What was your favorite book as a child? I bet it takes no time at all to recall it. Was it Shel Silverstein's poems? Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland? The Lorax by Dr. Seuss? Old Turtle by Doug Wood? Or The "Ramona Quimby" books?
The pleasure of being read to stands out to me above all other childhood memories. Curling under my mom or dad's arm, turning the pages, insisting the story be read again and again -- and developing a life-long habit of reading for pleasure. Many of us take for granted the big pile of books we grew up with, or the books our own kids plow through so quickly from their school library. Books are a gift, not just of print on paper, but of imagination, essential language skills, self-esteem, cultural sharing, and that special bond between children and the adults who read aloud to them.
This week, I have been blessed to share that experience with some of the teachers and students of the ELCJHL schools, thanks to folks around the world who have been donating and delivering books through the ELCJHL Libraries Project: Opening a World of Possibilities. It's an online book drive we've devised through Amazon.com and the ELCJHL website to fill our school libraries with awesome books of all kinds, and I couldn't be more excited about the success we've had so far. To all who've given thoughtfully and generously, THANK YOU!!
I wish you could have been there yesterday as four teachers and a bunch of volunteers crowded into the Principal's office at Dar al-Kalima School in Bethlehem howling with delight as I suspensefully unveiled a gorgeous pop-up Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. The students know this book in Arabic, and the Kindergarten teachers use it to teach about colors, days of the week, foods, and the life-cycle of the butterfly. It was my great pleasure to hand this book to them (and about a hundred more thanks to our UCC visitors this week!!). When I deliver these books, I tell our students the story of their journey, through many hands, across an ocean, on an airplane, across several continents and borders -- because someone far away believes in them.
You know your church would LOVE to get involved! Visit www.elcjhl.org to learn more about the vibrant ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land -- a partner of both ELCA and UCC/DOC Global Ministries. If you've watched the news lately, feeling overwhelmed and wondering how you could make any difference at all in this part of the world, drop me a line -- I'd love to get you connected! Through education and the gift of books, we're showing kids in Palestine that we're not giving up. We're just getting started!
Here I am discussing Wangari's Trees of Peace with students at Talitha Kumi in Beit Jala -- donated by a friend in Iowa and transported by a friend from Philadelphia. The kids loved this story of resistance and courage.
