God prepared Paul by him growing up in a big city where he could experience different cultures and languages. Also growing up as a Pharisee and being a bright child he studied and memorized the scripture and learned different languages and geography.
How might God use me?
God has given me the gift of playing piano and I have been able to use this gift to play at my church for prelude and offertory and play keyboard for the praise team. Maybe in the future, God has plans for me to play the piano to share his love with others and spread God’s kingdom.
For this project, our 8th grade researched different countries where Christians are persecuted around the world. We had to write a research paper in Language arts about it and also make a presentation to educate others about our country. My group had the country Iran. I learned a lot about Iran that I didn’t know before. One thing that I learned is even through persecution in Iran and people trying to get rid of Christianity more people learn about Jesus and his good news spreads even more.
We built four pyramids for the base and connected them together for the base and then on top of that we made a square with a pyramid shaped spot for the egg to go at the top. Some things that went well were that the base was very sturdy and that we worked well together as a group. Some things that didn’t go well were when the marshmallows dried out, and when our tower started to lean at the top and we couldn’t fix it.
Which part will work the best and why? I think the strongest part of our chain is the pipe cleaners because they have a strong wire inside and have a strong connection between chains.
Which part do you think will be a problem and why?
I think the paper parts of the chain might rip easily so it might be a problem
Why you did or didn’t use some materials?
We didn’t use any wooden craft sticks because we would think of a way to connect them together in chains. We did use all of the string and pipe cleaners because we thought they would be the strongest.
Our boat has a styrofoam base wrapped in aluminum foil. We made two sails because we thought two sales would make it catch the wind better so it can move faster. Some problems we had was the boat turning sideways so we taped a straw on the back. Our first trial was 8.58 seconds. The second trial was a little slower but still pretty good at 8.83 seconds.
This summer I stayed very busy swimming, tubing, waterskiing, camping, and spending time with friends. One of my favorite things that I did this summer was camping at sleeping bear dunes. We did this over my 13th birthday so it was a really fun way to celebrate. While we were there we climbed a huge sand dune that was about 400ft tall! My brothers and I slept in our hammocks at night when we were there. This summer I also went to South Olive bible camp with Heidi. I had such a great time getting to know other people, going to chapels, and getting a closer relationship with God. I really hope I can go again next year! Going to Pella, Iowa was another highlight of my summer. I got to see cousins that I haven’t seen in a while and that was really cool. I’m so excited to start 8th grade and I think it’s going to be a great year.
We had to research our country and find our position on democracy if we wanted to be more democratic or not. Then, we had to write a position paper on our opinion. On Friday, we represented our country and presented our opinions. We also combined with other groups to write resolutions that say what the African Union should do to improve the continent. We debated with each other and eventually voted on resolutions to pass or fail them. It was fun to represent my country and challenge other countries. Olivia and I joined with two other countries to write a resolution that we all agreed on. When it was time to vote, our resolution passed.
What I got out of this experience was the ability to work with other groups and present our opinions. I also got out of this the importance to work to come to a conclusion that everyone agrees on. A difficult part was looking at all the information of freedom house and taking something from it. It was hard for me to figure out my countries opinion and what would be best for them. Overall, it was an interesting and fun time together and I learned a lot about democracy and Zambia.
I saw reconciliation between the rugby team and black people because they went from hating the black children at the beginning of the movie to teaching them rugby and spending time with them. I also saw people that used to be completely against the springboks eventually cheering for them.
The character I saw change the most was Francois because he learned to see people of all colors important and helped his whole team to see the value in all people. Overall, I really liked the movie and we can take away from it that hatred isn’t going to get you anywhere and you have to be like Nelson Mandela and stand up for what you know is right even if people are going to hate you for it.
