|
Hello,
My name is Daniel Thomas I live in Jamaica.
While on a missions trip in Arizona I was taught the
string ministry, and after that I have led probably
fifty people to the Lord through it. I am actually in
New York, now, and me and my family are going to Africa
on a missions trip. We left a lot of our strings in
Jamaica by mistake, and it would be cool if we could
have string in Africa, this is like a last resort thing.
We leave on Thursday, so if you could send five hundred
or so strings to Bronx NewYork, before then that would
be totally awesome. I think this would be awesome for
this trip. If there is a a cost for the string we will
meet it, thank you.
Daniel Thomas... ,, missionary to the world
|
I am very sorry for taking so long to email you. My family
and I had an awesome timeon our missions trip in Africa. We went
through Tanzania, Swaziland and South Africa. Everywhere we went my
brother, Josef, and I did the string demonstrations. In Arusha, a
town next to Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania we taught roughly 100 people
the string tricks and gave them a string each. Thday after we taught
a group of about 50 or so, we went out into the streets the very
next day, in between sessions (we were running a seminar) and in 45
mins over twenty people accepted Christ into their hearts, one man
even going down on His knees immediately to do so. The following day
we went out into the streets again this timne for a whole session,
of about 2 and a half hours and many many people accepted the Lord
too, (I cannot write of a number as we did not give a public report
of each groups exploits as was done in the 45 minute period, but it
must have been a lot.) In Dar Es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, we
taught roughly 20 people the string tricks and the next day one of
the young men that we taught went out into the streets and led three
people to the Lord, the very night. A little later on a young man
that we taught in Arusha, went to his boarding school where he
showed his class the demonstations, and around 20 of them accepted
Christ. He then taught a few people giving them the string I gave
him and they too learnt it, when the string ran out the students
began to spread the gospel through the use of their shoe lace.
Hallellujah.
In Swaziland as part of the 40 40 celebration in the
Kingdm of Swaziland we proposed to the country that we would teach
40 people the string tricks. This being done on nationwide
television. Whilemy brother and I were doing the tricks on the
television a lady saw us and it caught her attention, she tuned in
to the program wher emy father, Dr Donovan Thomas and mummy, Faith
Thomas were speaking about forgiveness, rejection and suicide. After
the program she sent a text message to a number given saying that
she was palnning to kill her husband. Daddy and mummy were able to
arrange to meet with her and provide counselling at the end of which
she said "I feel so happy, I feel so happy, I AM FREE." We then went
on to taech the forty people.
In South Africa we were give the opportunity to teach
a whole youth group, about forty people, it was quite hard but
they loved it and were encouragedto practice and to minister to
their friends, neighbours and just random people on the road.
The people in every case are overjoyed to see and even more
to learn the string tricks, it is an amazing tool the Lord has given
us. ANd it has reached many many many persons all over these three
countries, and beyond. Thanks you so much for your support and quick
response to getting the strings to us earlier, Mr Titus. We are
making every effort to get the money to you for the 500 we recieved.
Praise God for the wonderful success He ha sbrought us on our
missions trip.
Daniel Thomas,
Missionary to the world
Jamaica
|
|
|
|
|
1 July 1999
Afia
Griffith
Associate
for Mission Personnel
Global
Ministries
PO
Box 1986
Indianapolis,
IN 46206-1986
USA
Concerning:
David Titus at United Mission to Nepal’s Annual Conference
Dear
Afia,
About
one month ago our UMN Annual conference ended. this is one week of retreat, recreation,
and worship for over 400 people. For young and old, it is a highlight of a busy year.
We
on the AC Committee had heard of David Titus for some time. "The String Man"
thus arrived as a somewhat mythical being, and we all wondered what we were in for. The
answers soon became apparent. From the first general meeting on, David led us into his
stories and games. It is a unique ministry.
David
devoted much of his time to the Children’s groups, helping the teams that had come
from American The evidence of his involvement was seen in the scores of kids, large and
small, walking around making string figures. I sat in on one of David’s workshops:
although for adults, this session on story telling made the point that we kids and adults
are not so different after all. I was touched by the indomitable light spirit of this man.
What he has to say about the Lord is simple and profound.
As
I sat in the audience for the last session of AC, which was led by David, embellished by
his stories, a thought occurred to me. Standing up there at the podium, he appeared to be
a telescope, through which we could look into a marvelous land - where we are all children
again and where the focus is on Jesus. Thank you for enabling David to come to us.
May
the Lord continue to bless you in all you do.
Faithfully
yours,
Signature
Mark
D. Zimmerman, MD
Annual
Conference Chairperson
UMN |
|
|
|
| NEWS |
| |
| Publication:The Lawton Constitution;
|
Date:Jun 21, 2008;
|
Section:Religion;
|
Page Number:6 |
|
|
Titus gets all tied up in his ministry
BY ROBERT FOX
STAFF WRITER RFOX@LAWTON-CONSTITUTION.COM
Stories are often told as much with the hands as with words.
David Titus tells his stories with string.
Titus said he spent most of his life as a librarian.
“Storytelling is a part of the job, and I made it a bigger
part of it because I was good at it,” he said.
