For this project we were put in groups to build a volcano. I was in a group with Abby G. and Leah C. Our volcano was made out of cardboard and paper macheih and then painted on top. Inside we had a jar for the magma chamber and PVC pipe for the pipe and fissure. We made a crater, painted on lava and the layers. Finally we made little black strips of paper for the Ash.
In bible I am working on studying persecution is Azerbaijan with Marrissa and McKenna.We have found that christian persecution often comes not through the government, but through families, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. People loose their jobs, are shunned by their families, and are tormented by their neighbors. Since over 90% of the population in Azerbaijan are muslim christians are not always allowed to practice the freedom of religion their constitution says they should have.
Even though most of the persecution for the individual person comes doesn’t come through the government. Some does. The Azerbaijan government has high surveilance levels, and everything that comes in and out of the country has to be registered by the government. This makes it very difficult for the church to expand, evangelize, and import bibles in to the country.
In science class we had to build a tower out of spagetti sticks and marshmallows. Our tower stood up the whole time, but our egg fell at 6 sec. What went well was that our tower was a full 40 cm. What didn’t go so well was that Paula broke one of the main sticks in our tower, so it caused the tower to be unstable and the egg to fall. So basically it was all Paula’s fault. My favorite part was figuring out how to do the finances, as I was the treasurer. My least favorite part was the people in my group. I think that both architects were part responsible because the tower was unstable, however the tech person did a good job.
Trinity Kraal
Mrs. Roskamp
LA, 8A
February 12, 2016
The Deed
It was a dark night, the clouds had gone over the moon and very few stars were in the sky. Even if they were you wouldn’t be able to see them. It was storming outside, and the wind was beating strongly against the small old brown house up in Greenville MI. Thunder boomed loudly and lightning flashed across the sky, revealing for only a moment the secrets that lay hidden in the dark. But under the protection of the roof an old woman, Kathrin Eliquis, sat in her kitchen, unaware of the dangers that were just outside her door.
Another strong gust of wind blew against the house and 2 of the old windows flew open, letting in the rain that quickly soaked the rug. The old lady ran over and quickly shut the windows, then took a towel and started to dry the floor, attempting to soak up the water from the carpet. Thunder boomed again, just loud enough to mask the sound of the creaking front door opening and a strange figure quickly entering. A shadow flickered across the wall and Kathrin Eliquis turned quickly, her old eyes wide with alert. But she saw nothing wrong. The door was still closed, nothing was moved, no one was there. No, her eyes were just playing tricks on her again. She rose from her spot on the floor and made her way back to the kitchen. She poured herself a cup of tea and sat once more reading the weekly newspaper. Soon, she forgot of the shadow she had seen on the wall, her thoughts drowned out the sounds of the storm outside and the noise of the person inside, who was walking up behind her. She felt content, safe, but somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice reminded her that she wasn’t, she would never be safe, not until her old score was settled.
A bright streak of lightning flashed outside polling her away from her thoughts. She looked up at the window, and then she screamed. She fell to the floor sobbing and screaming, a wild look in her eyes, pain showed all over her face. She fell to the floor and convulsed for a while, until suddenly pain, joy, hurt, love, and even life itself left her face, and she lay still. And so hovering over her, stood a figure, wearing a mask and dressed completely in black. “It is settled” the voice said, and then walked out, leaving the sink running and the door open.
The Discovery
The sun rose bright and early the following morning, as if it was still just as unaware of last night’s events as everyone else. Isabel Catisty, a well known detective, rose along with it. She had a long day of work before her, and knew she had to get to the office. She swung her legs around the bed post and got up. Dizzy from whatever had happened last night, a thing she knew would be dangerous if anyone found out. She put those thoughts behind her as she dragged herself to the shower, hopping maybe the water would wash off all her worries. Isabel let the water pour down on her for a good ½ hour before reaching around the corner for a towel. She got dressed and dried her long brown hair that flowed almost down to her waist. She ate a quick breakfast with her 71 year old apartment neighbor, Patricia Eleanor, and got in the car.
At her office everyone was busier than usual. “Great,” she thought. “some new case.” Her secretary, Ellen Canton, brought in a large stack of papers. A police report, a summary, and a whole bunch of other details Isabel figured would end up being useless in the end. All the same she had to read them all. She sat down and started with the summary.
An old woman, cause of death unknown, house flooded, Greenville MI, believed to be a murder. Why couldn’t they just write that? Instead they wrote a 5 page double sided summary of every single thing that they saw and found and thought might be the slightest bit suspicious. It took Isabel forever to finish reading it, but by the end, she was intrigued. This case was loaded with mystery. They weren’t just looking for a culprit, they were looking for the cause of death, the motive, the connection. She quickly phoned the police department to speak to them about the case, she hoped they would give her the address of the house soon so that she could go up and look for herself. 2 rings, then the typical voice of Sweet, old Julia Merchan answered. They exchanged a quick conversation about Julia’s health, her obsession with drinking water, and her grandkids before Isabel asked if she could be transferred over to Officer Michel Linder, chief of their local police force. She explained the situation to him and her reasons for wanting this case and asked if she could speak to whoever reported the woman dead as well as get the address to the house so that she could go look for herself.
“Ok, so what case is this?” asked Officer Linder, obviously not having paid attention.
“The murder of Kathryn Eliquis, the file was delivered to me this morning.” She responded, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She heard the sound of him typing on the computer and then pulling out drawers and then papers being shuffled.
“Miss Catisty, there is no file on her death, and no one from the department has delivered anything to you this morning.” Said the Officer after a while. It took a moment for her to process what the words meant.