Before I came in I always thought about Africa as just one big place where everyone was poor and needed help to get clean water and come to the USA as refugees. I didn’t realize how different people in different countries are and how it’s not like they don’t have the resources to make money but they were colonized and those things were taken away from them by white people who considered themselves better than them. I used to think that just if someone looked black they must have been born in Africa, but I have realized that many different culture and ethnic groups live there. I want to learn more about the history of Africa and what it was like there before other people came in and messed it all up for them by colonizing their continent. I was surprised how so many people especially woman can’t even read or write.
When I “traveled” through Europe there were some challenges that I faced because I was from Italy. It seemed unfair because Italian money was worth 1/8 or 1/4 as much as most other country’s money. It was also frustrating to have to have your passport checked every time that you went through a country, even your own. While working in my country it was difficult because most people didn’t speak your language.
A benefit to each country having control of their station is that they can make money from people that are passing by and buy a bumper sticker. Also, if each country has their own station people have to pass through their country on their way to a different country. When they do that they might see that they like that country a lot.
Names were very important in Bible times because they showed what a person was like or their character. God has many names too, like Yahweh, Elohim, and Emmanuel. Yahweh means loving and caring, Elohim means creator, and Emmanuel means God with us. God’s names describe his relationship with us and what he is like. Sometimes God changes people’s names in the bible to show that he has changed them. God changed Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel and many more. My visual is a name tag that says, “Hello, my name is joy, great happiness.” I chose this because that is what my name means and I feel like my name really fits me. What I learned from this, is that names in the bible can help us better understand the meaning and context of the story.
Conflict/Doubt
Doubt is a very normal thing. Many people in the bible doubted God at one point, like Sarah when she laughed after being told she was going to have a baby. Peter also doubted God and even denied him three times. It’s easy to wonder why did someone I love die? Why is my family member sick? Why does God allow this? For my visual I chose a picture of Teagan, she is the daughter of my cousins Tyler and Ashley. Teagan was born early and weighed only a little over one pound, she passed away a few hours later. It was really hard for our family when she died but God is amazing and exactly one year later my cousin Bennett was born to Tyler and Ashley. He is a very healthy boy (almost ten pounds.) I learned that even through hard times we can trust that God has a plan.
Covenant
God made many covenants in the Bible, some of them he has already fulfilled, many he is still keeping, and some he will complete some day. God makes two kinds of covenants with his people; conditional and unconditional. Condition covenants are “if you do this… then I will do this…” In Exodus 19:5 God says, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” This is an example of a conditional covenant because it has conditions. Unconditional covenants are different because God keeps his part of the deal no matter what. God made an unconditional covenant with David and his family that he would bless them and that from his family line, Jesus would come. A rainbow is my symbol because it is a sign to us of God’s unconditional covenant that he would never flood the whole earth again. I learned that God is faithful and loving, and he cares about his people.
Sinai Law
God gave the Israelites laws so they would know how to live in a way that pleases him. God didn’t give us the commandments to take all the fun out of life but to protect us and show us how we can have a good relationship with Him and with others. If everyone followed God’s laws perfectly, life would be just as God intended, but we don’t and we can’t. We are imperfect and can’t follow all of God’s laws, and that is why we need a savior. My visual is a child holding their father’s hand. I think of God holding our hand and showing us how to live with his laws. I learned that God gives us rules because he cares and wants to protect us so we can live in a way that is pleasing to him.
Salute to a King
After God brought the Israelites safely to the promised land, they did well for a while but then forgot about him and sinned by worshiping other gods and building idols. When God saw that his people sinned, he sent other nations to attack them. The people would cry out and say, “God, save us!” God would see them and have compassion for them. God would send a judge and then things would go well for a while, but then when the judge died the people would start sinning again. The cycle would start all over again, and each time God would lovingly send a judge but it would only help for a little while but God never gave up on them. My visual is a Ferris wheel because you go up and then you go down and then up and down and so on. You can not stop the endless cycle of up and down unless someone stops it and helps you off. The Israelites cycle of Judges is like a Ferris wheel because they are at the top for a while doing well, and then they go back down and up again, over and over. The Israelites need help to stop their cycle, just like you need help to get off a Ferris wheel. I learned from this that God is compassionate and loving towards his people and will not give up on them, no matter what.
