Arkansas the Movie

The music and the images tell the story of the Arkansas mission in 2011.

So Many Books and Plenty of Time to Read!

There is an old saying--quoted by librarians--- books books books, so many books and so little time to read. In Elaine this past week, there were books, books, books, everywhere and we took time to read. Our prayer is for children to love to read and in by learning to be better readers, take the time to read and understand the Bible, apply it to their lives and grow in their faith in the Lord Jesus.

What are Book Buddies for?

We were so happy when The Jesus Bible Storybooks were in the hands of the children in Elaine.  The first order of business was for each child to sign his or her name in the special bookplate placed inside the cover of each Bible Storybook.

This is a special book. You can see from the photos how well these were received by all ages.

How to Build a Book Buddy

The Bible story for the camp was the life of Old Testament Joseph and how he persevered and used wisdom given to him by God. He used organizational skills to store grain so that people across the land would have food during the famine. God provided more than a few organizational skills for the OBC team.  Only by God's blessing could 50 children sand, assemble, paint, and decorate their personal bookshelves. 



I'm not sure which part of the project was most enjoyed by the children. They loved sanding and especially when Mr. Bud guided them with hands-on electric sander.  They had a ball choosing which color to use for their book buddy shelf---yellow, blue, pink, green, cream color--beautiful colors all. Mrs. Barbara was the keeper of the paint pots--we didn't waste a drop!

Boys Like Yellow

Ms Lynn, Mary, Mattie, Stacey, and other volunteers helped transfer paint from brushes to wood.  A couple of our men--Jack, Bud and Jason worked hard with lifting, organizing, and placing the bookshelves in orderly rows for painting.

Everyone loves the idea of making something and personalizing it as your very own project. Adding names, designs, and stickers was fun and important for the children. Of course none of this would have happened without God's providing Helena volunteer, Mr. Bill Coad who cut out all the bookshelf pieces.

We Are Having a Ball

Oh ye of little faith---we worried we would have too few children. We drove around Elaine looking for children to bring to the center, but ended up with a roomful of all ages. The music set us up for a joyful day. Mary and Stacey brought some of the cutest songs I've every heard. The children loved them and all sang with gusto. The Bible lessons were meaningful as Mary planned little skits complete with costumes, and hot sweaty games played in 105 degree heat made the children enjoy their snacks doubly so.

The first step for building Book Buddy is sanding the wooden shelves.

The highlight of the afternoon was sanding shelves in preparation for Book Buddy bookshelves. The children had a B A L L and so did Bud Wooten!

Our new friend James.

We can hardly wait for tomorrow.

Divine Deliverance Church

Service at the Divine Deliverance Church in Elaine was inspiring, joyous, and genuine. We loved the music, especially when one of the "church mothers" rose singing an old spiritual while walking down to the front of the church. She read scripture and announced this is the word of the Lord, blessed be the reading of His word. The sermon taught us all a lesson about being grateful for what we have and making the most of every opportunity. I loved the way everyone participated in the service--from the young boy who helped with collection plates to adults who sang and gave testimony. I am especially grateful to have met Pastor Gibson and First Lady Catherine. They love their church and serve the people in Elaine faithfully.

It was a great day!

Helena is a pretty place

Driving into Helena was a bit of a surprise. Clean, wide streets with large green trees and lush grassy yards showed a town where the people were good stewards of their property. The Bed and Breakfast is lovely and everyone is happy with their rooms. The three story house looks like we stepped back in time 100 years or maybe stepped into a Hollywood movie set. What is really surprising are the steep hills throughout the town. It looks like the outskirts of Ashville dropped into the flat Delta....not sure where all the hills come from.

The meeting a the Newells was long but inspiring. They have accomplished so much in their ten years in Helena. It was wonderful seeing so many different churches represented at the meeting. This is their transition year. They will be moving to a new mission near San Antonio Texas.

When we returned to the B&B and gathered for evening debriefing and devotional.

I'm praying for clear directions for tomorrow. I am also praying for all the team to remain well and strong.

God has given us a beautiful Sunday with nice Delta warm---not too hot. We are preparing for church in Elaine this morning. All is well.

Prayer Chair

Dear Team:

 

In the devotional booklet given to us by the church, there are 14 devotions for each day leading up to the day of departure. During the trip, the book suggests a Prayer Chair for each day while on the trip. I'd like to ask each person on the team volunteer to be prayer chair and lead the morning prayer right after breakfast and the devotional time for that night. Below are the suggested Psalms for the Prayer Chair. If you have a favorite Psalm you would rather use, please do so.

