Special Delivery!

You may have read previous blogs about our Youth Group/Hands of Praise team at our church, New Salem Baptist in Mason Hall. If you haven't I will recap for you ...

Our Youth Group (6th-12th grades) began a Hands of Praise team back in Aug 2009. The team spent countless hours of practice perfecting our signing program - we called it signing w/ a twist. We would group our hands together to make images/pictures rather than the traditional signing. Anyways, area churches began hearing about us & began inviting us - we have been from Clinton, KY to Dresden, Dyersburg, basically all over the NW TN area! We have racked up some frequent travel miles. So, the team coming to perform, we asked that a love offering be taken up to give to the Tennessee Bapt. Children's Home (TBCH). We set a lofty group goal of $5,000 that we wanted to raise before our next visit the the TBCH/Bartlett campus! Imagine our excitement when we were able to give over $6,100 to the campus this past weekend!!! Wow! God truly blessed our efforts! I, personally, was so honored to be a part of this Hands of Praise team. It was a very humbling experience for me. Our youth's excitement & commitment to this endeavor amazed me - the teenagers would rearrange schedules and fore go going out w/ buddies for practice; I never heard a complaint about the practice hours. I also ,became close friends with the adults in the program, as well as get to know the kids better. We are taking the summer off, but will begin back to practice with a new program come Aug/Sept. So ... if would like us to visit your church to share our program and learn more about the TBCH, just let me know. We would be more than happy to work something out!

Here are some pictures from this past weekend's visit to the TBCH/Bartlett campus:

Our Hands of Praise (HOP) team - this is truly an amazing group of kids - I love each of them as if I were their aunt - notice I didn't say mother (because I am not that old!! lol)
The church was able to take a charter bus for the trip thanks to some of our WONDERFUL congregation members (New Salem is a very small church in a very small community) Here is Macy Ruth (cousin) and Ellie ready for the ride!

Ellie thought it was fun because she didn't have to ride in her buster seat. If I told her to sit down once, I told her 1,000 times!

Not only did we make a trip to the TBCH to deliver our money raised, but to have a Pinewood Derby race with the children & house parents on the campus. Our church has become very close to this campus. Our youth has learned their names & can pretty much tell you something about them. This campus has become very special to our church family.
The Derby races brought out a competitive spirit from all participates! It was so loud in the gym at one point in time from the cheering & chanting my ears were ringing!

A picture our mine & Ellie's Derby cars. Ellie's is an interpretation of her favorite candy & NASCAR driver, Kyle Busch. I decided to to mine WILD!

Ellie using her car to hide from the camera - little stinker!

Some of the church members enjoying the racing action - we take this pretty serious - especially the men/boys of the group. The girls just do their cars for the looks!

At the end of the track - the spectators enjoying the race.

Mr. Shawn, aka Mr. Derby carmaker, pulling the trigger to race the cars. Humm...some of the cars that place in the top 3 were made by him for his family members - sounds a little suspicious to me!

Group Shot of our youth & the TBCH kids