Symbol of a lamp
God used the symbol of a lamp to show that the savior would come through David’s line. David was Israel’s lamp. This symbol means that David’s lamp would always remain burning even when David’s descendants did follow God and were very evil, God would never wipe out his family line because of the unconditional covenant he made with David. A lamp was a fitting symbol for people in Israel’s time because it was their source of light in the dark and they used them all the time. For the people in Judah light became a symbol of Jesus their promised savor, the light of the world. For my visual, I chose a campfire because when you are camping and it is dark you can find your way back to your tent by following the light of the fire. Without it, you might trip and fall or get lost. I learned from this that God always keeps his promises, no matter how far we stray away from him. I also learned that even though David made many mistakes and was sinful just like us God used him for amazing things and called him the lamp of Israel. God even uses sinful people for his plans.
Something is rotten
Once Israel got a king, things started out well but just went downhill from there. First, Israel split into Judah and Israel and the leaders craved for more power, and to do that they killed many people and set up false altars and golden calves. Jeroboam was the first of Judah’s kings that were really bad, he built false altars in Judah because he did not want his people going to Israel to worship. After Jeroboam came more bad kings; Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, and so on. The Bible describes these kings as following in Jeroboam’s footsteps and doing evil in the eyes of the Lord. When evil king Ahab came to reign, God did not destroy his family because of the promise he had made so long ago. My visual is a piece of rotten fruit because Israel had become so rotten and corrupted that they were like this piece of fruit, no longer useful for anything but to be thrown out, but God didn’t give up on his people. I learned from this that God will always keep his promises no matter what he is faithful.
A Savior
The Israelites were sinful and could not keep the Sinai covenant that they made with God. God loved his people so much that he offered them a new covenant that they could be saved by forgiveness and grace. This new covenant would not be on stone tablets but it would be written on their hearts and minds. They would no longer have to kill sacrifices because Jesus would be their ultimate sacrifice. My visual is a lamb because it is a reminder that Jesus is our perfect lamb, the ultimate sacrifice who gave up his life for us. I learned that God loves us so much he was willing to send his only son to die on a cross for our sins. We weren’t perfect but God made a way for us to be saved.
Yesterday we went on a field trip to a native american museum and art gallery. The documentary was very eye opening for me. It was explaining about native american history and telling different people’s stories and about the Dakota access pipeline. I didn’t realize what was happening with the pipeline protest because the news is very bias and doesn’t tell everything. I learned a lot on the field trip.
After watching the video “Living On a Dollar a Day” I was impacted by it because I never realized really how little some people have. This video was so eye opening because we don’t realize how hard it is for them to get a good job to provide for their families because many of them aren’t very well educated and there aren’t job opportunities available. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live like that. We just turn on the water and don’t even think about it. They drink dirty water that can make them sick. We flip a switch and a light turns on and many people there can’t afford or don’t even have the option of electricity. I never realized that their income is so unpredictable and all the money they make is really just for survival. It would be so hard if you wanted to be a nurse or a teacher but you didn’t even have the money to go to school and you knew that you were destined to be poor and have an unpredictable job just like your parents. They work so hard every day and even the kids work really hard and only get enough money to survive. I think living in a community like that just totally changes the way you live and makes you thankful for the little things. I want to live like that, thankful for God’s blessings and the little gifts he gives us.
Estudiantes en Cuba tienen muchas classes. Ellos tienen las clases de matemáticas, español, tecnología, educación física, arte, inglés, historia de Cuba, geografía de Cuba, yciencias. Muchos clases los estudiantes en Cuba tienen yo tengo también.
Los estudiantes llegan a la escuela a siete en la mañana y salen la escuela a cuatro y media. Ellos comen almuerzo a las doce y media.
