Thank you to all who stopped by my booth, FROM LIGHT-BULB TO INK PRESS!, at the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE) spring conference. I am currently writing the ending of our two-day compilation of sentences about Derf the Betta Fish. His journey begins in Dulth where the MACHE conference was held April 18 & 19, 2008.

Random people stopped by to read, write and opine. This is a unique story with twists and turns written by a host of people. All I did was introduce the first line: There once was a BETTA fish named ________. I have drafted the conclusion of Derf’s tale as a Betta Fish. I plan to publish it on this web site as soon as I meet with my writer’s group in the next two weeks.

Stay tuned! For more information about having me come as an Author in Residence to do my 2 hour writer’s workshop, you may contact me via email: kshalberg@juno.com.   My base fee is $50 per group.

It’s been a while! In January 2008 I went to Thailand with a team of people from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. After regrouping for a night in Bangkok, our team headed north for six hours. Then our two vans went through the mountains to the city of Mae Sot. 

There we met up with Neill and Diana Gilbert. They started an orphanage, Home of Hope, several years ago when a local pastor asked them to take in a couple of stray kids. Who could have foreseen renting a home to accommodate 20 plus kids and a staff? Now, thanks to our GREAT GOD, some new things are developing. (Yes, despite what current fad trends of culture may say HE is a Good, GREAT GOD!) 

The great Mae Sot wall was built around the land (the size of a couple of football fields). Funds for the land and wall came through generous donations, thank you! Our team painted that gray cement wall with white primer paint. That wall was thirsty and drank up gallons and gallons of paint. Meanwhile, the kids from Home of Hope learned a new skill: how to paint. They even got some on the wall! Then we switched to blue. A beautiful robin egg shell blue. The color of a bright clear sky filled with hope for the day. One day there will be two buildings filled with over 100 Thai children with a future of HOPE! 

We also went up the mountain to visit two Hill Tribes, a kind of National Geographic type experience. It was an eye opener to learn about their lives and offer an exchange of learning about Jesus Christ. There was a stark contrast between beauty of the people and their gorgeous mountain landscape with their pain and poverty. Once again, I was reminded that living simple is not to be equated with poverty. However, children without proper clothing on, some only with a ragged old shirt and too many with worn out heel-missing-flip-flops, is something that stabs at my heart like a sharp knife. You can be sure we did something about it. After we came back down those dusty rutted roads back to the city of Mae Sot, we went shopping. 

To bring the words of life about Jesus Christ and not do something about children without basic clothing needs isn’t exactly putting feet to my faith. I do not say this to brag, it is just a report of what I saw and what I did. If there be any goodness that propels me to good works let it be to the glory of my GREAT GOD. You see, if I had not given my life to him in 1979, I doubt I would have the desire or the courage to even attempt to go to Thailand. Since then I have been on one wild and scary ride. Not that I get it right all the time, just ask those who know me! But he is a patient God and adventuresome and challenging and guiding and helping. I know some people call him a myth, a fable or a crutch. Well, so be it. I respect it. But, oh, how boring!