Helena 2011Week 2 Camp Day4

Helena 2011 Week 2 Camp Day 4 & Celebration
Posted by Dave Hawkins
What a glorious week it has been. Yep, We have had our ups and our downs but to we have all worked together under God’s direction, “Building the City”. We established that the four pillars for building God’s City were; Confession/Repentance, Reconciliation/Unity, Leadership and Work. The entire camp worked tirelessly together to build God’s city upon these pillars.
You will find numerous pictures further down in the blog. These first five are especially meaningful to all of the HBBC team as there is a story in one of the daily blogs relating to each of these pictures. Mr. Charlie and Miss Tina annually hold a picnic for 300 at their farm. The stories of Yawiakeem and Miss Helen are so touching from Bob and Carol. Bob and Carol , being on the Blessings Team had more opportunities for outreach than most of the team. We have all been fortunate enough to share in their experiences. Gray Brown and I were fortunate to have been called to help with “Miss Nora and “Mr. Curley”. What a blessing they were to us.
Hayes Barton has been in Helena for nine years. Bob and Carol and Kate have been there all or most of those years, building God’s City under the direction of Ben and Leonora Newell. Ben and Leonora are moving on and it is time for us to step up to the plate. This work must go on – we need to complete God’s work. I will be the first to tell you that this will be a work in progress forever, but we need to take the lead. Mollie Palmer and Kat Bahn will be in place, under the direction of Ray Higgins (CBF Arkansas) to lead the teams.
It would be so wonderful to go back next year with our largest team ever to help with this transition. We need for David With and Sarah Gordon to put their heads together and get our youth involved. We have a nice bus for transport and New Light Missionary Baptist has plenty of space near the B&B for overflow and an economical stay.
From Raleigh, thinking about the Delta
David

Helena 2011 Misc. Pics 7

Helena 2011 Misc Pics 6

Helena 2011 Misc Pics 5

Helena 2011 Misc Pics 4

Helena 2011 Misc Pics 3

Helena 2011 Misc Pics 2

Helena 2011 Misc. Pictures

Helena 2011 Week 2 Camp Day 3

Helena 2011 Week 2 Camp Day 3
Posted by Dave Hawkins
AND NOW – the end is near. As much as we all would like to be home (I will be gone 15 days) , leaving will be somewhat sad. It has been wonderful witnessing God’s work here in Helena. Sarah had asked at the morning devotional for us to look today and see where we saw God’s work. We discussed where we saw God’s work today.
Bob and Carol told of going to visit Miss Helen, who has raised more than 100 foster children and has been caring for a child w/cerebral palsy for sixteen years. They also told us about little four year old Yawiakeem who told Miss Carol about Jesus who died on the cross after seeing the cross she was wearing.. At the age of four, he told her that Jesus died for our sins so we could go to heaven. Carol was so moved that she gave him her cross.
Gray and I saw God’s work today. We visited Mr. Curley and Miss Nora today. After yesterday’s ordeal at the hospital and getting her into her home, we witnessed a new person. The Lord had stepped in and Miss Nora was in her chair smiling and chatting away on the telephone. This is not to say that the road ahead won’t be filled with many obstacles. The health issues won’t go away. They truly need our help and prayers. Nora and I discussed diabetes and food and weight loss and the effects of each. Gray and I have been so moved that we gave Nora and Curley our crosses. God brought HBBC to Nora and Charlie this week.
Our group participated in a community church service last night. Hope and Carol “participated” in the choir. The songs were new and words unavailable but our girls hung in here. It was a wonderful service with a theme of “Building a City”. We have all come here to Phillips County Arkansas to help build God’s City. We are all unified as one in God’s City and the community and volunteers are here working as one. We had ministers from four different churches speak on a different pillar of support needed to build God’s City. We have worked with numerous Baptist churches and Methodist an Episcopalians and many, many others. If you didn’t see God’s work and feel God’s love last night, you need to crawl back under your rock.
We need our rest tonight to prepare for the heat of the Delta tomorrow. I’m sure that it’s hotter in Raleigh so we are not complaining – it’s really fun doing God’s work.
From the Delta, Good Night

Helena 2011 Week 2 Damp Day 2

Helena 2011 Week 2 Camp Day 2
Today, as most days in Helena started early and ended very late (11 pm and just starting blog). Everyday has unexpected twists and turns to go along with the “goods and bads” and today was no exception. We started our morning with a 7:20 devotional followed shortly thereafter by another good “Dana” breakfast. We were then off to the pool or park for 8 am meetings
Brenda’s day was great as she was able to see vast the improvement in one day in the leadership skills of local team leaders She said they seemed to grow up overnight.
Courtney engaged in a heart touching discussion about understanding and dealing with persons that are from different backgrounds than ours. She talked specifically about a camp group that she had trouble relating to and dealing with on Monday. Well, The Lord set them up Tuesday morning, in the park, next to Courtney’s group. Courtney passed the test! She decided to engage the group, understand the differences and be nice. Before the day was over, they were still different, still loud but friends. Know what? – It was a win, win –Everybody gained.
Sarah continues to have more fun than the kids. She feels a little better today and if she improves much more- Wow! She has a special needs foster child in her group. On the first day she dealt with meltdown after meltdown. After one day, the child came back and participated without ever complaining of being tired or a single crying spell. She and Miss Sarah bonded.
Bob’s story is the tuff one. He and Carol went by to visit an elderly couple that they had visited for years. They finally found the dear Lady in the local hospital (been there bed ridden for a week) ready (not) for discharge. Her weight had reached close to 400, she couldn’t walk, couldn’t getup, couldn’t stand alone. The hospital wanted $1800 to send her home in an ambulance. If you will allow me the freedom to say it, she shouldn’t be going home – maybe rehab. Bob called me and Vann and Gray to help. He rented a wheelchair (too small) for her home and he and Carol and 3 rehab employees spent 30 minutes getting Miss Nora into Bob’s rental car. The next trick was to get her out and into a house where all three entrances had four steps. The six of us (this includes Mr. Curley and the wheelchair delivery person) built a makeshift ramp and after thirty more minutes, got her into the home. My concern is not just now but tonight, tomorrow , next week. She is truly a prisoner in her own home (maybe her one chair). Let us each and everyone pray for Miss Nora and Mr. Curley. We need a miracle – we need someone to step forward –we need social services, Lord we need you now!
They day continued on -5:30 dinner at the Methodist Church – adult night swim at the pool – Wal-Mart visit – evening singing until 10 pm at Eden Market – evening wrap up session at the B&B. We are having fun doing The Lord’s work but we are tired. I won’t even talk about Hope because she’s too tired to listen. After dancing all day, she was called on to perform and sing at the Eden Market. She drug Carol along and we had “Sugar & Spice of Arkansas” minus Liz, Larita and Sandy.
From The Delta – Good Night

Helena 2011 Week 2 Wed bNight Dinner Methodist Church

H