“Thank you Officer Linder. I will talk with my Secretary and see where the mistake was made.” She said quickly. And with that, she hung up and sat down, shock and fear running through her body. Someone wanted her to have this file, someone knew.
The Clue
“I don’t get it,” said Officer Linder. “Why would someone deliver you this file, and how would they possibly get all the details, plus they must have stolen some of the papers for this police report!” Isabel Catisty had been arguing with him for over an hour. She knew that she had to take this case, as dangerous, for her especially, as it may be.
“Look,” she started, just as Sandy Paterson entered and handed Officer Linder another stack of papers. “I know this is dangerous, it’s a mystery! Maybe even a murder Mystery! They’re always dangerous. But I have to take this case, even if you didn’t deliver this to me, someone did. That means that this old lady is really dead.” Isabel put as much emphasis on her words as possible, trying to make him see past the danger, this was taking too long. She had to hurry.
“The problem is,” started Officer Linder again. “we have no idea who delivered this to you.”
“I already told you, my secretary said that it was my friend Aaron Jack Stints, from up in Ottawa county! They discovered this and delivered the case to me, figuring I was better that some of their detectives. I just need your permission to take on a case for another office under your payroll! Isabel said, failing to keep the anger from showing in her voice and hoping that Officer Linder couldn’t read through her lie. She still had no idea who had delivered the papers.
“Fine, you can,” said Officer Linder at last. “But you have to be sure you stay safe, I won’t have our best detective go and get hurt.”
“I will,” promised Isabel already half out the door, dialing the number of Aaron Stints.
“No, all I need you to do is keep your mouth shut about last night and say exactly what I told you too. You delivered those papers to me.” Isabel was driving down the road headed to the address that had been written on the Report. She just had to make sure that Officer Linder didn’t get suspicious, and to do that, she had to make sure Aaron only said what she told him to. “Fine, but just say as little as possible.” Said Isabel, hoping to end this conversation soon. She was just about there. “No, she won’t risk her own safety.” Isabel said. “Ok, bye.” She hung up the phone and sat back in her seat. This was it. She pulled out a note pad and started to take inventory. The house looked smaller in the day time, and not as dreary. It wasn’t anything fancy, but Isabel knew better than to assume this old lady was poor. There were 2 doors, one in the front and 1 on the right side of the house. The whole backside of the house was covered in windows. There were also 2 windows in the front, and 1 window on the left side. The old lady had a large yard, she had a garden in the front corner of the yard, but the rest was simple, well taken care of, beautiful green grass. Well, at least it must have used to be beautiful green grass. Now, it was muddy and flooded, just like everything else. The garden was overflowing and dirty water was flowing down the street. The worst part of it all was that all the water was coming out of the front door!
There is a reason Isabel Catisty was one of the best detectives. She didn’t go rushing in through the front door to find the source of the water. No, she went over her notes again. There had to be a reason for someone to keep the water running, maybe it could lead to the reason someone did this. Isabel got out of the car and walked quickly over to the side door and opened it. She stepped inside. Everything was exactly as she had expected, soaked. She walked through the long dark hallway and into the kitchen. It was the kitchen sink that was running and causing all the flooding. Ok, she thought, think. Because of the flooding there was no fingerprints that they could identify, that could be a reason for flooding the house. But something told her that wasn’t it. Her mind raced until suddenly, it hit her. She flashed back to a day when she was a child, maybe 8 or 9. The bus had just dropped her off at the house she said was hers, and she was walking across the yard over to her real house, 2 doors down. Suddenly she saw someone running through the woods being chased by her foster mother. She remembered how angry her foster mom had looked as she dashed through the woods. Little Isabel had run on the outskirts of the woods just until she heard a woman yell, “you’ll pay for this with your life! I swear it! And when the deed is done, it will be your house that is flooded and your child who suffers, not mine.”
Isabel came back to reality, and took a few steps back, willing herself not to get into the painful experiences that followed that scene. This was that exact scene played out. Kathrin Eliquis, her old cruel foster mom, had been murdered because of something she must have done. Something about making someone’s house flood and child suffer. Well, she had paid for it with her life, her house was flooded, there was only one part of the curse left. And Isabel knew that Kathrin Eliquis had only taken care of one child as her own in her entire life. The murderer would be out to make her suffer.
The Attempt
Isabel Catisty rushed through the front door of the Ottawa County police Department. She ran down the hall and turned sharply into an office off to the right. Aaron Stints jumped out of his chair in a hurry and ran over to her. Isabel Catisty, who was shaking and bent over sobbing on the floor, looked up. A strange look had come over her eyes, an unmistakable look of absolute terror.
“What happened?” asked Officer Stints, helping Isabel rise from the ground and sit in a chair.
“I went back,” responded Isabel, slowly calming down. That was all she needed to say for him to put together what she meant. He had known that she was taking on this mysterious case of the death of one of her old foster moms, but he never thought she would be brave enough to go back to that house. The house she swore never to return to, not after what happened the first time. Even after they heard that the crazy old lady had turned for the better, and now was a kind soft hearted person, she had vowed never to return and never to see her again.
“Did it help at all?” asked Officer Stints, hopping maybe she would be able to explain why she was so terrified.
“Yes,” started Isabel. “I know the motive, but not the person. I also know that it was a woman, who now would be just younger than her, so about 70 or so”
“Well, that’s good, but how did you find this out? What happened that has you all… shaken up?” Asked Aaron, dying to know how it was possible to figure all this out.
