Spent part of the day packing for my trip tomorrow to Bolivia. I think I have everything. I am taking 1,400 strings. I started taking altitude sickness pills as we will be landing at 14,900 feet and going up hill from there to El Alto. I will be gone 10 days and do not know if I will have email contact or not.
I also went to the office to take some strings. Jill O’Connor did a “String Intensive” with me here in Oklahoma for 3 days a year ago. She was going to Africa and wanted to try them out there. They were a success. She just ordered 5,000 strings for her church mission team to take to Jamaica in two weeks. They are going into the schools and everything.
We also had an order yesterday for a 2,000 strings from Camp of the Cross in North Dakota. This month we also have strings going via others to Peru, China and two places in Africa. The work is spreading.
I also had a call from the Lawton Constitution, our daily paper wanting to interview me for an article on String Ministries. When he found out that I was going to Bolivia tomorrow, he wanted to get it done today so it could run in the paper Saturday. I am interested in his take on things. He spent 1 and 3/4 hours here interviewing me. Even learned a string trick.
Dave
Saturday June 15th “Survive and Thrive” conference at First Presbyterian Church in Edmond, OK. I was booked to work with the school age children and spent the day doing just that. Had a good time working with kids from all over the state and a few from Texas and Arkansas. Lots of volunteers around to help. They did a great job of planning.
Cave
I went to QSUMC for a parents night out. They have one every quarter and I was booked to work with the school age kids. I met with the older children first then the middle ones and then the younger ones. Then we had all of them together with the older ones helping the younger ones. What a good time of sharing.
Spent the evening and overnight at the home of Beth Henry, the children’s coordinator for the church. Since I was also booked for Saturday in the area, it was very handy.
Dave
I had so much fun at the Second Annual Storytelling Festival put on by the Oklahoma Territory Tellers Assn.. Held at Seminole State College in one building so everything was centralized, it was a great time. I had a display table along with about a dozen others. There were workshops, telling sessions and you could even get college credits or inservice credits for attending.
The workshops were very professional…Elizabeth Elles leading off and she is so great. She has a heart for people that is bigger than Dallas. Her stories reflect her respect for all people. Tim Tingle also gave a workshop on Friday and Barbara Macbride-Smith gave one on Saturday.
There were other stages for amatures and professionals. What a great feast of stories. And, what a great time for sharing with friends in between. Two evening concerts with the three, Elizibeth, Tim and Barbara.
I gave a children’s concert on Saturday for children and the child at heart. It was well attended and we had a good time with story and string. I also taught many people who stopped at the booth.
The Saturday evening reception was very elegant and worth staying for. Got home at 2:00 am and it was worth the time. Thanks to all who made it possible.
Dave
I did dto programs for the Pioneer Library System on Tuesday, June 3rd. The first was in Purcell in the morning. There were about 160 participants for this kickoff for the Summer Reading Program. We had lots of very young kids but they kept busy with their strings. Often doing their own thing, but they were creating. The older ones and the adults were very involved.
Jenny Stenis the children’s coordinator was there from the Norman office with an inturn. They are going to do a podcast of each of the authors and artists presenting programs on their web site. One of the students interviewed me for the program. I, then, interviewed him also.
Drove the 59 miles to Shawnee to the Public Library there and did an afternoon program. They did not have the money to buy strings for the kids so they made strings out of crochet thread. After looking at it, I decided to donate enough strings for the audience. The nylon strings work so much better and are less frustrating.
We had about 175 people at that program. I had been there a couple of years ago but they get so many new people at these programs that it was no problem. Besides, reruns are great. Just ask “Lucy”. A couple of the adults and Glenda Pitts, the children’s person had the most fun. I really do enjoy watching every one reacting to the string challanges.
Dave
Sunday, the first, I was at Saint Luke’s Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. They had their annual promotion Sunday and I have been a fixture at the event. I missed last year when I was in Poland but have done it for a number of years and the kids come to expect it. There were a few that remembered me from their schools and some of the repeats but also a number of new children.
Each grade level has a color so of course they get that color string. About 110 kids from first through 6th. Early on in the session the High School youth come down and kidnap the 6th graders and take them down to the youth center. Lots of yelling and stuff…all in good fun.
It is a challange to get the kids to settle down then and they are not used to being together in that large group anyway. But they did settle quickly when I started. I talk quietly and expect them to settle, and they do. There was one 2nd grader who was off the wall…literally. He would run from one side of the room to the other and run up the wall a couple of steps. No one could handle him. When I brought out the strings, he said he could do one and showed me opening A.
I asked if he would like to learn another one and he said yes. So he sat down and was REALLY GOOD. He concentrated better than most of them and made everything. I then pointed to someone who needed help and asked if he would help them. He was busy the whole hour helping others. It is amazing who is reached with this. Of course, as soon as we shifted gears he was off again.
The second hour is Children’s Church with many of the same kids and some new ones. I am learning that interactive time, letting them help each other and show things is also important. I used to think it was just filler but it is really a learning time for them. We had a much smaller group and the “pff the wall boy” needed one on one attention from one of the helpers. Glad he was there to help.
I guess we all are where we are, aren’t we? God made us and I need to learn to appreciate each of his characters.I am certainly one that needs some special leaway.
Dave.