On February 7 and 12, 2007 Kim Halberg, author of Meet Me at the Oasis: Leaving a Legacy to Echo in Eternity, will be presenting “The Process of Writing” to a couple of grade school classes, grades 4-6. The first presentation will be at Meadow Creek Christian School in Andover, and the other is in Roseville, at Northeights Academy. During this interactive one hour presentation, Kim will be discussing her journey of writing, editing, and publishing Meet Me at the Oasis. Hopefully, students will be inspired to become future writers of all kinds of genres. And those who are gifted in other areas may come to appreciate what “creative types” go through to get a book done. Who knows, they may even decide that rewriting that extra draft that their teacher insists on is what all writers do, regardless of student or professional status, and just do it without complaining.

From my own personal take, I am switching to first person here, so hold on…I am looking forward to getting into the classroom and working with the students. During the early 1990’s I spent three years working on a children’s church curriculum called Power Hour with a dear friend, Juanita. She helped me to get going on the computer and practical writing and editing. It was a blast to present the lesson Sunday mornings with all the kids gathered downstairs. Memories include sharing the Bible verse using cards and and a clothesline, inserting puppet skits and drama sketches, and dragging out the old flannel board with felt people who sometimes had bent arms and legs bending up and away from the board. I can still remember the smell of all those flannel people, creatures, plants and buildings. A lot of what I do today was learned working under Juanita’s guidance and encouragement. So please, invest in someone younger than you today and watch what God does with their life! They might be younger in age or younger in development of their gifts. You could be the one to help a person blossom into their destiny!

It was after this writing experience with Juanita that I began a correspondence course in creative writing for children. After completing the course and earning some kind of certificate, that is lost in a closet somewhere, I was ready for the big step of going to a real college through the Pathway Project at Northwestern College and earned my A.A by 2003. That is a whole ‘nother story, but getting that little AA was powerful and gave me the confidence and a few more skills I needed before thinking about doing my first book project, Meet Me at the Oasis. But you know what? All the basics of writing were covered in the correspondence course and they still serve me today as I write this posting: write what you know, vary your sentences, use all five senses, create descriptive people and settings, etc.

Okay! So I needed a break after a busy year of book deadlines, manuscript reading, and proofreading until my eyes almost fell out. With the manuscript due  the beginning of September at my small press friends, Bethany, Labor Day Weekend took on a new meaning as my friends and family were hanging out at the cabin, up north, at the lake, while I was at home with my lap top giving birth to last draft of my manuscript for Meet Me at the Oasis. Was that a run on sentence?

During this time there was the all the fun mission event going on at the Creek Community Church with Neill and Diana Gilberts coming into town from Thailand. Did you know that they are currently raising funds to purchase land and two buildings for a new orphanage? They will be able to accommodate up to 100 kids! They now have about a dozen. Just think…kids like my friend, Sukay, who was adopted from Korea at age seven, will someday have their own story of a second chance at having a better life. Sometimes poverty drives a family to the point of giving their children to an orphanage, other times they give their precious children to the streets, or worse SELL them. I should have a link to the Gilberts, Thailand, and Home of Hope up soon on my community development page.

After the Gilberts came in August and then left in Octoboer, who shows up but our friend Shah! He came for a weekend and we learned about his journey from Islam to Christianity. He is a most interesting person and you never know what he will say. If you are around him long enough you will be challenged, poked and prodded. All of this is done with a sense of humor, but it makes you think about the world, our culture, and the culture of Islam. Thanks Shah for sharing your heart with us that weekend in November. It was also the Sunday of IDOP. Oh, you don’t know what IDOP is do you? It stands for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. If you want to check out their web site go to The Voice of the Martyrs: www.persecution.com. Did you know that more Christians are killed, tortured, and discriminated against around the world right now as you read this than were the First Century Christians? It is not a thing of the past. Sounds like another link for my community development page because the widows and families of those imprisoned receive help from Voice of the Martyrs (VOM).

Did I mention that my son and his family came into town the same weekend as Shah? Yeah, well we just all ate a big meal together with Grandma and Grandpa Halberg and a few friends that like a free meal. Then Shah flew back to California and it was bonding time with my grandson and his parents. My, oh my, is he a busy little boy! And so cute….who do you think he takes after in the family?

So in January my husband and I looked at each other and said, “We’re going on vacation for 10 days!”