“I had a flashback to the last day I was there, the reason I got kicked out. I was walking back from the bus and I saw someone running, being chased by her. I followed and heard her curse her by saying ‘you’ll pay for this with your life! I swear it! And when the deed is done, it will be your house that is flooded and your child who suffers, not mine.’ That night I asked her why she was so mad. She got so mad at me for listening that she started throwing things at me, yelling at me to get out and to never come back. I ran outside, and she locked the door behind me. I never saw her again.”
Aaron Jack Stints was mute. He didn’t know what to say. He had found her on the street and brought her some food when he was little, but he never knew how it was that she ended up on the street. All he knew was that she was there and then she was picked up by the foster care program a few days later and enrolled in his school.
“Ok, but what of this made you so scared?” He asked. She looked up and stared at him and then said, “your child will suffer. Her only child was me, and while I was there, she she came for me.”
The Suspect
Late that night, Isabel Catisty lay wide awake, thinking over the day’s events. She couldn’t sleep as she thought back to all the horrible things and feelings she had had. She thought back to the sound of her heart beating as she realized that she wasn’t alone in the house. She remembered the panic that had entered her heart when she heard the side door slam shut behind her. She thought of how helpless she had felt as she stood there, glued to her spot in the kitchen. Finally she remembered how it felt to force her mind to clear itself and think. When she finally had pushed down the fear enough so that she could move, she had rushed into the living room trying to get to the front door. She had heard steps running down the hall and she knew she wouldn’t make it out without being caught. So she had flung open the front door and hid behind the couch. She still heard the sound of her heart pounding as a person entered the room and looked around. She still felt the horror of the moment she realized she wasn’t the only one behind that couch, and she had looked at the dead face of her old foster mom, Kathrin Eliquis. She remembered how fear had taken control of her body and it took everything in her just to bite back a scream. And finally she remembered the relief when she had seen the woman leave.
Isabel fell asleep to these thoughts, and her dreams were only worse because of it. But all the same she woke up the next morning and was off to work, same as always. On her way there she mentally made a list of everyone she knew who could fit the description and might do it. She thought of her new part time worker, Alexi Vanheck. She was about the right age and she always came off as a bit rougher person. Plus she hated the job. Another person she thought of was Sandy Paterson, Officer Linder’s secretary. The old lady always seemed to be at the right place at the right time, and she had lost some of the officers trust a few weeks ago when she had delivered papers to a customer without order. Patricia Eleanor, Isabel’s neighbor, also would fit the age, however, the kind old lady didn’t have as much opportunity as the others, but it wouldn’t have been impossible. A final person, though Isabel hated to think of it, was Ellen Canton. Her wonderful, happy secretary. Just like the other 2 suspects, the old woman was the right age and had opportunity. But her sweet nature led Isabel to think it one of the other three. And everyone was a suspect when it came to motive. But by the time that Isabel reached the office, she was almost completely convinced of the woman Alexi Vanheck, because of her hatred and recency to the job. When she got to work she was greeted by the warm smile of her secretary Ellen Canton. Ellen Canton had been working for Isabel for only 2 years, but Isabel couldn’t imagine what she would do without her. She just always seemed to lift Isabel’s spirits, it couldn’t be her. Isabel walked down the hall, passing the offices of multiple of her employees, waving and smiling as she walked by. She was filled with dread upon the awful thought that it could be anyone from that office.
Isabel Catisty was just about to her office when she heard an awful scream come from the lobby. She ran back as fast as she could, beating everyone else by only a few seconds. Everyone stopped, frozen as they saw what had scared Alexi Vanheck, the part time employee of the office. In the middle of the lobby lay the body of Kathrin Eliquis.
Who is the Murderer?
Solution:
Who was the Murderer?
The Murderer is the Sweet old Julia Merchan. Her motive is obvious the old “score” that she had to settle in which Kathrin Eliquis had accidentally blown a major underground water line and flooded her whole top floor. Julia had been away on business over the weekend, so when Julia’s 12 year old daughter had come home after school to a flooded house, she had asked if she could stay with Mrs. Eliquis, her neighbor. Mean old Kathrin Eliquis had said no, forcing the young girl to sleep in a soaked home, unable to stop the flooding. Upon coming home, Julia Merchan had been furious and threatened Kathrin with a lawsuit. Kathrin had also become furious and she had grabbed a knife and chased Julia away. That had only worsened the situation so that Julia took it as a major insult and promised to kill Kathrin and make her daughter suffer just as Kathrin had made her’s.
Was she ever found out?
Mrs. Julia Merchan never became a suspect of Isabel Catisty, but when Alexi Vanheck was put on trial, her Criminal-Defence attorney had discovered Julia Merchan and proved Alexi innocent by showing Julia guilty.
What suspicious thing had Isabel and Aaron done the night before?
Isabel and Aaron had simply been taking a walk through the woods near the home of Kathrin Eliquis. They had been discussing a case that the Police Force had taken on, but was illegal to speak of. When they heard a scream, Isabel had clumsily walked into a tree and passed out. Aaron had been too busy making sure she would be ok to notice the strange person running past. The reason it would be so dangerous was because they A) Heard the scream of the old woman, which would make them prime suspects for being there. B) They were talking about top secrets that could bring them both down and make them lose their jobs if anyone found out they had been talking.
What clues pointed to Julia Merchan?
It all came down to the major clue of the water. The first is that the running water in the house of Kathrin Eliquis triggered the buried memory of the curse. This therefore pointed to an older woman. All other clues came in the few things that were mentioned about the conversation between Isabel and Julia. 1) Julia had such a marvelous plan that she got cocky and tried to rub it in through talking about water with Isabel. Who talks about water over the phone? 2) The fact that Julia has grandkids points at her by proving that she has kids, and it marks her as about the right age. 3) The Ottawa County Police Department has 2 secretaries working, since Mrs. Sandy Patterson is also mentioned as being a secretary. This would give Julia plenty of opportunity. Also, we know that Sandy Patterson was working at the time when Isabel Catisty saw the killer at the home of Kathrin Eliquis.
