God at Work

God prepared Paul for a life of ministry. God had a specific plan for him as well. He used many things from Paul’s past and used them in his future of preaching. For example, Paul had Jewish and Roman citizenship which gave him the advantage of being welcomed by the Jews and respected and somewhat feared by Romans. His Roman citizenship also gave him special privileges in the empire. For example, Roman citizens were allowed trials for their wrongdoings. Another way God used Pauls past to help spread the word of Jesus was that Paul was very smart and he knew many languages. He also had was raised as a Pharisee which meant he knew scripture. God set everything up for Paul’s future and he didn’t even know it.

I believe God is preparing me. For what, I have no clue. I just believe he will use me in a way that benefits me and him. God might use me to help communicate with others and help them understand the gospel better. Many people have told me that I am a very understanding person and I understand things most people my age don’t understand.

Christian Persecution in North Korea – 8th Grade PBL

On Wednesday, my group and I presented a project we have been working on for a couple weeks now. There were a bunch of groups throughout the grade, and each group had a different country that they had to study. My group was given North Korea. We had to research how persecution occurs in the country and what we can do to help. Here is a picture of my group.

Science – Spaghetti Tower

Group: Lydia DB, Elizabeth DB, Greta T, Carley M.

Our tower definitely isn’t the best. We all have hope that it will do alright though. I hope that our tower holds the egg up for 10 seconds. It might not look the best, and we know its not the best, but we tried our best.

Chain Project – Science

I think the strongest part of our chain is the paper or the string loop. I’m scared that the rubber bands and the straws are going to create some problems. We didn’t use some of the materials because we just couldn’t find a use for them. We used almost everything on the sheet.

Beginning of the Year Reflections

I have enjoyed the camps that we do every year at school. It gives me a chance to build the relationships I have with my friends. I have learned a lot this year. I have learned a lot in math and a lot in science as well. Recently in science, We’ve been studying earth science. I learned about theories people have about the world having one supercontinent and since broken into the continents we have now. I’m looking forward to all the activity days we have this year.

Boat Races – Team TAOB

Me and Issac Wolters made a boat for science. I am pretty confident that our boat will do well. I’m worried about it stopping and not finishing. I really hope we do well. I learned through making this boat is that designing/building things from scratch isn’t easy.

My Summer

I didn’t really do much. I mostly slept and worked. I worked at a blueberry patch picking blueberries. I don’t like blueberries so it was a painful experience. I hung out with my friend Harley. We had a couple sleepovers and it was fun.  Last week, I went to my grandparents cottage and went tubing. I went with my siblings and grandparents. I’m sad that summer is over. But I’m happy to see my friends everyday. Yay! 8th grade here I come.

African Union Day

On African Union Day I was a delegate for Somalia.  Somalia is country struggling to gain democratic status. To prepare for this day, I had to research for a paper stating the democratic status and how it works. During that day, my fellow delegate and I wrote a resolution requesting that more countries with more advanced governments and smoother flow should help the countries with a developing or struggling government. On African Union day I learned that it is difficult to represent people that I can’t relate to. It was also hard to get all of the information, especially because Somalia is looked down upon so much.

Invictus – Reflection

Invictus was a great movie overall. It was kind of slow, but in the end, it had a great message. In many ways, you can always take lessons from it. One of the major things I saw was reconciliation. I saw reconciliation when the president tried to bring together the people who are white and the people who are black. The part I most remember was when Nelson Mandela invited Francios over for tea. I don’t know why it stuck with me, I guess just the fact that Francios trusted the president even though that would’ve been frowned upon in a different situation. There isn’t a character I saw change the most. I think that everyone in the movie changed. I can’t just put a finger on one of them and say that they changed the most.

Africa Intoduction

When we started this introduction to Africa, I had a few solid stereotypes in my brain. Such as everyone in Africa is poor and all the water in Africa is dirty. But as we moved along, I started to realize the differences between reality and what I had in mind. We also took a “quiz” where we had to determine by a first look, whether a person was born in Africa or not. I got an 11/22 score, so not so bad, but I was very surprised at some of the answers. We also did a simulation with playing cards. Our teacher would call out a suit or a number or color and we would stand up. The people who were standing up and sitting down were part of a percentage of Africa. For example, all the aces and black 2’s stood up, and that represented how many people in Africa have access to the internet.

Simulation Reflection

Q. What were the challenges you faced traveling through Europe on Thursday?

A. As a tourist, I faced the challenges of having to go through long lines and lots of countries. There was a lot of hassle and it was annoying to have to back-track through countries I already waited in line for. It was also challenging to trade in all the money. Because I was from Italy, my money was worth nothing to other countries so it was difficult to budget. As a “worker” it was difficult to keep track of people who were in line for customs and when people were changing money they would just throw their stuff at you and it was very confusing.