 

Saturday night July 16 Carol  Psalm 91

Sunday night July 17 Barbara  Psalm 92

Monday night July 18 Jason Psalm 95

Tuesday night July 19 Mary, Mattie, and Jack Psalm 67

Wednesday night July 20 Lynn Psalm 100

Thursday night July 21 Stacey Psalm 96

Friday morning July 22 Bud Psalm 34

 

Blessings,

Carol

Personal Testimonies

Why would nine adults load up cars, planes, and vans to travel to the hot Delta region of Arkansas to spend their vacation? The love of Christ compels us.

At the beginning of this summer my plan was to find a summer job and spend a lot of my time working. While waiting to hear back from a position I applied for, I began helping out with summer events at Oakmont. One afternoon when I was helping at Back Yard Buddies, Carol Brown and I began talking about the upcoming mission trip to Arkansas she was leading. She let me know that there was still room if I was interested. I hadn't expected going on a mission trip this summer, but the opportunity to do so was exciting. It didn't take long for my heart and mind to become set on going.

 I am a late addition to the team, but I am looking forward to getting to know my fellow team members better as well as the children we will be serving. I am especially excited about the literacy projects we will be doing and the opportunity to give out books and Bibles to the children. Reading is something I love, and I'm glad to be able to share the excitement of reading with children in Arkansas. Also, I am looking forward to the trip as almost a special retreat with God because I will be away from home and from many of the things that can distract my heart and mind. ~Stacey McKnight

I chose the Helena mission trip because I love to work with children and especially enjoy helping them with reading skills.  When my two teenagers expressed an interest in going, I was even more excited--excited that they wanted to go on a mission trip with their mom and excited to share this opportunity together.  I used to love to read to and with my children when they were young and am looking forward to all three of us being able to share that love of reading and love for God with others.  I know that this trip will be a blessing to our family and pray that it will also reach some young hearts and minds in Arkansas as an affirmation of God's love for them. ~ Mary Cavanagh

I felt the call to go on a mission trip and knew the Helena mission was where God was leading me.  I want to be a part of helping the children and to share how God has blessed me. ~~Bud Wooten
 

When I was a little girl, books were not a thing that was purchased at our house.  I started school in 1945 just as WW II ended.  Books excited me and reading was a new and exciting adventure.  I remember the first book that I owned--it was a Christmas present from a boy in my first grade class.  It was a thick book of nursery rhymes which I still have.  Yes, the pages are yellow with age but that book is so special.  Over the years I have parted with many books, but this is one that was so special to me because it was my first book.  When I heard about the Literary Project Mission Trip, the same excitement came back to me--I know what it means to finally get to own a book.  I want to share that excitement about books with some child.  As a former teacher, I know how important reading is in one's success in education.  Sharing the love of Jesus with these children will be awesome.  I am so happy that the church is going to share a Bible with each of them.  ~Barbara Wooten

I have wanted to serve God through a mission trip for several years.  I finally decided I needed to just talk to Jimmie.  She told me about this group Carol Brown was forming and I immediately believed God could use me in this way.  I am a middle school teacher and I love working with children.  If I can inspire one child to read about Jesus, it will be worth it all. ~~Jason Barclift

Lynn Smith is so excited about working "with the little ones". She wants to make sure they know and understand the Bible.

Oakmont Baptist Church

Why I signed up for Helena:
I remember my parents gave me a Bible Storybook for my 8th Christmas. I read every word and will always remember the Easter Story best. I know how important reading is to grow in knowledge and grace of God. I am always glad to do whatever I can to help children learn to read and gain a love for reading the Bible.~~Carol Brown

Oakmont Baptist Church

Oakmont Book Drive for Book Buddies Project

Stories on Wheels and Bookcase Buddies Mission Trip in Helena Arkansas

For the

Helena AR Mission Book Drive

we need new or gently used books on the following topics:

• Bible Stories [especially with book characters shown as people of color]
• African American Family Life
• Fiction and nonfiction Books about Animals, Gardening, Careers
• Healthy Living and Dental Care
• Sports [especially African Americans role models]
• Other like-new books your own children have enjoyed but outgrown

The children’s ages range from preschool to grade 6.

Overview of Stories on Wheels (SOW) Mission

We will serve near Helena Arkansas, in a very under-resourced area, a mixture of about 40 – 60 children with a wide age range. The SOW bus travels to rural areas (previously to Lakeview and Elaine, Ark.) to provide children with a week of fun and Gospel teaching in the Delta sun. In the Book Buddies project, volunteers are matched to individual children to build their own bookcase which they will personalize and select a few books to take home. The “Jesus Storybook Bible” will be provided for all the Book Buddies. Oakmont will donate a portion of the Bibles.

