As I was leaving Haiti, one of the young men, a graduate of the orphanage gave me this letter.
To Mr. David
Dear Mr. David,
Blessed be he who invest his heart, his knowledge, his soul in the work of God. I specially appreciate you sir and I’m so glad to have met you and spend some few days together. It’s not easy to leave your country to serve others, but you did it. I will never forget that one day “string man” was come to teach kids and young man some about he knows. I want you to know after your family and friends there are some other guys which love you. I’ll pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy to have brothers come and tell about your faithfulness and how to continue walking with God.
May the mercy of Lord be with you all your days.
Certainly, Ruben
Well, I was out of cyber space for a while in Haiti but now am back. Had a great trip. Met with about 2,500 kids and adults. (At least gave out 2,500 strings.) It was hot then in the daytime it got hotter. What great people with so much potential and so little opportunity. 85% unemployment.
Went to one school that a man started under a tree two years ago. Last year he had a blue tarp to teach under. This year he build a school out of used pallets. We took him some pencils and paper as well as tee shirts so they could have a “uniform”. They were so appreciative. I did strings at each school and orphanage. Also under the Voodoo tree. What a great experience. Tomorrow I will print a letter I received from one of the graduated orphans there.
Dave
Dear Mr. Titus,
My grandson, Andrew Walker, saw you at Clegern School.
He bought your instruction book and has been
practicing all evening, only putting his string away
at bedtime. He’s learned through page 15 and can do
the drum with his eyes closed.
In a day and age full of video games, guitar hero, and
television blasting its often less than positive
messages, what a joy to see a boy of 11 so rapt with
something to exercise the imagination and applied
directions.
Thank you for sharing this excellent storytelling
technique with him and others. May God continue to
bless your efforts.
Mary McReynolds
On Monday met with the team that is going to Haiti and we packed tee shirts, shorts, shoes and school supplies to take. Also has some good fellowship. We are each taking one suitcase with our own things and one with the team supplies. My personal suitcase will have 2,000 strings with another 1,000 going in the team bag.
Leaving Saturday morning. Have to be at the Lawton Airport by 4:30 AM. That will be a short night and a long day. Get to Haiti about 4:30 in the afternoon. I plan to teach the team members some string figures while we are waiting in the airport so they will be prepared when we meet all the kids.
Dave
Edmond, OK. Had a great day at Angie Debo Elementary school. It is a school of about 800 students. We sold over 150 books and who knows how many strings besides the one that we gave to each student. They had discovered string figures a couple of years ago so many of them knew Jacob’s Ladder and other things.
There were two very small first graders that could do Jacob’s Ladder almost as fast as I can. Because so many knew Jacob’s Ladder, I was able to teach the fifth graders the spider. Boy do they think they are hot.
Dave
I just returned from displaying at the NREA. Many people were excited about the possibilities of using string in their schools to motivate and educate the students. It was a great time of sharing and teaching some figures to the participants. We all had a great time of fellowshiping.
It was very touching to have “The” teacher at “The” school in a Montana district say that her students would be very excited about the string games. She bought a couple of the books and 10 strings for her “7″ students at the school. Oh, how I wish I could go give them a day of string workshops but it is just not feasable. I am so glad to have the books to get it started in some way.
Everyone deserves a quality education and these people are trying their best to provide it.
Dave
Jo Uhland, a faithful supporter of String Ministries, Inc and board member emeritus passed away last Sunday after a lengthy illness. She will be missed for her wit and wisdom. I was in frequent contact with her after she moved into an assisted living facility near her daughter in North Dakota. She was always cheerful and glad to visit. I will miss a close friend and confidant. She had many good ideas for me.
Dave
I went up to Hinton, OK to Canyon Camp for the Annual McFarlin Family Camp, a church in Norman Oklahoma. Their theme was “String”. Wow did they have it all made up. They had the saying by T.J.Rule, “Life is like string, It’s what you make of it.” Their name badges had Jacob’s Ladder on them and they were having string cheese for a snack. Spagettii for supper and then the movie “Mouse Tale”. I think that is the name of it. Where the mouse is in a string factory.
Their devotion was on braiding small pieces of cord together to make a stronger cord. Maybe a more literal translation of “Those that wait upon the Lord” should be “Those that braid upon the Lord.” Needless to say, I was impressed.
I gave a string workshop for all ages and we had a great time. They will be helping each other for the whole camp time and maybe longer still. It was a beautiful day to be in the canyon with it’s steep sandstone walls and fall colors. What a good day.
Dave
I am at Ft. Leavenworth, KS to work in the three schools on the post. It is a beautiful setting on the Missouri river. It is a glorious fall day with leaves changing and falling down and drifting in noisy piles.
I am staying in Otis Hall, one of the vintage buildings on the post. My accomadations include a Living room with fireplace, formal dining room, kitchen, den with DHL, bedroom with fireplace and bath. I could get used to this kind of treatment.
At Eisenhower elementary I was greeted with a bag of goodies and coffee to get my day started. I met the kids on the stage of their state of the art auditorium and for lunch they sent out for Chinese. Wow, what a hard life I live. Now I have to decide where to have dinner.
Dave
Beth Warren, the wife of Gene Warren and Mother of Randy Warren who have been so instumental in making my business and Minsistry work, passed away Sunday morning. She will be missed in so many ways. This is a double loss for Lynna Warren, my office manager as her mother passed away less than two months ago and now her mother in law. We all offer our condolences to the family.
Dave