A special thanks to Jim Evans, Bob Sederwall and Carl Gore for their special contributions to this event.

Ozark, Tri Lakes, Central, Marshfield and Evangel Temple came together to put on a Paint Your Friend Paint Ball Campout.

The day was like most any event day.  I had the day off from work and had my truck packed with stuff for the event.  Bunkers, Cardboard, Co2 50 lb tank, filler hardware.  Extra masks, and about 30 other things I can't think of right now.  This permission slip and form was distributed  http://readyrangers.tzo.com/paintball2010.pdf to area churches.  Still lots of questions are asked and responded to.  It was a Bring your Own Cook your own or Go hungry campout.  This is a great way to do things.  The boys learn self reliance and how to do things for themselves.  If they needed it and didn't bring it the next time they will bring it. 

Friday morning started with a trip out to the campsite.  A 20 acre field surrounded by trees with no houses in site with another 100 acres around it.  While there I met a guy I had went to school with and had been in church with a time or two and we talked for about 10 minutes before we knew who each other was.  He was hauling hay and he told me about his place just 4 miles away with a spring and a cave on it.   No one was at the event site yet so I opted out for the 4 mile trip over to his place and he showed me the cave and offered the place for a RR campout and cave trip.  Great things seem to always come this way.

Friday mid day I finished loading up gear into my truck and went over to the event site.  I found Jim Evans from Ozark AOG down there with his son's sitting up their huge 30x60 FCF tent with wood stove.  They had it up in no time and the stove installed and FCF beds and fixings all folks started showing up.  I unloaded my stuff and secured the co2 tank and then we dragged up firewood for the council fire and were set for the evening.

I left for Springfield to bring in a group and drop by my house to pickup another group and before long we were back at the event location and folks just kept showing up.

Friday night supper was a mix of all kinds of things most cooked on the campfire from Steak to hot dogs to MRE's to jerky and Deer Chili and hamburgers  to name a few. 

Friday nights council fire was at 9:00 pm down in the creek bed with a big fire and Jim Evans brought what the Lord had laid on his heart.  At the conclusion of the service we saw someone in a white suit, red motor cycle helmet and 4 wheeler could hear someone up on top of the creek bank yelling accusations and things like the devil would yell at us and he would be back in the morning we sent Rob Batchman up there to see who it was.  All Rob found was some briars and a white suit and a red motorcycle helmet and a 4 wheeler. 

The night was clear and the weather was in the low 20 degrees.  Yet the moisture in the air was very thick and it was even colder with all the frost that froze on the ground all night.  Around 10:30 pm I hit the foam pad in my camper shell in the back of my truck and dozed off.  It was a long cold night and at 6:30 a.m. I was ready to get up. 

Chris Goldberg and his son had returned early about 6 am and had got a good fire going and we piled on the wood.  7:00 a.m.  rolled around and breakfast was being cooked, bacon, biscuits, hot chocolate and baggie omelets to name a few.  Boys were showing up talking about how cold it got and how much they froze as they warmed themselves by the fire. 

So around 8:30 am we had morning devotion and each of the folk around the fire told something they were thankful for .  After 30 folk tell you what they are thankful for then in turn turn to one another and say Hey I am thankful for you.   The boys were instructed to get their gear and paint and air and be out on the field.  After all that was done.  The Evangel Temple folk showed up and it got even more fun.  We lined up and that ole accuser from the night before showed up on his 4 wheeler and we let him know what we thought of him and gave him a reminder that the shed blood of Jesus is against him and he lost.  We then opened fire and here is a video of that.

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/7067127/18387239

We had 30 to 40 in attendance and in most of the games 24 folk chose up 2 teams to mark up a few of their buddies.  We played woods ball, civil war, wipe out, bunker ball, moveable bunker ball and did many of these many times with variations.  The men and boys had a great time.

It wasn't long before 1:00 pm rolled around and we said thanks then we cleaned up,  picked up,  paid up,  and packed up and then went home.

It was a great time of fun and adventure. 

I called Commander Batchman the guy stunting as the accuser.  He is in great shape and "READY for Anything"

Click on a picture to get a larger view.

Report submitted by Mark Jones