IN BIBLE CLASS WE ARE LOOKING AT PRECENT DAY PERSECUTION IN OUR WORLD, FROM SIMPLE VERBAL ABUSE, TO OUTRIGHT MURDERED FOR THEIR FAITH. PEOPLE GO THROUGH THESE AWFUL THINGS EVERY SINGLE DAY, WHILE WE LIVE OUR LIVES IN COMPLEATE PEACE, WITHOUT KNOWING OR UNDERSTANDING THE PAIN OF OUR FELLOW BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHIRST. THEREFORE, IT HAS TO BECOME A PRIORITY FOR US TO HELP THESE PEOPLE. BUT TO DO THAT WE HAVE TO KNOW, STUDY, AND TEACH OURSELVES AND OTHERS ABOUT THESE SITUATIONS. SO THAT, WITH GODS HELP, WITH CAN IMPROVE THEM
In class we looked at the way that the Early Church thought of what a church should be vs. what we think that church should be. In comparing the two we saw a huge gap. The early Church wanted community and fellowship as well as to pursue their mission for Christ here on earth, while we thought we should have food and comfy chairs as well as short sermons for church.
I think that this shows us how our ideas of what church is and what it means to be a follower of Christ have changed. That something that started out so good has drifted to this point, where even the most dedicated are often led astray by pursuing and teaching knowledge instead of love or things instead of people.
Last week in Bible class we took some time and looked at the last 7 words of Jesus, and what he did and said while on the cross that can be an example to us. We looked at the fact that Jesus ministry, through through his death and resurrection it became complete, never actually ended. While Jesus hung on the cross he still showed Mercy to his mother and gave her a new “son”, he offered forgiveness to those who were laughing at him and those who had killed him, he even taught the word of God and brought salvation to the man who was dying next to him. Through all these things we see Jesus’ character coming through even in the hardest times.
After taking some time to evaluate and reflect on what these things show about the character of Jesus, we took the next day and looked at what we can learn out of these things. We each took two areas that we said we found a little bit more difficult and we thought and wrote down what how we can improve in these areas.
Finally, after looking, reflecting, and applying these lessons that Jesus taught us in his final moments, we took some time to pray and ask God to help us in improve in these areas. I personally chose Trust in God and Persevere to the completion of the goals before us. I asked God to help me put all my trust in him, not just parts of my life. I also asked God to help me keep going when life gets hard. Jesus taught us the lesson of Perseverance over and over, whether when he was teaching his disciples, talking to the crowds, or simply in his actions of continuing to accomplish Gods will even when it wasn’t what he wanted to do.
This Sunday I went to the Hope Collage Chapel and watched the singers rehearse, participated in their pre-prayer chapel, and then watched the actual chapel. Out of all of it I thought that the most powerful thing was the Prayer Chapel. At school we usually just take 3-4 min to pray and talk before a chapel, but they took 1/2 hour to pray to God for the chapel to go smoothly and to be impactful to others.
Review:
Brisingr is part of a series called the Inheritance series. It’s about a land that is ruled by an evil king who is almost immortal, meaning he will never die of old age. The reason for this is because he is a dragon rider. The series is set in a land where dragons used to be everywhere, and that created a problem with some of the other creatures that lived there. So, they created a magical bond between three races, the dragons, humans, and elves. Therefore some of the dragon eggs were set apart so that when they were in the presence of their set rider they would hatch and chose him/her. Then they would have a mental bond between the human/elf and the dragon. The dragon would become stronger and the human/elf would learn magic and be immortal. The rider’s job used to be to rule the rest of the people of this land and keep the peace. Then, one rider by the name galbatorix set out against all the other riders with the help of 12 others. After destroying the all the riders, dragons, and eggs he began to rule. And so started the story. The first book, called Eragon follows a farm boy who lives in this world under the rule of galbatorix. It’s been so long since the riders and dragons lived that the had become a myth, all except for Galbatorix. But when Eragon, the farm boy, is out hunting for food for his uncle and cousin (who he lives with) he stumbles on a bright shiny rock. Being interested he takes it and when it hatches for him and a dragon comes out of it and chooses him his whole world changes. His biggest priority instantly becomes protecting this dragon, so he doesn’t tell anyone about it. As it turns out, the egg had been in the possession of Galbatorix and had been stolen by a rebel group called the Varden and had been Magically sent to him by an elf while she had panicked as she was being taken captive. Galbatorix learns of its location and sends his best hunters to kill Eragon and take the egg. Eragon leaves to protect the dragon with the towns storyteller who turns out to be an old dragon rider who’s dragon had died in the war, but the hunters come and kill his uncle sending his cousin into a rage to find him since no one even knows of the dragon. Eragon and the storyteller start heading toward the Varden where they hope that he will lead them to kill Galbatorix. Eragon quickly learns magic and instantly becomes one of the most powerful Riders that ever lived. The storyteller dies on the way but Eragon finds the elf who sent him the egg and rescues her, then they go to the Varden. Eragon fights a big war against some of Galbatorix creatures and wins then goes to the Elf lands where he would be trained in magic, Sword play, Art, exc. He gets there to find that there are a rider and a dragon hiding there since it was there job to train the last rider. Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, train under them for a long time while the varden move forward towards Galbatorix’s army. When Eragon and Saphira stay for a celebration that the Elves have every 100 years made by magic (the elves are all born magical) two dragon tattoos come to life and speak for the raise of laid dragons making Eragon the most powerful, fastest, and best rider that there ever was, hoping to give him the best chance to kill Galbatorix. Eragon becomes faster than an Elf, with more power, he never needs to sleep, and has so many gifts with magic and sword play. After a little more training and learning that Galbatorix has been imprisoning the consciousness’ of the dragons he killed and making them give him power, Eragon and Saphira return to the Varden, fight a whole bunch of wars. On one of the last wars of the book another dragon rider shows up. His dragon had hatched while he was in possession of Galbatorix. This rider turns out to be murtaugh one of Eragon’s old friends who they had thought dead. Murtaugh reveals the fact that they are actually brothers and both sons of the most evil man that ever lived next to galbatorix. During this war Eragon meets with his Cousin Roran, who when he finds out Eragon is a Dragon Rider, asks for his help in rescuing his fiance from the hunters who came to get Eragon. Eragon accepts, and so ends the second book in the series.
