Reading Club Camp Rewind

Reading Club Camp was June 5th-June 9th this year. We have collected pictures, videos, and stories and we are ready to tell you all about it! Each day this week we will share more about our fun time together...

The moment that it ended, I knew it was something special. And yet, every time someone asked me how the week went, I could only say "It was wonderful". I lost all words. Thankfully, one of our faithful Reading Buddies from Camp sent me this email that perfectly expresses both of our emotions about the week of camp. I hope you can rejoice with us too, even as we are a little sad that it is over.  

"I think we all miss Reading Club camp. Yes, it was challenging in many ways. Ordinarily we have our sweet kiddos for three hours max and camp days were twice that long. On regular days we simply serve a snack on the shuttle and during camp we served two sit-down family meals. Field trips are usually special occasions and that week we had an outing every day. These things posed challenges.

And yet, we all kind of miss it. It's hard to explain, but there was a luxurious feeling of all that time together as a family. We didn’t feel rushed because we had all day together. Sitting down together for meals felt natural and familiar. And going out exploring together every day bonded us together in special ways, as every day we split up into small groups to roam new places.

The best part of the day for me was going to the children's homes to pick them up for the day. On each hot summer morning when other children were sleeping late on a day without school, our children we're dressed and ready to go! Some of them were waiting excitedly on the sidewalk and one would call to make sure we were not going to forget her! The shuttle ride was calm as we all quietly talked about the joys ahead of us that day.

I am so glad we all had that time together. My heart swells with gratitude to the Lord for making it happen. "

Wild Readers

Wild Reader (n) A Person who reads by choice, selecting their own books, and enjoying every minute of it. (Based on Donalyn Miller’s Reading in the Wild)

The Reading Club is in full-swing enjoying the spring weather and eager for our relaxing summer afternoons together! The kids were so excited to add our Thursday afternoons and several of them are asking when they get to start coming on Wednesdays too!

One of our sweet second graders has officially fallen in love with reading. When the kids arrive at the Tree House, they have 30 minutes to play, snack, and “be kids” before the more structured part of the afternoon begins. You won’t find this sweet boy outside playing basketball, or inside with a board game. He’s in the library, curled up on a beanbag reading a book. He’s become a “wild” reader.

A few weeks ago, a couple girls took me back to the library during free time because they wanted to see the new books on display and see if I had put out the Easter books yet. I hadn’t! They dug through the seasonal books with me until we had found every single Easter book and added them to the tops of the shelves. They are becoming “wild readers”.

Want to Know a Secret?

Every week one of our Reading Buddies and their student share a secret, a secret handshake. I can’t show it to you, because it’s a secret! I can tell you that they let me in on their secret a few weeks ago and I was very honored to be trusted with something so important. Each week they add a new move to their handshake and the growing symbols indicate their time together as they learn, read, and laugh.

I love these small little facets of our Reading Club. They demonstrate that we love one another and have fun with one another. They show God’s creativity and design in relationships and his unique preparation of each Reading Buddy to work with their student.

Here are a few more fun moments I was able to capture:

They are writing poetry together, on a stool, with a beanbag.

My wonderful volunteers trying to be serious and read as examples to the kids.

When it is time for Family Meeting, but you aren’t quite finished with your book.

Rapping Poetry together!

In just over a week, we will be adding another day to Reading Club each week and opening the door for even more opportunities to love, learn, and grow. If you are interested in becoming a Reading Buddy, please join us for Orientation and Training at the Tree House, Thurs March 28th from 3:30-5pm!

Cooking at the Treehouse

You may have heard of green eggs and ham, but have you ever tried spaghetti topped with a scoop of ice cream? You simply can't imagine the delicacies created by the four- and five-year-old kids of Marks Village this past Sunday during Bible Club. Food Network, LOOK OUT!

