Update on Support (#1)

     I am please to announce that my mother and I are almost 50% funded! Thank you to all of you who already gave. We really appreciate your support.

   
     In an effort to more easily track what support we have received I have set up an Excel document. I am not particularly adept at Excel, but pride myself in the fact that I have figured out how to keep a running total of how much we have received. I also have a bar graph that automatically grows when I enter figures.

     Finances aside, your prayers are appreciated more than the money. Last summer I got to taste a little bit of the power of prayer. Your prayers will give us protection, strength, and help the trip to run smoothly. Thank you so much!

Trying to Succeed

Over the years many great authors and other prestigious members of the human race have attempted to describe success. Emily Dickinson claims that, “Success is counted sweetest by those who never succeeded.” By this she means that those who have succeeded do not value success as much as those who have never attained their goal. “Do or do not, there is no try,” is an oft-quoted line from Star Wars: Episode V. In some ways Master Yoda is correct; either one succeeds or he fails, however his logic does not hold completely true. Theodore Roosevelt points out the fallacy of Master Yoda’s words in his speech “Citizenship in a Republic.” The efforts of attempting a pursuit are extremely valuable.

 Roosevelt’s famous speech is often referred to as “The Man in the Arena” because one of the passages describes a gladiator fighting in front of an arena full of spectators. He begins by saying that those standing on the sidelines, watching, should get no share in the glory. While they observe they laugh at the mistakes that are made and scoff at the successes, saying, “I could have done better.” They claim to be better than the strongest man when he fails, even though they are weak and have never accomplished such feats. They have no right to criticize the competitors because they have never fought in the arena and do not know what it is like. Scared of failing, they have never tried. 

The man they are mocking does not look like he is successful, even though he is in the arena making an attempt at victory. He is bruised and battered and his clothes are stained with blood, sweat, and dirt. Yet, there is something that sets him apart from his fellow competitors, who have tried and failed. After each failure he gets up and tries again. He knows something that those before him who have failed and lost heart do not. Success is rarely ever gained on the first try and ‘there is no effort without error.’ In order to succeed an effort must first be made. The man in the arena has devoted himself to trying. Each time he falls he picks himself back up again, ready to go another round, while the spectators merely watch and goad him on as if they know better than him.

Every time the man makes an error and comes back he betters himself. He learns from his mistakes. These two things are essential to why he is able to rise above his peers. After being knocked down he does not stay down. Also he does not try the same strategy each time, as if repetition would be the deciding factor. If his opponent cuts through a weak point in his defense he makes sure to shield himself better. In order to succeed one must first try.

This technique should be applied to all areas of life. Even if the first attempt is unsuccessful much value can be gained by attempting again. However, to try one must be willing to take the first step. It can be intimidating to stand up from a comfortable seat in the stands and descend into the arena. The future is not always planned out. This often immobilizes those who have the potential to succeed, but after taking the first step they find that the pathway ahead becomes clearer. Each step makes the way forward seem more obvious. That first step is essential in order to first try and to later succeed. Life does not always go as planned, but no matter what happens the man in the arena sets an example by continuing to take steps forward and try to succeed.

Raising Support

     This summer I have the amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip with my mother and a team from our church. We will be going to the Czech Republic. Last year I went out of the country for the first time on another mission trip to the country of Moldova. I am super excited to be going back into the short-term mission field!

     Our team this year will be putting on a family-fun English camp with a local church in the Czech Republic. However, in order to do this we need to raise money. $2,500 each to be exact. For some people raising money to go on missions trips involves various fundraising activities such as pledge drives, selling T-shirts or cookies, and setting up GoFundMe accounts. For us this entails sending out letters, letting our friends and family know about this venture and asking them to help and lend their support.

     Before you can send a support letter you must first write a support letter. The support letter usually includes a short synopsis about what is going on in your life, where you are going, what you will be doing there, how to give money, and other details about the trip. Once you have written and revised your support letter you can print it off and begin stuffing envelopes.

     Stuffing envelopes is a tedious task that takes a lot of time (how's that for alliteration?). It is best done with someone to help you.

Here is my wonderful mother, helping me stuff envelopes.

     The envelopes have to be addressed before you can put your letters in them (technically you could address them after filling them, but it is much easier to write on an empty envelope than a filled one). I would recommend purchasing envelopes that you do not have to lick to seal. They may cost more, but will be well worth it in the time, energy, and taste buds you save. Along with our support letters we included a prayer card, support form, and return envelope.

     As you can see, writing and sending support letters can be a long and tiring process. However, it is well worth it!