Essay
The book Brisingr continues to follow the story of Eragon in his fight against the empire. As each book shows a different side of Eragon, Eragon shows his , Eldest shows his warrior, I think that Brisingr shows his judgement. Being a rider, his job is to judge people’s cases and discern correctly. As he starts to fall into this role he has to open his eyes and see a bigger picture. To see more than just Aglasia and fighting Galbatorix. This leads to him wondering about the future of the riders race after the death of Galbatorix, as well as him pondering his own character and struggling with the revelation of his parentage. Throughout the story we see Eragon growing to in knowledge of himself, as well as his power that will aid him in his fight against the empire.
Throughout the whole book, Eragon struggles to grasp who he is as well as why he fights. At the end of the 2nd book Murtaugh reveals the fact that him and Eragon are actually brothers, and both sons of Morzan a powerful rider who was Galbatorix’s second in command and the last of the 12 forsworn. Throughout Brisingr Eragon is trying to discover more about his mother hopping that at least she was good. In one scene Eragon goes to an old friend of Brom who had helped steel Saphira’s egg and finds out some things that he didn’t like. He learned that Morzan had married a woman who was just as evil as he was, (some say even more) and who had gone on all of the dirtiest missions for Galbatorix. She was always hidden from sight, so no one knew much about her. After Brom had started the Varden he went and hid as her servant in Morzan’s palace. During that time he learned a lot of information that he sent back. Eragon learned that while Brom was still in the palace, his mother had vanished from sight and no one could find her for 7 months. Then when she showed up she came back sick and died soon after she arrived at the palace. After talking with Broms friend, Eragon struggled even more with himself. He wondered how he could be fighting for what is good if His father was Galbatorix’s most loyal follower, his mother was one of the most evil people of her time, and his brother is now a dragon rider who kills in the king’s name. Through talking with a friend of Brom Eragon learns a lot of bad things about both his parents, but he did learn one thing that gave him comfort. His mother cared about him enough to send him away so that he wouldn’t grow up with Morzan as his father.
As Eragon struggled to learn who he is and what he is fighting for, there is one thing that bugs him throughout the whole book. In the book Eldest, a raven, who is pet to the elf Queen and has the gift of prophecy, visits Eragon and gives him this prophecy;
“By beak and bone
Mine blackened stone
Sees rooks and crooks
And bloody brooks!
Son and father alike,
Both as blind as bats.
While two may share two,
And one of two is certainly one,
One might be two.”
As soon as he says this the bird leaves. Eragon is left troubled by the line ‘son and father alike,’ and when he learns that his father is Morzan he worries that he might not be fighting for the right thing. With this prophecy always on his mind Eragon has to cope with the ever taugnting threat of his brother Murtaugh, as well as the crisis of who and how his family becomes family. Throughout the book Brisingr Eragon learns that family are those who are there for you. He says “Morzan is not my father, Brom, Garrow, or even Oromis are more of a father to me than Morzan. And Murtaugh is not my brother, only Roran is my brother and Katrina my sister.”
Towards the end of the book Eragon’s struggle becomes so overwhelming that he can’t fight. Without knowing what else to do he goes to Oromis to discover why he fights and what Blagden’s prophecy means. Upon arriving Oromis realizes that his struggle could cost Eragon his life and the Varden the war and so is released from an oath he apparently took. Oromis tells Eragon to look inside him, to see what he finds. And when Eragon looks at himself with clear eyes Oromis tell him that his father isn’t Morzan, but it’s Brom. Eragon learns that while Brom was in Morzan’s castle he fell in love with Eragon’s mother. She gave him information about the Varden and he would stay there. When she got pregnant she brought her child to her brother to save him from Morzan. When she died upon her return Brom figured out what had happened and went and found his child, Eragon. As Eragon discovered the truth about his parents he finds pride in their Bravery and Accomplishments. He is proud to accept the man who trained him and took care of him in his most difficult times as his father. He is proud of who his mother became when she fell in love with Brom, and is comforted by what she did to save him from Morzan. Eragon learns that people can change like his mother did, and that sometimes things aren’t always how they seem.
This Sunday in church our youth pastor gave the sermon to the church. He talked about the story of Zacchaeus and how when he was rejected by the people and his family was turned out and judged because of his job, he filled his life with all the riches and things of the world. But when Jesus came and called to him he realized that Jesus was all that he needed to fill his life with, so he made the commitment to not take what wasn’t his and just enough for his family to survive, earning it justly. Our Youth Pastor John also talked about the way that we judge and look at people. Not just regular people, but the way that we also do things like create and image of Jesus in our heads.
