and apply it to our life. Fourthly, Paul tells us to have confidence. Look what verse 7 says, “I have fought the good fight I have finished the course, I have kept the faith”. What confidence Paul had to finish strong for the Lord with confidence in all that he did.

My prayer for you is to use this passage to be most effective for Jesus in your school. Be charged, challenged, don’t be confused, and have confidence in a “Big” God that gives us the strength to Live for Him.

Know that you are prayed for and loved. I hope to see you at the movies soon. Let it be said of you to “fight the good fight and you kept the faith”.

Kanakuk Klassic

Welcome to Kanakuk Klassic where you will experience the summer of a lifetime! GT, Tracy and I have been working all year long to make 2007 the best summer in Kanakuk Klassic history. This summer we are unveiling the most exciting event in all of the Kanakuk Kamps: the world’s biggest barn swing! “What is that?” you might ask. It is 30 feet of pure excitement! Standing high above the trees overlooking the lake, you take three steps, a dive and then experience the most exciting minute and a half of your life as you go racing towards the ground, then flying up like Superman, all the while going round and round. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to try it out. This summer is all about “Beyond Belief” and this experience will truly be just that. This summer will be full of laughter, love, hugs, excitement, speed, changed lives, smiles, splashing, and all the fun that you could possibly cram into so few days. I cannot wait for all the incredible memories that we are going to make at Kanakuk Klassic this summer. I can’t wait to see you there!

K-Kountry

Hello K Kountry!

Have you ever been so excited that you thought you might stop breathing? I mean so fired up that it feels like your heart might explode inside your chest? Cause we are feeling it here! What a summer. What an amazing, melt your face off, do a couple of back flips, dance until you drop summer! And the best part of it was that it was all about Jesus. SO many of you rang the bell as you gave your hearts to Jesus. So many of you fell head over heals in love with your counselors as they pointed you to heaven. So many of you have taken the torchbearer challenge and are reading your bibles. Way to go! We are so proud of you.

Now you might be thinking that Katie and I are just hanging around K Kountry riding the zipline all day. While we have done that a lot, we have been busy getting ready for K Kountry 06. Believe it or not we have been planning and dreaming and building for next summer. The way it looks, next summer is going to be the greatest summer we have ever had. Hurry and sign up for kamp. You will not want to miss all that we have been cooking up for you guys.

Before I close this letter Katie and I have a couple of introductions we want to make.

The first is that Rylie Deane Newman was born on august 27th. We are pretty sure she is the cutest baby ever to have crawled the face of this planet. She is already riding the zipline by herself and loving it. We can’t wait for you to meet her.

The second is that we are going to be joined this year by Collin and Rachel Sparks. They have been at K West for years and years. Just ask your older brothers and sisters about Sparky and Rachel. When you see their eyes light up you will begin to understand why we are so excited about the Sparks. They are going to take K Kountry to new levels of fun never before imagined. It is like Christmas morning everyday with them around. They are going to help direct K Kountry but more important than that they will probably be your new best friends.

Are you starting to see why we are so excited around here? Can you feel the new levels of hype coming through your computer screen? Are you ready?

Continue to live your life for Jesus every day. Remember that He is why we live. He is why we breathe. He is the center of all that we do here.

We love you all so much. We miss you like crazy. Please e mail any of us at kamp. Go ahead and e mail Collin and Rachel and introduce your self to them. There isn’t anything that we wouldn’t do for you.

Your fans

Pete, Katie, Collin, and Rachel

Kanakuk Colorado

Hey All you K-CO Instituters!

I hope all is well wherever you are….I know school is CRAZY right now. Fall is sneaking up on you, and it won't be long Christmas will be just around the corner. As you look forward to great times to come, don't forget the great times out in Durango. Remember those crazy cows…"ju-don't know if I got knives in my udders" HA!! That was awesome. My mind is flooded with some great memories of great trips with super trip guys. I'll never forget the summer we learned how to pray, how to see Jesus in a new way, and how to love each other beyond ourselves. Thanks for making it GREAT!! I look forward to seeing you next summer. If you get a chance to stop in here, drop me an e-mail, andy@kanakuk.com, or check me out online at AOL screen name COLORADOBRANER. Have a super day, and don't be a stranger.