One of the many blessings of our new facility, the Treehouse, is a room especially fitted for the imagination and growth of preschoolers, complete with a child size sink, oven, refrigerator, table, and chairs. Fun? Yes! But, for these kids, Biblical worldview-changing. When tables and chairs are scarce at home, the concept of family dinner around the table is a foreign concept. However, this week at Bible Club, we enjoyed a royal family feast as we sat around our kid-sized table and ate gourmet, plastic treats from french fries to fried eggs and hotdogs. We said the blessing over and over with each meal. 

Yes indeed, God is great. God is good. We all thank Him for our food. By his hands we all are fed. Thank you God for our daily bread. May we never take for granted God’s goodness when we gather at the table.

Working @ The Treehouse

How does a house become a home? Fill it with friends, family, laughter, hard work, memories, and more. The Treehouse has become our home. Our includes Marcus (our happy friend pictured with roller in hand), Becky and Mee La (who carefully taped, trimmed, and painted the women’s fellowship room), Terri and Stephen (our Northpark Baptist friends who are electrical magicians), John and Bubba (who can rip out a toilet faster than you can say “flush”), Ellie and Josephine (our village neighbors who cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom), Kimarius and Daniel (an 11 year old from the village and his mentor who learned how to tape and mud sheetrock from Alfredo), the Hurd gang (who tackled the teen room and WON), and so, so many more. Work days became wonderful days of making this house our new home. Thank you to everyone who joined in to build The Treehouse! More work days are ahead…

Christmas Caroling in the Village

I love the idea of Christmas Caroling. In part, because I love to sing, but also for the beautiful mental picture it evokes. When I think of Christmas Caroling in the Village I think of a Charles Dickens' scene complete with snowy cobblestone streets, lampposts softly burning, men in top hats, and women wearing muffs singing in perfect harmony as children peek out of the upper windows of their houses. 

Yesterday, my Charles Dickens' scene was adjusted to a much more real and meaningful afternoon of caroling. It wasn't snowing, but was delightfully sunny and warmer than most days in December. There were no top hats, muffs, or perfect harmonies. And the children? They weren't peeking out of the windows (actually, that did happen at one house), but were in the center of it all! 

Many volunteers gathered at the Treehouse yesterday and were quickly joined by kids from all over the village. We set out in groups singing along the way as we caroled at the homes of widows and widowers in the Village. Necessarily we stopped at kids' homes along the way to sing to their families. Everyone seemed delighted, even the family to which we sang the very long "The Twelve Days of Christmas"!

As we walked down the street singing "Joy to the World", I had a wonderful surprise. Shortly after "the glories of his righteousness..." one of the little girls in our group ran to the back where I was walking and says "Ms. Halie, look, it's talking about righteousness!" and ran back to the front just as quickly. I knew just what she meant. Jesus is righteous and we are not, but he gave us his righteousness. She was remembering Bible Club's lesson from 6 weeks ago. 

That afternoon, the Village was not filled with the sounds of car engines, talking, gunshots, or barbecues. It was filled with the sounds of children and adults excitedly proclaiming that the Christmas Season is here! We have hope in his righteousness! There is joy to be found and peace on its way in the form of our God made man!

We are Thankful!

I am so thankful for little moments that remind us of God's bigger plan. This past Sunday a Puppeteer Group from McElwain Baptist Church came and kicked off the holidays with a Christmas Musical Sing-Along! We had a great time! The preschoolers all wanted to know if the puppets were real and even the 5th grade boys were dancing to the music. 

I especially loved the story I heard afterwards from one of our volunteers: 

I spent this week's Bible Club with my arm around the waist of one of our little girls. Her little form was too excited to sit still without help. It was nearly Christmas and Bible Club was putting on a musical puppet show! She had also heard whispered rumors of presents to be handed out at the end of the day and it was almost too much to handle.

She was in constant motion: clapping to the songs, whispering familiar lyrics, poking my ribs to ask innumerable questions.

Suddenly, she went still. Her eyes fell on one puppet that had just arisen to join the choir. Her finger pointed an accusation, quivering.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" I asked.