Trinity Kraal
Mrs. Roskamp
LA, 8A
16 September 2015
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
At Leadership Camp last year we had lots of fun and educational experiences that lead to the development of our theme, built on the rock. In making this our theme for the year we hope that it is something that guides ZCS in everything that we do in this final year 2015-2016. This theme means a lot to me both as an 8th grade student at ZCS and a Christian out in the world.
As an 8th grade student at Zeeland Christian this theme is something that I hope will guide my actions as well as those of the school this year. For me this years theme, Built on the rock, is not just the guideline for this school year, but it is a personal goal. See, 100 years ago ZCS opened with a goal of creating an open, christian environment and education that is built on Christ. 100 years later that is still what they are doing. Now, as I have gone through Zeeland Christian and experienced this, it’s my turn to provide those type of things for others. Zeeland Christian was built on the rock, Jesus Christ, and so now as I leave ZCS I have to take that and make it not just something that my school does, but something that I do. I hope that this year it’s not just the school that is reminded of their initial purpose but that I am also reminded of the reason I am here, to be an open door for others to come to Christ, to serve God with everything, and to develop a long lasting relationship with the Jesus.
Upon the finalization of this year me and the whole 8th grade will be graduating from ZCS and going out to be a light in this world. Whether we’re going to East, West, HC, or any other high school we’ll be placed into situations very different than what we would experience at Zeeland Christian. Therefore it becomes very important to learn what we can from Zeeland Christian and take it out into the world. If everything stays here, than there’s no point to anything. So, I hope that this theme will help me and others out in the world. It’s a very important to remember why we do what we do, nothing is worth anything if there is no reason it is done. I hope that this theme will remind us of the reason that we live, to serve Christ our rock, to live for Christ our rock, and to be built on Christ our rock.
I hope that this years theme, Built on the Rock, will help me in my life this year both as an 8th grade Student at ZCS and a Christian out in the World. I believe that being built on the rock is knowing why you are here, providing for others a way to christ through your actions under the mindset of being built on the rock, and growing closer to God every day as you pursue giving Christ your all.
Trinity Kraal
Mrs. Roskamp
LA, 8A
10 September 2015
The anchor
The picture of the anchor reminds me of one of our trips to Lake Michigan this summer. It was a cooler day in late august, we had already done all the school shopping and we were getting ready to start school. Seeing as it was cooler and my dad was gone in Detroit we didn’t have any plans but didn’t want to stay home. So we decided just to go out and walk the beach. Upon arriving at the beach we stepped out into the crisp cool air and walked down towards the canal. where we watched the boats driving through. After a few minutes we decided to get up and walk down towards the Ice cream store nearby. I got a delicious version of chocolate that tasted like a mix of Michigan deer trax and Mackinac Island Fudge. After sitting and eating our ice cream we walked back to the beach. My oldest sister, Taylor, wanted to walk the pier so we headed that way. As we got to the edge of the beach, right in front of the pier a huge boat came through the canal. People started to gather around to watch the cruise ship pass by. The people on deck waved and we waved back. After the boat had left we walked unto the pier. Their was a little bit of a wind so the waves crashed up against the wall . The colors were gorgeous, it was late afternoon, but there were some clouds dotted all along the sky that let a streak or two of sun through that hit the crashing waves. We spend a few minutes out there watching the water and reading all the things that people had written on the posts, then we walked back, got into the car, and headed home.
The American Flag
The picture of the american flag reminds me of one of the simple moments of 4th of July. Every 4th of July we go up to our cottage with my dad’s side of the family and stay there for 2 – 3 days. On one morning I woke up later than everyone else, as always, and got up to see the glorious sun streaking through the windows and lighting the whole room in a beautiful red and yellow light that makes everything seem awake and alive. I got up and got dressed and went outside. It was hot and bright but everyone was outside. My little sister and cousins were playing in the barn, my uncles and dad were getting the boat and seadoo into the water, and my mom, one of my aunts and older sister were laying out and reading. My other aunt was over by the flagpole that was, in the middle of our yard, planting plants. I went over by her and offered to help. She excepted and I sat down and started digging the holes and placing the flowers in. The flowers were vibrant colors of purple, red, and some pure white. Each color had a special summery feeling to it and seemed to describe the whole meaning of summer. When I finished planting the flowers I went inside, changed into my swimsuit, and went and joined my mom, sister, and aunts.
The bird
The bird reminds me of a trip to Florida that I took with my family a few years ago. It was Christmas ever. Everyone had their palm trees decorated, the parade had already gone through, the presents were under the artificial tree, and the christmas music floated all through the warm and humid air. The best kind of Christmas. Anyway around 10;00am on December 24 me and my family packed our beach clothes and shelling bags into our small fishing boat that we keep up by my grandparents cottage, and we set out into the bay. See every year for around 3 weeks in december my family has gone out to florida to kinda take a break and celebrate Christmas with my grandparents who go out for November and December. It was about a 45 min boat ride over the blue water, under the huge draw bridge with the wind in my face and the birds calling out over head. The dolphins jumping in the water. It wasn’t a bad ride. After about 30 min we went out of the bay and into the gulf where the water was a lot ruffer. We couldn’t pull the boat up to shore so we had to wade unto shore. Pilot Island, or better known as Egmont Key. The shore line was absolutely covered in sea shells, and good ones too since no one normally picks through them. We spent the day touring the old forts and the town where the soldiers lived, walking the red brick road, and picking up sea shells. Finally at late afternoon we got into the boat and started to head home. The wind had picked up a bit and the gulf was ruff. We tossed and and crashed into the waves in the gulf, but that was nothing compared to the bay. For a tinny fishing boat the waves were huge. My dad was driving a small motor and the 5 foot waves were crashing down on top of us. It was christmas eve! My dad kinda stressed out. We called my grandparents to come over and pick us up on the pier. They drove for about the 15 min drive and came to watch us come in, as we bobbed up and down over the waves making little progress. Finally we got to the pier where my mom and us three girls went with my grandma back to the condo in the car, while my grandpa and dad took the boat back.
