By Linda Baldock, Mission / White River UMC, Tree of Life Board

Here is a photo of a pop corn maker (right) and a cotton candy machine (left) sitting on a table at the Tree of Life.  What does that have to do with you?  We are all being encouraged or challenged to donate 10 hours to one of our Dakotas camps or mission sites through the 10,000 Hour Miracle Offering.  This summer Volunteers in Mission (VIM) teams or other groups are invited to be part of a Community Fair on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. 

Photo: A cotton candy machine (left) and a pocorn maker ready for use at a community fair on the Rosebud Reservation.  Photo submitted by Linda Baldock.

Tree of Life, in Mission, SD will set up the locations and help with activities, such as vaction Bible school stories, games, crafts, health fair booths, personal care (such as hair cuts or manicures) ora food and clothing booth depending on the gifts and graces of the group.  These "fairs" will be in the outlying communities like Milk's Camp, Upper Cut Meat and He Dog. 

Attendees will get a ticket for attending the Bible story, getting their blood pressure checked, getting a flu shot, or making a picture frame at the craft booth.  The tickets will be spent for cotton candy or pop corn and a turn on an inflatable.  The possibilities are endless. 

Call the Tree of Life at 605-856-4266 and sign up to be part of this great summer of community fairs.  Linda Garriott is ready to sign you up!  Come stay in the dorm, cook your own meals and enjoy the beauty of the people, the prairies and Bad Lands of South Dakota.