See--  http://tinyurl.com/HelenaMission

We would like to make sure every child can select at least one additional book to add to their bookshelf.  Leave your book(s) in the book collection box located at "Grand Central" at Oakmont Baptist Church.

Plans with Elkin First Baptist and Oakmont Square Apt.

Our plans are to combine our team with First Baptist Church of Elkin. Betty Pittman, a member of Elkin [see photo] has experience with the Helena mission because the church has sent teams for three years. Betty spent the week traveling on the Stories on Wheels bus to Elaine, Ark., where they held a children’s camp that included basketball, games and a Bible story.  “We’re planting the seed, believing – even though you can’t see – that the seed will sprout,” she said.

For July 2011, our plans are to work with children in the morning and parents in the afternoon. Our mission is to bring activities for literacy skills which ultimately help children to read the Bible and Bible Stories. We will use VBS lessons on the life of Joseph as our curriculum.  We will replace the usual craft for VBS with the Book Buddies activities. Our team members will be assigned a book buddy to build a bookcase through the four days in the camp.

Day 1: sand the shelves
Day 2: paint the shelves
Day3 : assemble the shelves
Day 4: personalize the bookshelf and select your own books.

We will be working with 60 children. Pray for additional copies for Bible Storybook from donations. Pray also for suitable book donations for children's personal bookshelves.

On June 21, I have asked for the opportunity to work with OSA children to give a trial run on some of the flap book and other literacy projects. If you are free that afternoon, I hope to schedule the fellowship hall 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Oakmont Baptist. We'll explain that the activities are planned for our mission in Helena and ask for their feedback on what we are doing.

Literacy and Learning Book Buddies

Oakmont Baptist Church in Greenville NC is going to Helena Arkansas to share in the All Church Challenge with Ben and Leonora Newell. We look forward to working with our friends who have a long time mission established through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the community of Helena AR. In preparation for this trip (July 16, 2011) we are planning literacy projects. We are sharing resources with the Newells, our OBC Team, and you. We have four ideas: 1) Bookcase Buddies with Read alouds; 2) Lapbooks showing what we learned; 3) Readers' Theater; 4) Parent Workshops for Reading with your Children and Grandchildren.



Lapbooks to Extend Reading and Learning

1. LapBook Projects. These come from a variety of sources. Please note the creator and developers of these websites.

• Lapbooks  Videos
• Videos showing different formats for the book projects. Lapbooks are file folders layed open in the child's lap. Small flap books are glued to the folders to enhance the reading experience and help the child make a personal connection to books.
• Second   Flap Books
• These are simple paper books that are created by children for re-telling a story.
• Third  Bookmarking Books
• Bookmark Books are a collection of bookmarks created by children and linked together with ties or rings.
• Fourth   Step Book
• These are created by chidren to teach the sequence of a story or help the child see relationships in a book.
• Fifth Nothing but paper book
• The simplest of folded books that can be created with nothing but sheets of paper.
• Sixth Creation Book--- the small flap books are pasted into the large lapbook made with two file folders.
• This template is one of several that is public domain images of Bible Stories. These are perfect inserts for lapbooks.

2. Bookcase Buddies and Read Alouds.

• Lapbooks created from published books. Paper books can be purchased, cut and pasted to cardboard for creating a lap book used for story telling.
• Big Book concentration game. Pictures cut from paper books can be used to create a concentration memory game. Matched pictures or match pictures to key words win rewards for each match.



3. Reading with your children and grandchildren. These resources can be used with a Parent Literacy Workshop.

Simple demonstrations and practice session will help parents learn to keep their child's attention during reading time. Games add to the fun of read alouds. A variety of techniques and steps for creating the games are presented.

• Grandparents and Literacy
• Reading with your child
• Resources from the U.S. Dept of Education
• Doing What Works

4. Readers Theater.
This is always popular with young and mid-level readers. No costumes or sets are needed. The stories are dynamic and motivational for readers.

Readers’ Theater ideas and scripts.

Ø     http://suzyred.com/readertheater.html

Ø     http://www.dramatix.org/archive/Linkpages/Bible.html

Ø     http://mysite.verizon.net/vze4p7te/foolsforchrist/id39.html

Here is a favorite book we like to give to others. You may have seen this at the National CBF conference. Sharing Jesus with Children Around the World.

I also located the link to the wonderful Jesus Storybook Bible. I've download this to my phone.