 

Q. Explain one benefit to each country in Europe maintaining so much control of their own situation.

A. A benefit for all the countries was that the countries had personal control over whether they wanted to accept the persons entering or not

We The 7th – Native American Movie

This movie was a great opportunity to learn about how modern day native americans live and the problems they faced or are facing. I didn’t know about the boarding schools they had and how they treated the children. It made me sad when I read a letter from a little girl to her mother. She was a second grader and she was telling her mother that she couldn’t come home and she had to work.

I am happy that I have watched this movie becuase it opened my eyes to the current issues with the Native American Reserves.

Living On One Dollar A Day – Reflection

This movie opened my eyes to what people in poverty live like. Just realizing that people don’t know when they are getting paid and what their eating next makes me feel very sad but grateful that I’m a fortunate for all of the things I have. When I looked at the water it looked clear. But when they held it up, there was a ton of sand and bugs at the bottom. Then I thought of how we complain if our water is to warm or tastes different. It makes me so sad that people actually have to live that way.

So Long Summer!!

This summer I had a lot of fun with my friends and family.  I went to Drummond Island, up to my cottage with my entire dad’d side of the family and we went tubing. A LOT!! I got really close to my cousin Sadie and we made a lot of connections. I hung out with my friends at their grandmas pretty often because they live very close to my house. I also went to Camp Geneva with Jenna and had a lot of fun!

Saying Good-Bye

Me and my class said “Good-bye” to 3 things yesterday. We said “Good-bye” to our teacher, Mrs. Driy. She is retiring from teaching. We said “Good-bye” to our friend Evan. He is going to a different school for Middle School. And we said “Good-bye” to Elementary School! My whole class was crying by the end of all the “Good-byes.” it was sad and happy at the same time. But now we get to say “Hello!” to summer and Middle School.

Image result for waving hand

Feet like an Ibex

Habakkuk’s prayer:

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to tread on the heights. (Habakkuk 3:19)


 

When you picture a deer you may see a white fluffy tail and it’s bounding through a meadow. Then picture it’s feet. Tiny hooves and skinny legs. But that’s not at all what Habakkuk is talking about. He’s talking about and ibex. An ibex? You may ask… What’s an ibex. Well look at the picture at the bottom. An ibex’s hoof spreads apart so they can have perfect balance. Why would they need balance? Because they are epic mountain climbers and the babies are born at the very top of the cliff. One slip and they fall down to their death. You can find more on ibexes on youtube or just looking it up on your search engine. They are awesome creatures!

Image result for ibex

Science

In Science we have been learning about inherited characteristics, learned behaviors, internal cues, and external cues.

Inherited Characteristics:                                                                                    One of my inherited characteristics is that I can roll my tongue into a “U” shape and so can my mom and dad.

Learned Characteristics:                                                                                    I learned how to walk when I was a baby and I learned by watching my mom and dad walking around the house. I also learned how to play basketball from my friend Shelby.

Internal Cues:                                                                                                     When I’m hungry I get some internal cues and one of those is when my stomach grumbles and starts to hurt. Another one is when I get kinda grumpy.

External Cues:                                                                                                    I also get external cues when I’m hungry. Like when I smell food I remember that I haven’t eaten in a while and then I’m hungry.

Market Day Refection

Market Day BoothWrite about ONE thing you learned from COLLABORATION at Market Day.

Working with a team is harder than it looks.

Write about ONE thing you learned from CRITICAL THINKING at Market Day.

You have to think out of the box.

Write about ONE thing you learned from CREATIVITY at Market Day.

That the more creative the product is the more attractive it is to customers.

Write about ONE thing you learned from COMMUNICATION at Market Day.

If you talk to your customers they will stay longer.

What was the BEST thing about Market Day?

Getting to work with my friends.

What is ONE thing you’d change if you had to do it again?

I would have a smile on my face more often and be a better team member.

What is the MOST IMPORTANT thing you learned from Market Day? How will this impact your future learning?

The most important thing I learned was that you have to work with your team to be successful.

ZCS to the Zoo

I’m excited to…treasuretropics

1. go to the  Treasure of the Tropics Building

2. go to the  North America exhibit and see the bears

3. go to the  Frogs  EXHIBIT!! Yay froggys!!!

I’m curious to…

1. to learn about the stingrays

2.  to see the birds and “Get cheek to beak in this aviary that features over 300 colorful Australian parakeets.  Have birds feed right out of your hand!”

3.  see what the sheep feel like

 

 

PRE- Market Day Thoughts

I’m feeling scared and nervous. This is all sort of stressful. I’m concerned about our selling. Are we going to sell? What if we don’t! There are alot of “what-if’s.”  But I’m going to keep my head up high and be confident! I know God is with me  and He will help me. I’m excited to learn how hard running a business can be! Wish me luck! (Not that I need it!) LOL

Psalm 51:10-12

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

I Survived: Earthquake 2015

Click here to go to usgs.gov earthquake board.