This year the new addition is completed. With the 13 new classrooms added, the Middle School has been able to be all in one area. This makes it easier to travel between classes since they are all together. It also allows for a little more freedom in the amount of noise that we can make since while we are out of class and the elementary is in class they can’t hear us. The new addition is a great facility that allows for much more of an luxurious and productive experience making grades 5-8 something to be looked forward to from the grades below.
Texto:
¿Quienes Somos?
¿Qué aprendí sobre las diferencias y similaridades de personas en el mundo?
En estudiar el Apartheid que pasó en Sudáfrica y como Nelson Mandela lo resolvió, yo vi que, aun que personas pueden ver o actuar diferente, todos somos iguales. Todos debemos tener los mismos derechos y oportunidades. Pero, en este mundo roto, esto no siempre es el caso. En ocasiones como el Apartheid vemos que un grupo de personas considera a ellos mismos más alta que todos los demás. En estudiar el apartheid en Sudáfrica yo aprendí que todos somos los mismos en nuestros maneras diferentes.
¿Quienes Somos?
¿Como estoy conectada a los demás a través de este tema?
No he vivido en Sudáfrica, no he visitado a Sudáfrica, no se como fue para los personas que vivieron durante el apartheid en Sudáfrica, pero sí tengo un oportunidad de dejar que lo que aprendí de él dificultad del apartheid no solo queda en mi mente, pero afecta la manera que interactúe con otras personas. El apartheid empezó porque un grupo de personas juzgo a otra. Si yo juzgo a otras personas tendría consecuencias, posiblemente no tan grande como el apartheid, pero todavía tendría consecuencias negativos. Entonces, si mostramos amor en vez de enojo, y no juzgamos a personas por razones estúpidas como el color de su piel, posiblemente tendríamos un mundo un poco mejor.
¿Quien es el?
¿Qué me enseñó este tema de Dios–sus atributos y como se revela?
El Apartheid fue algo muy, muy malo que pasó en Sudáfrica cuando los blancos negaron a los negros las mismas oportunidades, las mismas derechos, y el mismo tolerancia que dieron a los otros personas blancos. Dios detesta esto. El creyó a cada persona exactamente como él quería, y si nosotros no respecta a su creación, no estamos respetando el creador. En estudiar el apartheid yo ví que Dios es amistoso y justo, el elevela lo más bajo, como un prisionero, a el puesto más alto, como el Presidente.
¿Quien es el?
¿Qué significa seguir a Jesús con respecto a este tema?
En el Apartheid, el amor de Cristo no estaba. Jesús vino para salvar los pobres, los que personas llamaron différentes, los que no reciben amor, los que estan doliendo, pero los personas que juzgaron a los negros no mostraron su amor. El apartheid es un mal ejemplo de cómo seguir a Cristo, pero podemos ver el apartheid y hacer lo opuesto. No juzgar a otros, amar los que ven diferentes que nosotros, aceptar los que no son socialmente aceptable, y siempre hacer lo que Cristo haría.
¿Quien Soy Yo?
¿Cómo me ha afectado este tema?
Este tema me a abierto los ojos para ver el mundo más alrededor de mi vida pequeña en Zeeland, MI. Por muchos años personas estaban sufriendo por otras personas diciéndoles quién son y quien deben de ser. Este tema me ha hecho pensar en que pienso de otras personas y mi mismo. Me ha ayudado a hacer decisiones en cómo trato a otras personas. Y me ha enseñado que todos son los mismos en su propia manera.
¿Quien Soy Yo?
¿Cómo he cambiado a través de lo que aprendí?
Yo he cambiado mi manera de ver a otras personas y a el mundo en que vivo. El manera en que personas como Nelson Mandela fueron tratados. Nelson Mandela fue alguien muy inteligente y podría haber ayudado al país mucho más si no fue juzgado por solo el color de su piel y puesto en el prisión por tratar de tener un voz. Yo creo que el país de Sudáfrica perdió mucho por juzgar a estos personas que podrían haber contribuidos a su país, y yo no quiero hacer el mismo error. Estudiar el Apartheid me a cambiado a ver lo bueno en personas mas que el mal o diferente.
Llamada a la Acción
¿Cuáles resultados tangibles estarán presentes en tu vida, basados en estas respuestas?
El apartheid pasó en Sudáfrica, yo vivo en Michigan, no hay mucho que puedo hacer para ayudar a lugares con situaciones como Sudáfrica, pero sí puedo re evaluar a mi mismo y como veo a las personas de otros países o mi comunidad. Porque el apartheid empezó por el pensamiento de algunas personas, yo tengo que verificar que mis pensamientos son puros y no estoy justificando a alguien.
Llamada a la Acción
¿Cómo respondes a lo que has aprendido?
Yo creo que, más que el apartheid, lo que me impactó de lo que aprendimos fue Nelson Mandela. Después que terminó el Apartheid y el fue liberado de prisión él fue, y como presidente, batallo para el paz y perdón. Algunas veces personas dicen que Dios puede usar malo para bueno, y el ejemplo de Nelson Mandela, en mi opinión, fue lo bueno que salio del mal en el apartheid. Creo que si todo el mundo podía perdonar como él, tendríamos un mundo perfecto. Entonces, yo voy a responder a lo que he aprendido con tratando de tener mas paciencia y perdón para otros.