     I would like to thank all the people who have committed to support us financially, but especially in prayer. By giving up your time and resources you have become part of this endeavor and because of your generosity the gospel is being spread.

     I will be posting updates on support, as well as the trip itself (hopefully), so stay tuned for more information!

My Last Semester Resolution

     As graduation gets nearer I have been looking back on the last four years of my high school experience. I have a great class. I truly do. Second day of school my freshman year I sat in my Physical Science class (2nd hour) and told myself, “This is a great class.” And they are! But they are human and have their faults. So do I.

     Just the other day I realized how little I know most of my classmates (I found out the other day that one of my friends had been an extra in a movie when she was younger). I mean, I am really close with a handful of them, but there are some that I have not held a single conversation with. I have gone to school with these people for four years and there are only 33 people in my class. I don’t have an excuse for this.

     It also struck me how little some of my classmates know each other. Keep in mind that my school is a K - 12 establishment, so some of my fellow students have been seeing each other on a daily basis for almost all of their lives. It seems like they are more content to stay where they feel comfortable, in their clique of close acquaintances, than to get to know someone they don’t have as much in common with. In their attempts to be social they isolate themselves from people’s lives that they could make a difference in. Don’t get the wrong picture here: they all get along and I am proud to be in the same class with them.

     Also, there is something you should know about me. When I critique something, often my comments are an equal reflection of myself. I am not perfect. I have failed to get to know my classmates. I have failed to cultivate friendships with all of them and minister to them. I wish we had another year together so I could have a second chance. As it is, we only have half a semester left as a class, but I plan to make the most of it.

Easter Eggs

   Guess what tomorrow is! That's right; Easter!
 
   In our modern-day  world many people assume Easter is about chocolate and bunnies and spring. However, Easter is about something much better than eggs and candy. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. But before He could be raised from the dead Jesus had to die. Good Friday honors His death on a cross. The Friday before Easter Sunday is called Good Friday because when Jesus died He satisfied God's wrath for our sins, allowing us to have salvation.
 
   The joy and severity of the holy holiday is watered-down by the secular traditions the world tries to associate with Easter. However, some significance can be found in these traditions. Here are a couple similarities between Jesus' death and dying Easter eggs:

- In order to dye eggs the yolk and egg white must first be removed. This is usually done by poking three holes in the top of an egg and a larger hole in the bottom and then blowing into the three small holes. In this way Jesus was pierced for our transgressions. He was poured out for us (his blood was shed on our behalf) as He hung on the cross. His  blood became the sacrifice that saved us from our sins.

- The dye used to color Easter eggs is usually made with a vinegar base. Jesus was given vinegar to drink on the cross.

- In order to produce a vibrantly colored Easter egg the egg must be submerged in the dye for a long period of time. This is similar to how Jesus' body stayed in the tomb for three days and three nights.

- For whatever reason my brother and I had a tradition of breaking our old Easter eggs on the Fourth of July (don't ask why). Each of the eggs we smashed were completely empty inside, just like Jesus' tomb on that fateful morning.

   
   He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Comments on Fahrenheit 451

   The title of this blog originated from my love of books, so it is only fitting that my first post be about a book. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, to be exact.

 
   This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for almost a year now. I bought it at a Goodwill with the intent of taking it to read on the plane to Moldova (for those of you who did not know I went to Moldova on a mission trip last summer). I did take it (it's world-famous!), but never opened it. And so it's lonely existence of not being read was extended. I finally picked it back up because it was one of the books on my reading list for school. Usually classical novels like this intimidate me, but I was able to get through it in just a couple days (it's only 165 pages total, so that helped).

   Being a potential graphic designer I really appreciated how the cover looks like it has some wear and tear (books are not treated as nicely in the novel). It looks like the book has a dust jacket that has been ripped to reveal the hard cover underneath. Pretty cool, right?

 
   The first copy of Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953. The story is set in a dystopian future (this is before dystopian fiction was cool), probably somewhere in the twenty-first century. Because the story is set close to our current time I found it interesting to see how the technological advances compared. Some go beyond what is possible today (fire-proof houses) or fall short of modern technology (sorry, no internet), and in a few cases, match up almost spot-on with what we have today (devices with Bluetooth capabilities!).
 
   In the book society has degraded to the point where books are considered illegal. This is a decision made by the majority of the population, not the government. Firemen in the traditional sense are no longer needed, thanks to the invention of fire-proof houses. Instead, their job is to burn books. I don't think that these kinds of Firemen will be needed in our current society, but Mr. Bradbury does provide criticism on some of our potential fatal flaws.
 
   I enjoyed this book much more than I was expecting to; it is an interesting insight into what could have been our future.