 

Day: 2015-05-02

Time (military time):16:23:07

Time (standard):12:23:07

Magitude: 4.2

Location: Galesburg

I was like “What in the world is happening!!!” I was so freaked out!

This year is so eventful! First my bus goes in the ditch then I get a new baby cousin and then we have an earthquake

 

 

Fraction of Different-Size Wholes

Q.

AMENA ATE 1/2 OF A SANDWItCH. LAVONNE ATE 1/2 OF A DIFFERENT SANDWItCH. AMENA SAID THEY ATE THE SAME AMOUNT. LAVONNE SAID AMENA ATE MORE. COULD LAVONNE BE CORRECT? EXPLAIN YOUR THINKING.

A. Lavonne could be correct because maybe Amena’s sandwitch is bigger.

 

Market Day – Pitch Reflection

Market Day Pitch Reflection

#ByCarleyMeyer

 

  • How do you think your pitch went?

I was very nervous but I made it through! I feel I did a good job. Our rap made the sharks laugh and I laughed too!

  • What went well?

I feel what went best was that I controlled my nerves and I feel I didn’t stutter so much

  • What did not go so well?

What went well was my eye contact was better than I thought it would be! I really need to work on that.

  • Describe where your pitch took place.

The setting was in the conference room.

  • How did you feel before, during, and after the pitch?

Before: I felt wound up and ready!

During: I felt like a wind up toy running out of “wind.”

After: I felt so happy I almost cried!

  • Reflect on your preparation Do you think you were well prepared? Why or why not?

I felt kind of prepared because we didn’t have note cards or anything to look at!

  • If you could do the pitch again, what would you do differently?

If I could do the pitch again I would make better eye contact and have note cards.

  • What questions from the Venture Capitalists surprised you?

A question that surprised me was ‘Have you thought of people not wanting to buy another wallet because people already have one?”

  •  What three recommendations would you give to another entrepreneur your age?
  • Make good eye contact!
  • Make sharks laugh!

  • What offers did you receive and accept from Venture Capitalists?

Mr. VandenBosch gave us an offer of $39.00 (what we needed) but instead of $1.50 interest (what we offered) he said $3.00 interest and Mrs. Zylstra said she would invest in us only if we bumped up our price to $2.00.

  • I watched the video. Any new insights?

I noticed that I stuttered over the finance math problems.

 

 

You can watch the video too!!

 

EARTH DAY!!!

  1. Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and celebrated in more than 192 countries each year.

Today is Earth day!!!! A day to celebrate the earth! God has given us place to live on! Why not celebrate it?

Robocops Hit The Streets-Responses

Screen Shot 2015-04-17 at 11.23.46 AMThe robocops are 8-foot-tall robots that are trying to help the traffic police in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To make one of the robocops it takes around $27,500. Thats ALOT of money!! That article was a good one. Hopefully they help the police in Kinshasa.

 

(Click here to go to the website.)

Hope in Fight Against Ebola-Response

Screen Shot 2015-04-17 at 11.23.46 AMThe first thing I learned that pathogen is a microorganism that is in a vaccine. Isn’t that cool?Who knew that humans are closely related to monkeys? That’s why they tested it on monkeys not humans first. They are going to start testing it on humans in June. Ebola is a virus, the symtoms are:

  • fever,
  • fatigue, malaise, and weakness,
  • reddened eyes,
  • joint and muscle pain,
  • headache,
  • nausea and vomiting.

Did you know that the Ebola virus has killed more than 10,000 people since an outbreak of the disease began in late 2013. That’s a lot of people!!

(Click here to go to the website.)

#1moreday

If I had one more day of spring break I would spend the day with Shelby. I would ride Shelby is the best!!horses with her and I would help her with stuff and go to a park and Longboard and RipStik.

 

#Shelbyisthebest   #Ridehorses

 

 

 

Believe Samuel and Me

  1.  Why does God not answer our prayers in the way we want him to?

 

 

  • He knows what’s best for me and He has three answers: Yes, No, and In time.

 

 

  1. How should our attitude be like Samuel’s when we enter church or open our Bibles?

 

 

  • We should be pure, humble, quiet, and respectful. Open it carefully. IT’S GOD’S WORD!! Listen for Him.

 

 

  1. How was the ark used as a good luck charm? How could a similar mistake be made with symbols today?

 

 

  • The ark was used to help them win and they thought that would help. Some people use cross necklaces and point to the sky.

 

 

  1. Why is it no longer necessary for us to offer sacrifices as Samuel did?

 

 

  • Christ made the sacrifice once and for all!!

 

 

  1. How can we be living sacrifices for God?

 

 

  • Give of yourself.

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