Resumen
¿Que es el Apartheid?
El Apartheid pasó en Sudáfrica cuando los blancos que fueron solo 13% del población segregaron a todos los negros que fueron 80% del población. Por mucho, mucho tiempo los negros no podían decir lo que querían, no podían votar, no podías estar en el governamento, y tenían dificultad manteniendo un trabajo. Un hombre, Nelson Mandela, habló contra esto, no usó violencia pero lo pusieron en el peor prisión en el país por 27 años. Durante ese tiempo los negros fueron liberados del control de los blancos, terminando el Apartheid. Cuando Nelson Mandela estaba liberado de prisión él fue elegido para presidente ahora que los negros podían votar. Cuando Nelson Mandela fue elegido como presidente no trato de poner todos los blancos en prisión ni nada como eso, el trato de unir el país bajo una nueva bandera. Al principio nadie le gustaba ese idea, y nadie queria perdonar los blancos por lo que hicieron. Pero en el fin Nelson Mandela usó el deporte favorito de los blancos, Rugby, para unir el país. Funciono.
¿Que hiciste?
Tu Pais:
Mi país fue Egipto, con Grace, y nosotros tratamos de ir mas por el lugar de ayudar pero no quitar su libertad ni hacer nada usando fuerza no necesaria. Nuestro país de Egipto esta situada a una larga distancia de Burundi, tenemos suficiencia riqueza para sobre vivir, y no tenemos mucho motivación como un país para entra en maneras grandes. Burundi no es un país en que estamos haciendo trabajos y cambios con mucho. Entonces, nuestra esperanza fue para ayudar a los países que quieren ayudar pero no están interesados en parando de intercambiar o en entrando en una guerra para parar esto. Nuestro plan fue que debemos dejarles resolver los peleas y elecciones para si mismo. Entrando en esos lugares sera quitando su libertad de escoger un lider y sacando todo confianza de los lideres ahora. Pero nosotros queremos ayudar a los refugiados que salieron de Burundi empezar de nuevo y queremos ayudar a los países que tienen todos los refugiados no tener tantos. Egipto quería ayudar con transportación a otras países. Nosotros estábamos trabajando con 2 otras países, Zambia y Libya para desarrollar esta idea. Zambia no esta en una posición de riqueza para ayudar mucho o para usar fuerza en Burundi y Libya esta muy lejos y no tiene mucha interacción con Burundi.
¿Que esta pasando en Burundi?
La situación en Burundi es algo que es único en el mundo, es triste por el nivel de vida de estas personas, y es peligroso porque su gobierno no está trabajando bien.
En Burundi hay dos grupos étnicos, los hutus y los tutsis. Los tutsis tenían poder del país y el gobierno hasta 1993 aunque solo llenaron 14% del país y los hutus llenaron 84% de la población en el país. En 1993 los hutus empezaron a pelear en contra de los tutsis. Eso empezó una guerra civil en Burundi. Solo poco tiempo después, en el mismo año, empezó una guerra civil entre los hutus y los tutsis en Rwanda. Burundi es un país muy pobre con una PNB (nivel de vida) $300 dolares americanos al año. Por su pobreza la guerra civil en Burundi paso por 12 años y terminó en 2005, cuando la guerra civil de Rwanda solo paso por 2 años terminando en 1995.
Después de la guerra civil Burundi necesitaba un líder, Pierre Nkurunziza tomó poder como el presidente de Burundi de inmediato sin elección. Después de su primer término de 5 años fue re-elegido para un otro término de 5 años. En el principio de 2015 al fin de su segundo término empezó a hablar de ir por un tercer término. Aunque él dijo que su primer término no cuenta porque no fue elegido, personas empezaron a estar muy enojados porque esto es ilegal. Dice en la constitución de Burundi que solo puedan estar elegidos por dos términos. Por fin el ejército tomó poder y saco a el del país. Pero, el domingo pasado, el regreso al país y suspendió a los elecciones por un mes más. Ahora estamos estudiando y esperando por ver que va ha ser el país de Burundi.
En clase yo leí el libro Pantalones Cortos, por Lara Rios, y aquí esta el keynote que hise sobre los productos, perspectivas, y practicas de Costa Rica.
Que es la cosa mas importante que aprendí?
Yo creo que aprendí mas sobre sus religion catolica y sus festivales. Come el de Juan Santamaría, o celebrando María madre de Jesús.
Floppy Fish
This is Floppy Fish
He lives in field, farms, factories, and ferris wheels
Floppy fish eats food, fabric, fences, and figs
He likes finz, fires, fines, and funerals
Floppy fish feeds families, friends, fish, and feet
One day floppy fish fell fast past my fish finder.
Pictures
Beautiful, colorful
Hanging, smiling, remembering
They capture pieces of your life
Pictures
In the past two weeks in math we have been looking at probability in a fun way, we have been building carnival games. It has been fun but also educational, since you have to learn to do some probability to figure out if your came will work. These past two weeks have been a fun way to do something that would normally be hard.
What I have learned about probability, mainly, would be that you always multiply. Also I have learned that you need to look at every possibility to find the probability.
I think that this is a lot more fun than doing just regular math, by far. But I don’t think it is something that we could or should do every day for math, since than it would get boring if we just kept doing projects. But, I think that doing it in groups made it fun and easier to do and understand
. 