"It's a king puppet! It's an old king!"

I glanced at the crown sitting on the white mop of hair and nodded.

"Wait!" She tugged on my arm again. "Is that the old king puppet from the other story? You know, the old king with the castle who tried to have a party at his house but all of the rich people were busy, and his friends said they couldn't come. So then he asked all the poor people to come and his servants went out and they said yes so he had a big party?"

I stared in shock at such an accurate rendition of the Matthew 22 parable we had demonstrated with puppets -- how long ago? "Sweetie, that story was months ago. How did you remember that?"

She just shrugged and giggled and contentedly went back to clapping along.

Given how loud and frenetic our little Bible Club can become it is comforting to remember that little ears are listening and absorbing every minute of it.

~ Abby

There's a first time for everything

There's a first time for everything!!

Friday, Nov 4th, OTM embarked for a night of camping on Lake George in Irondale, and for many it was a first! We arrived around 5pm to set up camp and start a campfire before sundown. All of us were excited to be in the woods eating and sleeping outside!! It was a great night for many first timers as the temperature was a cool crisp 50 degrees F. It took some time for most to settle down, but was a good night!

The morning brought a good time of fishing and fellowship. We also were able to have a baptism at the lake that made the wilderness experience very special!!

Mark Long

A Walk on Ruffner Mountain

I have been to Birmingham on many occasions for the last eight years or so for my daughter Halie’s college searches; undergraduate and graduate studies; for the beginning of her career in education; and most recently for her work with “Oak Tree Ministries.”

            I have been on too many hikes and mountaintops to remember in my years with the Boy Scouts. I have even been on hikes with very young Scouts and remember their awe and fascination with being truly outdoors and away from the “city life”.

            What I have never experienced before; however, was taking a hike with the children of Marks Village.  From what I had seen on only two prior visits, Marks Village consisted of a stark landscape and faceless red brick buildings. 

            Seeing Marks Village; however, and experiencing Marks Village are two extremely different things.  As Halie (a pied piper of sorts) drove the shuttle through the village, stopping at various points to pick up her beloved students; there were hugs for the children and their siblings too young to accompany us on this field trip; kind words of friendship and encouragement between residents and Oak Tree Volunteers; and conversations with the moms and grandmothers who cared for the children.

            The children seemed excited to see us and ready for the trip, even if they had never been to a mountain or taken a hike through the woods.

            Having heard many stories about the various problems these children faced while growing up in the Village, I was curious as to how a mere “walk in the woods” could or would impact their troubled world.

            Nothing magical occurred on the hike or in the nature museum.  I saw children being children; learning about the woods; the lichen and moss growing on rocks and trees; finding spider webs and acorns; and merely experiencing nature as all children do. I saw children observing snakes and turtles within their protective enclosures, marveling at their every movement. I heard questions and answered questions and engaged in conversations about camping and fire building; campfires and s’mores.

            But I realized this was the very point of the field trip.  Children being children; enjoying the outdoors; seeing God’s amazing creation up close and personal; and, just as importantly, sharing their experiences with those who chaperoned the trip, encouraging each child to learn, experience, and soak up all of their surroundings.

             For a time; albeit a brief time, away from the Village, the children were like every other child visiting Ruffner Mountain for a field trip.

             As the children were instructed before the hike, and as every good Scout knows, when you enter the woods you “leave nothing but footprints and take away nothing but memories.”

         What I observed was something quite different on this hike with the Marks Village children.  I believe each one, for a brief but important period, left behind the stark red brick buildings and took with them the warm embrace of God’s love shown through the actions of those who took the time and initiative to minister to them.

             I know I did.  

             -Greg

Discipleship Groups!

Just another day of disciple making in Marks Village at our Sunday afternoon Bible Club!  Notice the joy on the faces of the volunteers?  That is the blessing that comes through mutual transformation as disciples make disciples and are discipled in the process.  Isn’t God good!  Don’t you want in on this joy - Join us!