Maddie VanderLugt

8B #20

Death By the Mississippi

Sometime last week two children were killed on a field trip to the Mississippi river. Some 4^th graders from Peter Hobart Elementary school went to look for fossils along the Mississippi, due to the rainy weather, the ground gave in. Four children were buried, but only two died. The first child was uncovered very quickly, it took a few hours to find the second (he was half submerged in water), the third child was found and died later in the hospital, and the fourth child wasn’t found until the next morning, dead.

I can’t believe something like this happened, it’s so sad to think that these kids were so young and were just on a field trip with their classmates, but it cost them their lives. I can’t imagine going the way they did and I feel awful for the parents and loved ones of these kids. I just wish there was some way this could have been prevented.

This year for Shadow Day, I went to visit my sister at Work Squared, she is an interior designer. Breanne (my sister) spends  lot of her work time on her computer because you have to be very picky with details. Sometimes she needs to talk to clients or go to meetings, but she does a lot of rendering. Rendering is when you take a 2D floorplan and make it into a 3D digital picture/presentation. I’ve learned a lot with my experience on SHadow Day and I would love to do this again.

When I think of what I want more than anything, I don’t know what I want. People want a lot of different things. I feel like what I I currently want more than anything is to be successful  as I grow up. I want to be successful in high school, college, my job, my faith, in caring for my family. I know you’re probably wondering, “What does success look like to you?” Success to me is doing everything to the best of my ability, try to honor God in everything, and complete my tasks as well as I can. I don’t want to say  perfect for how I complete things, but that’s almost how I feel. Making the least amount of mistakes as possible. I know it’s okay to make mistakes and to learn from them, but that just how I feel, I want to avoid mistakes. If I were to achieve what I want, to become successful i mean, I don’t know what would happen. I would keep living my life and be thankful that things were happening in my favor. I guess my goal would be lost so I’d have to find a new goal to chase after and try to achieve. There aren’t many material things that I want more than anything, there are material things that I want, don’t get me wrong. It’s just, I don’t think I don’t prioritize them as much as some other people do.

In Caro, Michigan at Schall Elementary School last week, a third grade boy had a birthday party at school. To celebrate his birthday his mother made cupcakes for him to take for his class. On top of all these cupcakes was a toy soldier. The teacher that day called the boy’s mother and told her that they had to remove all of the toy soldiers from the cupcakes because they were insensitive considering recent gun-related tragedies. Casey Fountain, the boy’s father, received a personal call from the principal of Schall Elementary (Susan Wright) regarding the cupcakes. She later released a statement saying, “In the past these army men were in commonplace, however many parents disagree with toys being guns at all.” Fountain was disgusted by this, he feels that it is very disturbing for him to know that in his son’s school they cannot honor the men who fight for our freedom because they use the same tool as a psychotic gun-men.

I can see where both sides are coming from. I can see how taking in a gun/violence related toy into a school can be offensive for people, but I also see how the father feels about honoring our soldiers. Though I think that I more agree with the father because it is sad that we cannot honor our soldiers without first thinking about the horrific event at SandyBrook Elementary School in this situation. I would disagree with taking in, for example, an actual sized toy gun, but little green army men, a long beloved childhood toy, I would think is completely harmless.

The Holy Spirit

In my life personally, I haven’t wondered much about the Holy Spirit. It was really more of a matter that, he’s working in me, and that’s that. Now that in my youth group, church, and school we’ve been learning about the Holy Spirit, I’ve come to notice that he is the hardest part of the trinity to understand and is the most overlooked part. Though he is hard to understand and is quite mysterious, we know that he works in us though, times of peace, worship, and our everyday lives. I now know that he is the part of God that lives in me and more or less is the conscience that tells me right from wrong. He works in people’s lives and tries to bring them closer to God. The Holy Spirit is a divine person and we know that he really is because he has a mind of his own, emotions, and a will. We also know this because he can comfort us by giving us a sense of peace through hard times, he thinks, he knows, he can be grieved, and he makes decisions. He is God, a part of God, who works in all of our lives, in one way or another.
The Holy Spirit works in my life in may different ways, some of them can slip easily from my mind and go unnoticed, but some are as plain as day. The spirit keeps fresh in me a love for God and empowers me to try my best and do well in everything I attempt. The holy spirit gives me peace and calms my stress through difficult and busy times and reassures me that things will turn out the way God intends them to. The Holy Spirit also is the reason why I can read people very well, he shows me how they feel so I can comfort them, encourage them, pray for them, or anything they may need. The holy spirit guides me in life and encourages me the whole way. He is the part of God that dwells in me.
For the creative part of my project I illustrated a dove which is a common symbol of the holy spirit, but I still really liked that visual. The dove symbolizes the holy spirit because in the bible, when Jesus is being baptized by his cousin John, the heavens open up and out comes the holy spirit in the form of a dove. Then out from the sky came a voice that declared loud and true, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” It shows a good representation for the holy spirit, the white feathers show purity and it’s wings to me express power and strength. The holy spirit is also represented by a flame and I feel that it is a decent representation, though the dove, I feel, shows a better visual because it displays his strength and power ,but at the same time his gentleness and compassion and purity.

The Holy Spirit Bible Passages

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with chid through the Holy Spirit. ~Matthew 1:8
My Words: This is how Jesus the Christ was born: Mary, his mother, was supposed to marry Joseph, but before they could get married, she discovered that she was pregnant and the baby was put inside her by the Holy Spirit.

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ~Matthew 3:11
My Words: I bless you with water for confession. But when I’m gone someone who is more in leadership than myself, whose laces I do not qualify to tie. He will bless you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

“for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
~Luke 12:12
My Words: The Holy Spirit will show you at the correct time and the exact words you should use.

until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ~ Acts 1:2
My Words: not until the time he was brought up to God’s Kingdom, after explaining his instructions through the Holy Spirit to his disciples.

and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” ~Acts 8:19
My Words: Let me receive as well the power that everyone I put my fingers on, may have the Holy Spirit.

And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
My Words: On the final note, he spoke the words to them and said, “Let the Holy Spirit into your heart and soul”

When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ~Acts 8:15
My Words: When the people showed up, they asked God that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. ~Acts 11:15
My Words: Right when I started talking, the Holy Spirit came on these people as he had come on me and my people at the beginning.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.~Acts 1:8
My Words: You will receive strength when the Holy Spirit comes unto you and you will be my spectators in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samariz, and to the ends of the physical world.

And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ~Luke 12:10

Anyone who says a harsh word against the Christ will have forgiveness, but anyone who gives false testimony against the Holy Spirit will not receive forgiveness.

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