Now he uses his talents in String Ministry. The 68-yearold
has spent the last 18 years as a professional storyteller. For a
while, he didn’t use any kind of visual aids.
“God let me get by with it for a while, and then God gave me
a piece of string,” he said.
Now any time he tells a story, he makes the string figures
without looking away from the person he’s talking to.
He has found, in traveling to 35 countries, that string
figures are practically universal.
“I haven’t been to a culture yet that doesn’t do some of the
string figures,” he said.
He said he can approach people in any country, hand them a
looped string and he or she will start a string figure or “cat’s
cradle.” Once, in a refugee camp in Ghana, he approached a
grandmother with a string and she started a cat’s cradle.
“When I’m on my knees in front of Grandmother, I’ve got it
made in that whole camp,” he said.
He uses the “hand trap” as a cornerstone in the ministry. He
said he will do it once and ask if the person knows the story
that goes with it; then he does it again with the story.
The hand trap: You put your hand through a loop that he
closes around your wrist, explaining everyone is trapped by sin.
Then you meet Jesus, he touches one finger to each palm (a
fairly well understood signal for crucifixion). You turn your
hand up and through another loop, which is symbolic of Jesus’
resurrection, and your wrist is freed.
“When you’re in the middle of the mountains of Ghana, you
don’t want to get too into deep Bible theology,” he said. “What
I’m doing with String Ministry is simple enough to work for
Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians — I can support any
missionary out there.”
He started out knowing only a few of the figures: cup and
saucer, and long tailed fox, for example. During a visit with
villages in Alaska, he learned “porcupine climbs a tree.” He
said he also learned that some of the figures he knew had steps
beyond what the string figure books show. For example, the
“squished mosquito,” “making the fox run” and others.
“I got hooked. Part of it is the beauty of the figures,” he
said. The other part is that instruction books left out part of
the figures.
On one of his early mission trips, to the Russian Far East,
he pulled out a string and started creating figures.
“All of a sudden, we had twoway communication,” he said.
“Then we’re sharing, we’re trading, we’re communicating, and
it’s not me preaching at them.”
He said he knows about 300 figures, and he still learns from
time to time. He taught an Eskimo student a string trick that
starts with a loop around the neck and ends with the loop coming
off when it looks like it shouldn’t.
Titus said the student developed a story to go with the
figure. He put the string over his hand and said he was being
pulled around, closed the loop and said he was killed by sin,
touched his palms and said Jesus made a crown for him as a gift.
He held the crown over his head and said he knew he was going to
mess up. He folded his hand in the symbol for prayer and said
that, with prayer and Jesus, he would be free, and the loop pops
off his neck.
Titus said the student created the story to go with the
trick so he could talk to his family about Christ. Titus adopted
the story and uses it himself now because it works and has all
the principal teachings he wants to impart.
“I believe the Holy Ghost gave him the story,” Titus said.
Another student took the Navajo blanket or hammock and
figured out how to turn it into the cross. Then the student
figured out how to add a loop for the head of Jesus on the
cross.
Titus figures to teach the creation story, separation from
God, the story of the rich young ruler, and reconnection with
God through Jesus.
The reconnection lesson uses two loops that he connects. He
can also perform it with two strings, which form two
connections.
“If I connect with another person, I also connect with God,”
he said.
He said he doesn’t call what
he does magic, though he admits it’s mystical to watch, “but God
is mystical (too).” He said he will teach anything he shows and
share anything he knows, if people want to ask.
“When I go into a place, I assume by the time I leave the
word will be out that I’m a Christian from America,” he said.
He said it doesn’t matter if they take anything else away
from their time with him than that. It leaves people with a
positive impression of Americans and Christians, and that’s a
start.
“If they want to know more about Christianity, they can find
out — they can ask me or they can ask someone else,” he said.
MICHAEL D. POPE/STAFF David Titus
finishes the string heart that is the logo of String Ministries.
|
|
|
|
Interpreter
Magazine
The mission of Interpreter - the official
program magazine of the United Methodist Church - is to help local
churches foster the ministry and growth of God's reign in their
communities and around the world in order to win disciples for Jesus
Christ.
Look for Interpreter Online at:
www.interpretermagazine.org
"In this issue (January 2001), INTERPRETER
presents 25 people -- the 15 "best" and 10 honorable mentions -- who
embody United Methodist Witness and Mission.
In making our selections, we looked for people:
-Whose ministries took them beyond the four walls of the church
building or holding offices at local, regional or churchwide levels;
-Who use their talents and resources to further the cause of
Christ;
-Who embody the Wesleyan spirit of scriptural and social
holiness;
-Who are helping connect the Christian faith with human need in
ways that are measurable; and
-Of whom pastors, church members and friends said, "We wish we
had a hundred more like her/him."
|
String Ministries, Inc. Executive
Director, David Titus, received honorable mention in
January 2001 issue of the Interpreter |
| |
|
 |
David Titus, Lawton Heights Church,
Lawton, Oklahoma, is know as "the string man". A
traveling storyteller, he collects string and string
toys, using them to teach, pray with and entertain
people from Alaska to Mongolia. |
|
|
|
|
|
