SX18 - DIVING BOARD

Tuesday of Summer Xtreme, and the girls are here making designs and posters to hold up to cheer on their team of supers.  Chants that go with each grade fill the auditorium - it's a noisy place!  Look at this one crowd shot of all the kids.

And here below is a shot from the stage.  You can actually see her to the center, on the left side if you look close enough.

It was a great service, another one, with worship, a good message, fun games, and of course the skits and the next chapter of our "Heroes" video.  Summer Xtreme services are just as the title suggests:  xtreme!

Afterwards, the 4th-6th graders went off to the swimming pool at Frances Meadows Aquatic Center.  They were outside and inside, as the weather was just fine for being outside today.  But Madison seemed to gravitate towards the inside pool this time, which is a first for her.  Usually she's out there in the outside pool, with slides and a lazy river.  She did come out to see Daddy there, who was inside a pool himself.

Daddy was one of those "forcibly baptized," which happens to all the leaders usually.  They're grabbed and carried into the pool, where they're dunked as scriptures are quoted about baptism.  It's pretty hilarious, actually.  So Daddy was out there too, and the kids were all splashing at him - and right there with the splashers was Madison for a short time.

But back inside she'd go later on, and she tried something for the first time today:  the diving board!  It was a dare.  She and her friends were daring each other to do it, and so suddenly she found herself up there in front of everyone, and the rest of the kids are all so encouraging:  they cheered her on.  Madison had no trouble jumping off that diving board!

The funny thing is, she decided to do it again shortly after.  She bragged about how easy it was, and how fun it was too!  She dove in, as did all her friends, facing down her fears and doing something new and exciting!

Madison can be fearless.  Mommy and Daddy were telling her how proud we were of her for stepping out, being brave, and trying something new.  By the last few jumps, she was perfecting her cannonball, which the judges all scored her very well for.  Who knows?  Perhaps this girl has a future in diving?  

Or maybe not.  Regardless, it was fun.  And it was a really fun day today.  The kids had a lot of time at the pool, and they got to do everything they wanted to.  The weather was perfect, and our small army of kids were splashing and swimming away to their hearts' content.  

We got home later, after some prep for tomorrow - and went right to bed, all of us.  It's a very tiring week, but it's exciting, and we can't wait to see what tomorrow holds for us!